Breton Heavy Draft

Origin: Northwestern Brittany (France).

Color: Coat color is chestnut or chestnut roan often with flaxen mane and tail, on occasion bay or bay roan will be seen.

Avg Height: 15 to 16 hh

Avg Weight: 1300 to 1500 lbs

Build: The square head of the Breton has a straight profile and should have large, open nostrils and bright, kindly eyes. The mobile ears are small and set rather low on the head. The neck follows the general outline of the body, being short, arched and thick. It runs into the shoulders that, although sloping, are shorter than might be expected. Nonetheless, the Breton is active, fast and free at the walk and trot. The outline is attractively short and square, with the body broad, strong and deep and the hindquarters showing great power. The limbs are short, strong and very muscular in the thighs and forearms. The hooves are well shaped, hard and not too large. The legs are virtually clean, carrying little or no feather. It is customary for the tail of the Breton to be docked. It is thought to give the horse a jaunty look and to prevent the reins from becoming caught up under the tail.

Temperament: A hardy, adaptable animal and a willing worker. Strong, energetic, kind and good-natured.

Main use: Still used as a work horse on small farms by market gardeners and to gather seaweed due to its power, hardiness, and energy. The Breton is mainly bred today for meat production in France. Also used quite often in the French vineyards.

Special abilities: Because of the quality and popularity, the Breton is the most numerous of the draft horse in France. It also has been widely exported around the world.

History: The breeders of Brittany are as skillful as any in Europe. Since the Middle Ages, the area has produced its own distinctive, Breton types based on the primitive, small, hairy horses of the Black Mountains. It was used in the Crusades and as a war horse, and down through the centuries there has always been more than one type of Breton horse. In the Middle Ages there were two types that were identified: the Sommier (which was descended from stock bred mainly in the north of Brittany and was used for pack and agricultural work) and the Roussin (which was a much lighter animal and came from the south and some central parts of the region). It was a popular saddle horse, noted for its comfortable gate. Although the Breton is no longer used as a saddle horse it is still bred as different types: a large and a small draft horse and a coach-horse known as the Postier, which is built on less massive lines than the draft horses. The studbook was started in 1909 and controls the draft and coach-horse divisions seperately.