Poitevin (horse)
Encyclopedia
The Poitevin, also called Mulassier, ("mule-breeder"), Poitevin mulassier or Trait mulassier is a draft horse
from the Poitou
area of France
. Traditionally they were often bred to jack Baudet de Poitou
donkeys to produce Poitevin mules; in 2010 about 25% of the 265 active brood-mares were bred to donkeys, and about 75% to Poitevin stallions.
with heavy draft stallions
imported by the Dutch from the Netherlands
, Norway
and Denmark
for use in land reclamation work. The breed was in danger of extinction during the 1950s, but is now enjoying a revival.
s through crossing Poitevin mares with the jacks
of the Baudet de Poitou
breed. The resulting mules are prized throughout Europe. Poitevins are also bred for the European horsemeat markets.
, males averaging 1.68 metre and females 1.6 metre. Their coat is usually gray
, bay, black
, or shades of dun
(called isabella in France, but not to be confused with the cream-gene Palomino), with fairly heavy feathering on their lower legs. Their heads are heavy, with a straight or convex profile set onto a neck that is short and muscular. Their shoulders are sloped, their back is long, straight, and broad, and their croup is long and sloping. Their legs are fairly thick and short, with broad joints and hooves. The breed is not as high-stepping and showy as some other breeds, quoted in old text as being somewhat slow, but it has been used as a reliable work-horse for centuries.
Draft horse
A draft horse , draught horse or dray horse , less often called a work horse or heavy horse, is a large horse bred for hard, heavy tasks such as ploughing and farm labour...
from the Poitou
Poitou
Poitou was a province of west-central France whose capital city was Poitiers.The region of Poitou was called Thifalia in the sixth century....
area of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Traditionally they were often bred to jack Baudet de Poitou
Baudet de Poitou
The Baudet de Poitou is a breed of donkey originating in the Poitou region of France. One of the most distinctive donkey breeds, it is also among the rarest and least-known...
donkeys to produce Poitevin mules; in 2010 about 25% of the 265 active brood-mares were bred to donkeys, and about 75% to Poitevin stallions.
History
The breed developed from the crossing of native Poitiers maresMare (horse)
A mare is an adult female horse or other equine.In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse age three and younger. However, in Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four years old; in harness racing a mare is a...
with heavy draft stallions
Stallion (horse)
A stallion is a male horse that has not been gelded .Stallions will follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cresty" neck, as well as a somewhat more muscular physique as compared to...
imported by the Dutch from the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
and Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
for use in land reclamation work. The breed was in danger of extinction during the 1950s, but is now enjoying a revival.
Uses
The Poitevin has been used mainly for the production of Poitevin muleMule
A mule is the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse. Horses and donkeys are different species, with different numbers of chromosomes. Of the two F1 hybrids between these two species, a mule is easier to obtain than a hinny...
s through crossing Poitevin mares with the jacks
Donkey
The donkey or ass, Equus africanus asinus, is a domesticated member of the Equidae or horse family. The wild ancestor of the donkey is the African Wild Ass, E...
of the Baudet de Poitou
Baudet de Poitou
The Baudet de Poitou is a breed of donkey originating in the Poitou region of France. One of the most distinctive donkey breeds, it is also among the rarest and least-known...
breed. The resulting mules are prized throughout Europe. Poitevins are also bred for the European horsemeat markets.
Characteristics
The Poitevin stands about 1.65 metre at the withersWithers
The withers is the ridge between the shoulder blades of a four-legged animal. In many species it is the tallest point of the body, and in horses and dogs it is the standard place to measure the animal's height .-Horses:The withers in horses are formed by the dorsal spinal processes of roughly the...
, males averaging 1.68 metre and females 1.6 metre. Their coat is usually gray
Gray (horse)
Gray or grey is a coat color of horses characterized by progressive silvering of the colored hairs of the coat. Most gray horses have black skin and dark eyes; unlike many depigmentation genes, gray does not affect skin or eye color Their adult hair coat is white, dappled, or white intermingled...
, bay, black
Black (horse)
Black is a hair coat color of horses in which the entire hair coat is black. Black is a relatively uncommon coat color, and novices frequently mistake dark chestnuts or bays for black. However, some breeds of horses, such as the Friesian horse, Murgese and Ariegeois are almost exclusively black...
, or shades of dun
Dun
Dun is now used both as a generic term for a fort and also for a specific variety of Atlantic roundhouse...
(called isabella in France, but not to be confused with the cream-gene Palomino), with fairly heavy feathering on their lower legs. Their heads are heavy, with a straight or convex profile set onto a neck that is short and muscular. Their shoulders are sloped, their back is long, straight, and broad, and their croup is long and sloping. Their legs are fairly thick and short, with broad joints and hooves. The breed is not as high-stepping and showy as some other breeds, quoted in old text as being somewhat slow, but it has been used as a reliable work-horse for centuries.