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As with other local draught horses, the use of the Auvergne horse has declined with the rise of mechanized travel.<ref name=ancra/> Defining the horse is difficult in the absence of recent scientific publications and official recognition. Documents mentioning the "cheval d'Auvergne" in fact speak of many different breeds which have rarely, or never, been recognized as an independent breed throughout their history.
As with other local draught horses, the use of the Auvergne horse has declined with the rise of mechanized travel.<ref name=ancra/> Defining the horse is difficult in the absence of recent scientific publications and official recognition. Documents mentioning the "cheval d'Auvergne" in fact speak of many different breeds which have rarely, or never, been recognized as an independent breed throughout their history.


===Origin===
===Origins===
[[File:Steuben - Bataille de Poitiers.png|thumb|left|The Auvergne horse could be descended from horses abandoned by the [[Saracens]].]]
[[File:Steuben - Bataille de Poitiers.png|thumb|left|The Auvergne horse could be descended from horses abandoned by the [[Saracens]].]]
No scientific studies exist concerning the origin of the Auvergne horse, but there are several theories:
No scientific studies exist concerning the origin of the Auvergne horse, but there are several theories:
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* According to the inhabitants of the Auvergne region, the breed is native to the region, and lived there "depuis la nuit des temps" (since the dawn of time.) According to their theory, it is descended from prehistoric animals who had simply wandered into the region.<ref name=petit/>
* According to the inhabitants of the Auvergne region, the breed is native to the region, and lived there "depuis la nuit des temps" (since the dawn of time.) According to their theory, it is descended from prehistoric animals who had simply wandered into the region.<ref name=petit/>


There seems to have been two types of Auvergnal horses throughout the region's history: the smaller horse, or "half-blood Auvergnal", was a riding horse destined to the [[light cavalry]]; the common, "all-purpose" horse was used by locals until the improvement of automobile roads, at which time it was crossbred again to better handle divers agricultural duties.<ref name=durand/>
There seems to have been two types of Auvergne horses throughout the region's history: the smaller horse, or "half-blood Auvergne horse", was a riding horse destined for the [[light cavalry]]; the communal, "all-purpose" horse was used by locals until the improvement of automobile roads, at which time it was crossbred again to better handle a wider range of agricultural duties.<ref name=durand/>


===To 17th century===
===To 17th century===
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The existence of the Auvergne horse is suggested in the documents from the 18th century which describe a little, rustic, mountain horse of [[oriental horse|oriental build]] and rather closely related to oriental breeds. Under the rule of [[Henry IV of France|Henry IV]], the "barbe auvergnat" was a prized mount of [[cavalier]]s, and according to tradition, the famous white horse of the king himself came from a farm in Barra, near [[Aurillac]].<ref name=durand/>
The existence of the Auvergne horse is suggested in the documents from the 18th century which describe a little, rustic, mountain horse of [[oriental horse|oriental build]] and rather closely related to oriental breeds. Under the rule of [[Henry IV of France|Henry IV]], the "barbe auvergnat" was a prized mount of [[cavalier]]s, and according to tradition, the famous white horse of the king himself came from a farm in Barra, near [[Aurillac]].<ref name=durand/>


It was Louis XIV who, with the creation of the [[French National Breeding Farm]] during the 17th century, tried to better the horse in the hopes of using it in his cavalry.<ref name=durand/> To breed the horse, he called upon stallions of Turkish and [[Barb horse|Barbary]] descent, and upon the [[Friesian horse|Frisian]] and Dutch stallions. But, the cross-breeding was largely unsuccessful, mostly because of the poor breeding management.<ref name=durand/>
It was Louis XIV who, with the creation of the [[Haras Nationaux|French National Breeding Farm]] during the 17th century, tried to better the horse in the hopes of using it in his cavalry.<ref name=durand/> To breed the horse, he called upon stallions of Turkish and [[Barb horse|Barbary]] descent, and upon the [[Friesian horse|Frisian]] and Dutch stallions. But, the cross-breeding was largely unsuccessful, mostly because of the poor breeding management.<ref name=durand/>


===18th century===
===18th century===
In a census of the Auvergne horse population by the administration of [[Stud farm]]s in 1764 only 604 mares were estimated as likely to give birth to good foals in the region. This is very low and reflects the poor quality of the population of Auvergne horses at that time.<ref>Jacques Mulliez, [http://books.google.com/books?id=zv63AAAAIAAJ&q=Cheval+Auvergne&dq=Cheval+Auvergne&lr=&hl=fr&cd=8 ''Royal horses: history of the raising of the horse and the creation of stud farms''], Montalba, 1983, 398 pages, p. 284 {{Fr icon}}</ref> The Auvergne horses long remained disreputable. As a result at the end of the 18th century these animals were described as "with a large head, large ears and a little neck"<ref name="Ceza249"/> and as "heavy, unhealthy and without nerves".<ref name="Ceza249">Alfred Durand, [http://books.google.com/books?id=CiK2Eqdm0ZgC&pg=PA249&dq=Cheval+d%27Auvergne&hl=fr&cd=1&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=Cheval%20d'Auvergne&f=false ''Rural life in the volcanic mountains of Dores, Cézallier, Cantal, and Aubrac''],‎ 2006, 530 p. (ISBN 9782848190570) p. 249 {{Fr icon}}</ref>.
In a census of the Auvergne horse population by the administration of [[Stud farm]]s in 1764 only 604 mares were estimated as likely to give birth to good foals in the region. This is very low and reflects the poor quality of the population of Auvergne horses at that time.<ref>Jacques Mulliez, [http://books.google.com/books?id=zv63AAAAIAAJ&q=Cheval+Auvergne&dq=Cheval+Auvergne&lr=&hl=fr&cd=8 ''Royal horses: history of the raising of the horse and the creation of stud farms''], Montalba, 1983, 398 pages, p. 284 {{Fr icon}}</ref> The Auvergne horses long remained disreputable. As a result at the end of the 18th century these animals were described as "with a large head, large ears and a little neck"<ref name="Ceza249"/> and as "heavy, unhealthy and without nerves".<ref name="Ceza249">Alfred Durand, [http://books.google.com/books?id=CiK2Eqdm0ZgC&pg=PA249&dq=Cheval+d%27Auvergne&hl=fr&cd=1&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=Cheval%20d'Auvergne&f=false ''Rural life in the volcanic mountains of Dores, Cézallier, Cantal, and Aubrac''],‎ 2006, 530 p. (ISBN 9782848190570) p. 249 {{Fr icon}}</ref>.


In 1788 2,660 foals were born in the Auvergne region and their sales value was reported at some 60,000 [[French livre|livres]].<ref name="Ceza249"/> After the suppression of the National Stud in 1790 the horses quickly regained their old features because of the disappearance of foreign [[Stallion]]s which were stationed there. During the [[French Revolution]] General Houchard raised a regiment of [[light cavalry]] from [[Aurillac]] and, during the [[French First Empire|First Empire]], the cavalry were mounted on Auvergne horses.<ref name="Ceza249"/> At that time Auvergne produced many horses bred for economic use and sold them at four years old for saddling.<ref name="Magne345">Jean Henri Magne, [http://books.google.com.kh/books?lr=&cd=27&hl=fr&output=text&id=7xtEAAAAYAAJ&dq=cheval+ari%C3%A9geois&q=chevaux+de+l%27Auvergne&redir_esc=y#v=snippet&q=chevaux%20de%20l'Auvergne&f=false ''Veterinary Hygiene applicable to the study of domestic animals and means of improvement''], vol. 1, Labe,‎ 1857, p. 345 {{Fr icon}}</ref> Wars, however, resulted in the re-creation of the National Stud and the best horses disappeared.<ref name="Montendre381">Count Achille de Montendre, ''On Equestrian institutions and the breeding of horses in teh main states of Europe: composed of official documents and published writings from Germany, England, and France and soem observations on different eras''], vol. 2, Bureau du Journal des haras,‎ 1840, p. 381 {{Fr icon}}</ref>
In 1788 2,660 foals were born in the Auvergne region and their sales value was reported at some 60,000 [[French livre|livres]].<ref name="Ceza249"/> After the suppression of the National Stud in 1790 the horses quickly regained their old features because of the disappearance of foreign [[Stallion]]s which were stationed there. During the [[French Revolution]] General Houchard raised a regiment of [[light cavalry]] from [[Aurillac]] and, during the [[French First Empire|First Empire]], the cavalry were mounted on Auvergne horses.<ref name="Ceza249"/> At that time Auvergne produced many horses bred for economic use and sold them at four years old for saddling.<ref name="Magne345">Jean Henri Magne, [http://books.google.com.kh/books?lr=&cd=27&hl=fr&output=text&id=7xtEAAAAYAAJ&dq=cheval+ari%C3%A9geois&q=chevaux+de+l%27Auvergne&redir_esc=y#v=snippet&q=chevaux%20de%20l'Auvergne&f=false ''Veterinary Hygiene applicable to the study of domestic animals and means of improvement''], vol. 1, Labe,‎ 1857, p. 345 {{Fr icon}}</ref> Wars, however, resulted in the re-creation of the National Stud and the best horses disappeared.<ref name="Montendre381">Count Achille de Montendre, ''On Equestrian institutions and the breeding of horses in the main states of Europe: composed of official documents and published writings from Germany, England, and France and some observations on different eras''], vol. 2, Bureau du Journal des haras,‎ 1840, p. 381 {{Fr icon}}</ref>


===19th century===
===19th century===
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=====The old Auvergne horse=====
=====The old Auvergne horse=====
The old Auvergne horse was, according to the naturalist ''Louis-Furcy Grognier'' "a weakened emanation of the Limousin breed, an immediate result of Oriental blood".<ref name="Histassoc">[http://www.chevalauvergne.fr/race/246 ''The history of the Auvergne horse''], Auvergne horse website, Association pour la relance du cheval d'Auvergne, consulted on 22 December 2009 {{Fr icon}}</ref> <ref name="Dict">F. Joseph Cardini, [http://books.google.com/books?id=CQsPAAAAYAAJ&dq=Cheval+navarrin&lr=&hl=fr&pg=PA340-IA4&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false ''Dictionary of Equestrianism and Riding: a work uniting all horse knowledge'', vol. 2, Bouchard-Huzard,‎ 1848, p. 341 {{Fr icon}}</ref> [[André Sanson]]<ref name="Zootech">André Sanson, [http://books.google.com/books?id=wDsXAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA129&dq=Cheval+d%27Auvergne&lr=&hl=fr&cd=12&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=Cheval%20d'Auvergne&f=false ''Applications of animal production science''], Librairie Agricole de la maison rustique,‎ 1867, p. 129-130 {{Fr icon}}</ref> and [[Jean-Henri Magne]]<ref name="Magne345"/> also described the horse as close to the Limousin with "less elegance in the face: the Auvergne is less regular than the Limousin".<ref name="Dict"/> The general impression is that of a horse "thin, strong, and solid if somewhat disjointed",<ref name="compterenduagr">[http://books.google.com/books?id=Z0AJAQAAIAAJ&q=Cheval+Auvergne&dq=Cheval+Auvergne&lr=&hl=fr&cd=39 ''Accounts of sessions of the Academy of Agriculture of France''], Académie, 1947, Vol. 33, p. 171, {{fr icon}}</ref> "lacking in purity and elegance".<ref name="Ceza249"/>.
The old Auvergne horse was, according to the naturalist ''Louis-Furcy Grognier'' "a weakened emanation of the Limousin breed, an immediate result of Oriental blood".<ref name="Histassoc">[http://www.chevalauvergne.fr/race/246 ''The history of the Auvergne horse''], Auvergne horse website, Association pour la relance du cheval d'Auvergne, consulted on 22 December 2009 {{Fr icon}}</ref> <ref name="Dict">F. Joseph Cardini, [http://books.google.com/books?id=CQsPAAAAYAAJ&dq=Cheval+navarrin&lr=&hl=fr&pg=PA340-IA4&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false ''Dictionary of Equestrianism and Riding: a work uniting all horse knowledge'', vol. 2, Bouchard-Huzard,‎ 1848, p. 341 {{Fr icon}}</ref> André Sanson<ref name="Zootech">André Sanson, [http://books.google.com/books?id=wDsXAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA129&dq=Cheval+d%27Auvergne&lr=&hl=fr&cd=12&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=Cheval%20d'Auvergne&f=false ''Applications of animal production science''], Librairie Agricole de la maison rustique,‎ 1867, p. 129-130 {{Fr icon}}</ref> and [[Jean-Henri Magne]]<ref name="Magne345"/> also described the horse as close to the Limousin with "less elegance in the face: the Auvergne is less regular than the Limousin".<ref name="Dict"/> The general impression is that of a horse "thin, strong, and solid if somewhat disjointed",<ref name="compterenduagr">[http://books.google.com/books?id=Z0AJAQAAIAAJ&q=Cheval+Auvergne&dq=Cheval+Auvergne&lr=&hl=fr&cd=39 ''Accounts of sessions of the Academy of Agriculture of France''], Académie, 1947, Vol. 33, p. 171, {{fr icon}}</ref> "lacking in purity and elegance".<ref name="Ceza249"/>.

⚫
The height of the horse was low: from 1.43 m to 1.47 m according to Eugène Gayot,<ref name="Gayot481">Louis Moll and Eugène Nicolas Gayot, [http://books.google.com/books?id=VmACAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA440&dq=Cheval+camargue&hl=fr&output=text&redir_esc=y General knowledge of the horse: studies of practical horse breeding science], with an atlas of 160 pages and 103 figures, Didot,‎ 1861, 722 p. p. 481 {{Fr icon}}</ref> less than 1.47 m according to Alexandre Bernard Vallon,<ref name="Vallon504">Alexandre-Bernard Vallon, [http://books.google.com.kh/books?id=S-g9AAAAcAAJ&lr=&hl=fr&pg=PA504&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false ''Lessons in hippology in the usage of MM. army officers...''], vol. 2, Saumur, Javaud,‎ 1863, p. 504 {{Fr icon}}</ref>. and from 1.44 m to 1.48 m according to the Cardini dictionary.<ref name="Dict"/> It increased from 1.48 m to 1.50 m in the late 19th century according to the ''Revue d'Auvergne''. The head is fine, short, and expressive with hollows above the eyes, keen eyes, ears very straight and very mobile, and with wide nostrils.<ref name="RevueAuvergne23">[http://books.google.com/books?id=2bFLAAAAMAAJ&q=Cheval+auvergnat&dq=Cheval+auvergnat&lr=&hl=fr&cd=2&redir_esc=y Society of friends of the University of Clermont], Review of Auvergne, vol. 9, Typ. et lithog. G. Mont-Louis,‎ 1892, p. 23 {{Fr icon}}</ref> It seems stronger than the Limousin horse because it is smaller.<ref name="Zootech"/> The neckline is arched or reversed<ref name="Vallon504"/> but rather short.<ref name="RevueAuvergne23"/> The [[mane]] is abundant and fine. Eugene Gayot said that when the wind blows the mane and forelock of the horses, it gives them a disheveled and very strange look.<ref name="Gayot481"/> The [[withers]] are high and good-looking,<ref name="Vallon504"/> sharp-edged<ref name="Magne345"/> and often separated from the neck by a sharp line. The chest and body are narrow but the chest is deep, a condition for speed.<ref name="RevueAuvergne23"/> The [[Back (horse)|back]] and kidney are conform well,<ref name="Vallon504"/> but the back can be long. The flanks are turned up or ''cordés''.<ref name="RevueAuvergne23"/> The hips are protruding and the rump is sharp,<ref name="Vallon504"/> short, angular and low - <ref name="Zootech"/> slightly ''avalée'' or ''en pupitre''. The leg is fine and muscular with a wide and well articulated knee, smooth ''canons'' and well detached tendons - almost as big as the bone. Members are spotless, dry and nervous, and free of defects<ref name="RevueAuvergne24">[http://books.google.com/books?id=2bFLAAAAMAAJ&q=Cheval+auvergnat&dq=Cheval+auvergnat&lr=&hl=fr&cd=2&redir_esc=y Society of friends of the University of Clermont], Review of Auvergne, vol. 9, Typ. et lithog. G. Mont-Louis,‎ 1892, p. 24 {{Fr icon}}</ref> but sometimes they have defects of plumb. The hock is hooked<ref name="Vallon504"/> and closed<ref name="Zootech"/> but big enough, the [[pastern]] is short. The foot is small and well formed terminated by a very hard black hoof.<ref name="Vallon504"/>

===Half-Blood Auvergne===
The breeding of Auvergne horses for light cavalry was managed by the National Stud and associated farmers. As the size of the Auvergne horse was too small for light cavalry it was crossed with the [[Thoroughbred]] and [[Anglo-Norman horse|Anglo-Norman]] resulting in the "half-blood Auvergne" a horse of "light size" destined for war and widely used during the wars of empire.<ref name="Histassoc"/> <ref name="Dict"/> <ref name="Gayot482">Louis Moll and Eugène Nicolas Gayot, [http://books.google.com/books?id=VmACAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA440&dq=Cheval+camargue&hl=fr&output=text&redir_esc=y ''General knowledge of the horse: studies in practical animal production science, with an atlas of 160 pages and 103 figures''], Didot,‎ 1861, 722 p. p. 482 {{Fr icon}}</ref> It had little in common with the old type of breed. Farmers were reluctant to cross with Thoroughbreds, preferring the Arabian. Although Eugene Gayot defended the usefulness of these crosses,<ref name="Gayot482"/> they often had poor results from creating horses with slender limbs, long kidneys, flat ribs, and a lot less hardy than the original Auvergne horse<ref name="Vallon504"/> <ref name="Magne346">Jean Henri Magne, [http://books.google.com/books?lr=&cd=27&hl=fr&output=text&id=7xtEAAAAYAAJ&dq=cheval+ari%C3%A9geois&q=chevaux+de+l%27Auvergne&redir_esc=y#v=snippet&q=chevaux%20de%20l'Auvergne&f=false ''Veterinary Hygiene applicable to the study of domestic animals and means of improvement''], vol. 1, Labe,‎ 1857, p. 346 {{Fr icon}}</ref> According to Andre Sanson they had strong ancestral qualities of the Auvergne horse.<ref name="Zootech"/> In addition rearing conditions were so bad that a third of the population was infected by [[Equine Recurrent Uveitis|periodic ophthalmia]].<ref name="Vallon506">Alexandre-Bernard Vallon, [http://books.google.com.kh/books?id=S-g9AAAAcAAJ&lr=&hl=fr&pg=PA504&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false ''Lessons in hippology in the usage of MM. army officers...''], vol. 2, Saumur, Javaud,‎ 1863, p. 506 {{Fr icon}}</ref>

The Auvergne horse from [[Quercy]] and [[Rouergue]] is often [[Bay (horse)|bay]] with a strong and thick mane and a head resembling that of [[Merens]]. Sober, strong, and agile: excellent for the dry and rocky slopes of those regions. They provided very good service in the cavalry for many years and consumed very little. They are sold at fairs in [[Cantal]], [[Lot]], and [[Aveyron]].<ref name="Magne345"/>

===The Communal horse===
[[File:Auvergnates se rendant au Marché.jpg|thumb|left|Auvergne people going to market (19th century)]]
[[File:AuvergnatesMarchéCheval.jpg|thumb|right|Mountain people going to the market on their horses (19th century)]]

At the end of the 18th century and throughout the 19th century farmers in the Auvergne region raised a light communal horse with the ability to work and withstand harsh mountain winters. This horse was a great success throughout the 19th century with the breed becoming a [[Draft horse]] with a popular character and rusticity.<ref name="Histassoc"/> According to a report in 1873 the old Auvergne "light" breed was then considered lost due to the development of roads suitable for motor vehicles in the region from the 1830s. This had the effect of reducing the need to own a saddle horse and promoted the breeding of a light [[Driving (horse)|driving draft horse]] more useful for local farmers as it allowed them to work with it in the fields. Horse breeding for saddle horses was only slightly profitable for farmers. Draft horses were then imported from [[Perche]], [[Normandy]], [[Brittany]], and [[Poitou]] and crossed with the light breed in the country which gave the Auvergne "communal" horse.<ref name="Rapport1873">''Report by the prefect of Puy de Dôme on the mounted service in 1873'', 1873 {{Fr icon}}</ref>.

===Disappearance of the old type===
The old Auvergne horse as it existed before cross-breeding disappeared due to the development of paved roads.<ref name="Rapport1873"/> In 1846 the disappearance of the Auvergne horse in [[Cantal]] "is about to become complete".<ref name="Aca1846">Veterinary Academy of France], Central Society for Veterinary Medicine, and the National Veterinary School of Alfort, [http://books.google.com/books?id=xRQHAQAAIAAJ&dq=Cheval+Auvergne&lr=&hl=fr&pg=RA3-PA1030&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=Cheval%20Auvergne&f=false Collection of Veterinary Medicine], vol. 23, Vigot Éditions,‎ 1846, p. 1030 {{Fr icon}}</ref> In 1855 the light Auvergne horse used for the army was considered permanently lost through cross-breeding.<ref>Antoine Richard, [http://books.google.com/books?id=XlTTAAAAMAAJ&dq=Cheval%20auvergnat&lr=&hl=fr&pg=PA170 ''Reasoned Dictionary of Agriculture and the economy of livestock: according to the principles of natural applied science''], Firmin Didot Frères, 1855, Vol. 1, p. 170 {{Fr icon}}</ref> Mr. Liégeard, the Director of Aurillac National Stud, said a year later that "if the Auvergne breed existed, one knows that this breed unfortunately does not live other than in the memory of those who have lived in the country 20 or 25 years ago".<ref name="Aurillac">''Letter from the National Stud of Aurillac to the Minister of Agriculture'', Aurillac, 4 April 1932 {{Fr icon}}</ref>.

===Breeding methods===
[[File:ChevalAuvergne1873.jpg|thumb|right|An engraving of Auvergne horses extracted from the report of the prefect of Puy de Dôme on the mounted service in 1873.]]

The method of raising Auvergne horses was frequently criticized.<ref name="Montendre380">Count Achille de Montendre, ''On Equestrian institutions and the breeding of horses in the main states of Europe: composed of official documents and published writings from Germany, England, and France and some observations on different eras''], vol. 2, Bureau du Journal des haras,‎ 1840, p. 380 {{Fr icon}}</ref> In Cantal the Auvergne [[Gravidity and parity|gravid]] mare was worked until the tenth month of gestation and was not better fed in the winter. Five or six days after parturition she was sent with her ​​foal to pasture where she often spent the night. Breastfeeding of foals lasted five to six months. After weaning some of them were sold and exported to neighbouring departments while others remained in pasture until November when the foals were returned to the stable. Their stabling lasted until April and foals were only let out to drink. In the first days of spring the foals were returned to the pasture to stay, night and day, until the month of November. At two years, the colts were castrated and all are saddled twelve months later. The horse population was more numerous in Cantal than in other departments of the old Auvergne.<ref name="Vallon505">Alexandre-Bernard Vallon, [http://books.google.com.kh/books?id=S-g9AAAAcAAJ&lr=&hl=fr&pg=PA504&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false ''Lessons in hippology in the usage of MM. army officers...''], vol. 2, Saumur, Javaud,‎ 1863, p. 505 {{Fr icon}}</ref>

In [[Puy-de-Dôme]] horses had the same conformation and the same qualities as in Cantal but were deemed to be "less fine and less numerous" although the farming system was the same.<ref name="Vallon506"/> In [[Aveyron]], Auvergne mares were crossed with stallions from [[Rodez]] and gave birth to a small horse (1.47 m) which formed the "country breed". In summer he lived in pastures where there was abundant food. In winter he returned to the stable "where he received any food, the waste from the feeding of cattle".<ref name="Vallon507">Alexandre-Bernard Vallon, [http://books.google.com.kh/books?id=S-g9AAAAcAAJ&lr=&hl=fr&pg=PA504&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false ''Lessons in hippology in the usage of MM. army officers...''], vol. 2, Saumur, Javaud,‎ 1863, p. 507 {{Fr icon}}</ref>


⚫
The height of the horse was low: from 1.43 m to 1.47 m according to [[Eugene Gayot]],<ref name="Gayot481">Louis Moll and Eugène Nicolas Gayot, [http://books.google.com.kh/books?id=VmACAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA440&dq=Cheval+camargue&hl=fr&output=text&redir_esc=y General knowledge of the horse: studies of practical horse breeding science], with an atlas of 160 pages and 103 figures, Didot,‎ 1861, 722 p. p. 481 {{Fr icon}}</ref> less than 1.47 m according to [[Alexandre Bernard Vallon]],<ref name="Vallon504">Alexandre-Bernard Vallon, [http://books.google.com.kh/books?id=S-g9AAAAcAAJ&lr=&hl=fr&pg=PA504&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false ''Cours d'hippologie à l'usage de MM. les officiers de l'armée...''], vol. 2, Saumur, Javaud,‎ 1863, p. 504 {{Fr icon}}</ref>. and from 1.44 m to 1.48 m according to the Cardini dictionary.<ref name="Dict"/> It increased from 1.48 m to 1.50 m in the late 19th century according to the ''Revue d'Auvergne''. The head is fine, short, and expressive with hollows above the eyes, keen eyes, ears very straight and very mobile, and with wide nostrils.<ref name="RevueAuvergne23">[http://books.google.com/books?id=2bFLAAAAMAAJ&q=Cheval+auvergnat&dq=Cheval+auvergnat&lr=&hl=fr&cd=2&redir_esc=y Society of friends of the University of Clermont], Review of Auvergne, vol. 9, Typ. et lithog. G. Mont-Louis,‎ 1892, p. 23 {{Fr icon}}</ref> It seems stronger than the Limousin horse because it is smaller.<ref name="Zootech"/> The neckline is arched or reversed<ref name="Vallon504"/> but rather short.<ref name="RevueAuvergne23"/> The [[mane]] is abundant and fine. Eugene Gayot said that when the wind blows the mane and forelock of the horses, it gives them a disheveled and very strange look.<ref name="Gayot481"/> The [[withers]] are high and good-looking,<ref name="Vallon504"/> sharp-edged<ref name="Magne345"/> and often separated from the neck by a sharp line. The chest and body are narrow but the chest is deep, a condition for speed.<ref name="RevueAuvergne23"/> The [[Back (horse)|back]] and kidney are conform well,<ref name="Vallon504"/> but the back can be long. The flanks are turned up or ''cordés''.<ref name="RevueAuvergne23"/> The hips are protruding and the rump is sharp,<ref name="Vallon504"/> short, angular and low - <ref name="Zootech"/> slightly ''avalée'' or ''en pupitre''. The leg is fine and muscular with a wide and well articulated knee, smooth ''canons'' and well detached tendons - almost as big as the bone. Members are spotless, dry and nervous, and free of defects<ref name="RevueAuvergne24">[http://books.google.com/books?id=2bFLAAAAMAAJ&q=Cheval+auvergnat&dq=Cheval+auvergnat&lr=&hl=fr&cd=2&redir_esc=y Society of friends of the University of Clermont], Review of Auvergne, vol. 9, Typ. et lithog. G. Mont-Louis,‎ 1892, p. 24 {{Fr icon}}</ref> but sometimes they have defects of plumb. The hock is hooked<ref name="Vallon504"/> and closed<ref name="Zootech"/> but big enough, the [[pastern]] is short. The foot is small and well formed terminated by a very hard black hoof.<ref name="Vallon504"/>


== References ==
== References ==

Revision as of 05:09, 7 July 2014

Auvergne horse
Auvergne horse
Other namesCheval d'Auvergne (French)
Country of originAuvergne region of France
Breed standards

The Auvergne horse (French cheval d'Auvergne) is a breed of light draught horse from the Auvergne region of south central France. It stands 143 to 147 centimetres (14.0 to 14.2 hands) at the withers, and weighs 450–650 kilograms (990–1,430 lb).[1] Coat colours are bay or seal brown. It is used mainly for trekking. It is not recognised as a breed by the Haras Nationaux, the French association of horse breeders.[2] The standard is published by a breeders' association, the Association Nationale du Cheval de Race Auvergne.

This breed has been crossbred several times throughout its history, with several distinct breeds sharing the name "Auvergne horse". A small riding horse known as the "half-blood of Auvergne" was primarily ridden by the cavalry at the beginning of the 19th century, but has since disappeared. Other work horses of Auvergne were used as a means of transportation before the advent of modern roads. The work horse was crossbred to become a light draught horse and subsequent ancestor of the modern Auvergne horse. It was used for varying field work by the inhabitants of the region.

As with most of Europe's draught breeds, the Auvergne almost disappeared with the spread of mechanized transportation in the 1960s and 70s. It was crossed with other draught horses, such as the Comtois horse, and was used as a source of horsemeat. In 1994, an association was created to save the last remaining animals and to fight for the recognition of the breed in France. Since then, several actions have been levied to promote the continued existence of the Auvergne horse. However, the breed is still extremely rare outside of Auvergne. 200 were represented in a census at the beginning of the 21st century.

History

As with other local draught horses, the use of the Auvergne horse has declined with the rise of mechanized travel.[3] Defining the horse is difficult in the absence of recent scientific publications and official recognition. Documents mentioning the "cheval d'Auvergne" in fact speak of many different breeds which have rarely, or never, been recognized as an independent breed throughout their history.

Origins

The Auvergne horse could be descended from horses abandoned by the Saracens.

No scientific studies exist concerning the origin of the Auvergne horse, but there are several theories:

  • According to the Association of the Auvergne Breed, the breed is the distant descendant of the oriental races abandoned by the Saracens in the plains of Vouillé circa 732. Their horses remained in the same area (the departments of Corrèze, of Creuse, and of Haute-Vienne) until the barons of the country took possession of them. The horses would presumably been the root of those which had spread over the course of the following centuries into all of Limousin, followed by Auvergne, to become the ancestors of the Limousin horse, a close relative of the Auvergne horse.[3][4]
  • According to Lætitia Bataille, a specialist in equine management in France, the Auvergne horse was the product of the ancient Navarrin horse's crossbreeding with the Thoroughbred.[2]
  • According to the inhabitants of the Auvergne region, the breed is native to the region, and lived there "depuis la nuit des temps" (since the dawn of time.) According to their theory, it is descended from prehistoric animals who had simply wandered into the region.[5]

There seems to have been two types of Auvergne horses throughout the region's history: the smaller horse, or "half-blood Auvergne horse", was a riding horse destined for the light cavalry; the communal, "all-purpose" horse was used by locals until the improvement of automobile roads, at which time it was crossbred again to better handle a wider range of agricultural duties.[6]

To 17th century

If one believes the inhabitants of Auvergne, Vercingetorix used a "Auvergnat cob" for his battles.[5] True or not, the Auvergne horse seems to have been popular in the Middle Ages.[7]

In 1577, the Duke of Bouillon mentions, in a Classical French text, that he rode an animal from Auvergne in leaving Turenne: "I'm leaving Turenne, and I'm coming to sleep at M. de Beynac's home with Bousolles, Alagnac, La Vilatte, and Annal to whom I have given pages, Bouschant of Auvergne, all without any arms other than our swords, and all having this strong, bad horse; Bouschant had a little, rather good horse from Auvergne; my horse went with a large gate, not knowing how to turn and even less how to run ...."[8][9]

The existence of the Auvergne horse is suggested in the documents from the 18th century which describe a little, rustic, mountain horse of oriental build and rather closely related to oriental breeds. Under the rule of Henry IV, the "barbe auvergnat" was a prized mount of cavaliers, and according to tradition, the famous white horse of the king himself came from a farm in Barra, near Aurillac.[6]

It was Louis XIV who, with the creation of the French National Breeding Farm during the 17th century, tried to better the horse in the hopes of using it in his cavalry.[6] To breed the horse, he called upon stallions of Turkish and Barbary descent, and upon the Frisian and Dutch stallions. But, the cross-breeding was largely unsuccessful, mostly because of the poor breeding management.[6]

18th century

In a census of the Auvergne horse population by the administration of Stud farms in 1764 only 604 mares were estimated as likely to give birth to good foals in the region. This is very low and reflects the poor quality of the population of Auvergne horses at that time.[10] The Auvergne horses long remained disreputable. As a result at the end of the 18th century these animals were described as "with a large head, large ears and a little neck"[11] and as "heavy, unhealthy and without nerves".[11].

In 1788 2,660 foals were born in the Auvergne region and their sales value was reported at some 60,000 livres.[11] After the suppression of the National Stud in 1790 the horses quickly regained their old features because of the disappearance of foreign Stallions which were stationed there. During the French Revolution General Houchard raised a regiment of light cavalry from Aurillac and, during the First Empire, the cavalry were mounted on Auvergne horses.[11] At that time Auvergne produced many horses bred for economic use and sold them at four years old for saddling.[12] Wars, however, resulted in the re-creation of the National Stud and the best horses disappeared.[13]

19th century

Related article: Warmblood horses.

An engraving of an Auvergne horse in 1848

Napoleon I appreciated the qualities of the Auvergne horse and he requisitioned them heavily for his Russian campaign. Following these huge requisitions, by 1815 the horse population was decimated and weakened.[11] Local horse farmers resumed their activities but the horses were no longer uniform.[14].

Historical types

Auvergne people goping to town on their horse (late 19th century).
An old postcard showing two Auvergne people with a lightweight horse.

A number of stud newspapers from the middle of the 19th century reported that "Auvergne produces three breeds (sub-species) of horse". One of them was a racehorse from the old breed crossed with Arabian and Thoroughbred stallions. The second breed, although endangered, is the old Auvergne horse. It had a lot of the characteristics of the Arabian, often having a coat of Speckled gray and has a lot of enthusiasm and heart. The third breed is that of the "communal horse" crossed with large horses and with Anglo-Norman stallions.[15]

The light horse or "half-blood Auvergne" is a saddle mount for light cavalry. The communal "all-purpose" horse is used by local farmers. Following the improvement in paved roads it was able to do various agricultural jobs and serve farmers in all their activities.[11]

The old Auvergne horse

The old Auvergne horse was, according to the naturalist Louis-Furcy Grognier "a weakened emanation of the Limousin breed, an immediate result of Oriental blood".[16] [15] André Sanson[17] and Jean-Henri Magne[12] also described the horse as close to the Limousin with "less elegance in the face: the Auvergne is less regular than the Limousin".[15] The general impression is that of a horse "thin, strong, and solid if somewhat disjointed",[18] "lacking in purity and elegance".[11].

The height of the horse was low: from 1.43 m to 1.47 m according to Eugène Gayot,[19] less than 1.47 m according to Alexandre Bernard Vallon,[20]. and from 1.44 m to 1.48 m according to the Cardini dictionary.[15] It increased from 1.48 m to 1.50 m in the late 19th century according to the Revue d'Auvergne. The head is fine, short, and expressive with hollows above the eyes, keen eyes, ears very straight and very mobile, and with wide nostrils.[21] It seems stronger than the Limousin horse because it is smaller.[17] The neckline is arched or reversed[20] but rather short.[21] The mane is abundant and fine. Eugene Gayot said that when the wind blows the mane and forelock of the horses, it gives them a disheveled and very strange look.[19] The withers are high and good-looking,[20] sharp-edged[12] and often separated from the neck by a sharp line. The chest and body are narrow but the chest is deep, a condition for speed.[21] The back and kidney are conform well,[20] but the back can be long. The flanks are turned up or cordés.[21] The hips are protruding and the rump is sharp,[20] short, angular and low - [17] slightly avalée or en pupitre. The leg is fine and muscular with a wide and well articulated knee, smooth canons and well detached tendons - almost as big as the bone. Members are spotless, dry and nervous, and free of defects[22] but sometimes they have defects of plumb. The hock is hooked[20] and closed[17] but big enough, the pastern is short. The foot is small and well formed terminated by a very hard black hoof.[20]

Half-Blood Auvergne

The breeding of Auvergne horses for light cavalry was managed by the National Stud and associated farmers. As the size of the Auvergne horse was too small for light cavalry it was crossed with the Thoroughbred and Anglo-Norman resulting in the "half-blood Auvergne" a horse of "light size" destined for war and widely used during the wars of empire.[16] [15] [23] It had little in common with the old type of breed. Farmers were reluctant to cross with Thoroughbreds, preferring the Arabian. Although Eugene Gayot defended the usefulness of these crosses,[23] they often had poor results from creating horses with slender limbs, long kidneys, flat ribs, and a lot less hardy than the original Auvergne horse[20] [24] According to Andre Sanson they had strong ancestral qualities of the Auvergne horse.[17] In addition rearing conditions were so bad that a third of the population was infected by periodic ophthalmia.[25]

The Auvergne horse from Quercy and Rouergue is often bay with a strong and thick mane and a head resembling that of Merens. Sober, strong, and agile: excellent for the dry and rocky slopes of those regions. They provided very good service in the cavalry for many years and consumed very little. They are sold at fairs in Cantal, Lot, and Aveyron.[12]

The Communal horse

Auvergne people going to market (19th century)
Mountain people going to the market on their horses (19th century)

At the end of the 18th century and throughout the 19th century farmers in the Auvergne region raised a light communal horse with the ability to work and withstand harsh mountain winters. This horse was a great success throughout the 19th century with the breed becoming a Draft horse with a popular character and rusticity.[16] According to a report in 1873 the old Auvergne "light" breed was then considered lost due to the development of roads suitable for motor vehicles in the region from the 1830s. This had the effect of reducing the need to own a saddle horse and promoted the breeding of a light driving draft horse more useful for local farmers as it allowed them to work with it in the fields. Horse breeding for saddle horses was only slightly profitable for farmers. Draft horses were then imported from Perche, Normandy, Brittany, and Poitou and crossed with the light breed in the country which gave the Auvergne "communal" horse.[26].

Disappearance of the old type

The old Auvergne horse as it existed before cross-breeding disappeared due to the development of paved roads.[26] In 1846 the disappearance of the Auvergne horse in Cantal "is about to become complete".[27] In 1855 the light Auvergne horse used for the army was considered permanently lost through cross-breeding.[28] Mr. Liégeard, the Director of Aurillac National Stud, said a year later that "if the Auvergne breed existed, one knows that this breed unfortunately does not live other than in the memory of those who have lived in the country 20 or 25 years ago".[29].

Breeding methods

An engraving of Auvergne horses extracted from the report of the prefect of Puy de Dôme on the mounted service in 1873.

The method of raising Auvergne horses was frequently criticized.[30] In Cantal the Auvergne gravid mare was worked until the tenth month of gestation and was not better fed in the winter. Five or six days after parturition she was sent with her ​​foal to pasture where she often spent the night. Breastfeeding of foals lasted five to six months. After weaning some of them were sold and exported to neighbouring departments while others remained in pasture until November when the foals were returned to the stable. Their stabling lasted until April and foals were only let out to drink. In the first days of spring the foals were returned to the pasture to stay, night and day, until the month of November. At two years, the colts were castrated and all are saddled twelve months later. The horse population was more numerous in Cantal than in other departments of the old Auvergne.[31]

In Puy-de-Dôme horses had the same conformation and the same qualities as in Cantal but were deemed to be "less fine and less numerous" although the farming system was the same.[25] In Aveyron, Auvergne mares were crossed with stallions from Rodez and gave birth to a small horse (1.47 m) which formed the "country breed". In summer he lived in pastures where there was abundant food. In winter he returned to the stable "where he received any food, the waste from the feeding of cattle".[32]


References

  1. ^ Standard de la race Auvergne – Le cheval Auvergne Association Nationale du Cheval de Race Auvergne. (in French) Accessed August 2011. "Standard of the Auvergne breed – the Auvergne horse".
  2. ^ a b Laetitia Bataille (2005) Le cheval d'Auvergne en quête de reconnaissance. Cheval Magazine No. 403, June 2005 cached online, accessed November 2011 (in French) "The Auvergne horse seeks recognition"
  3. ^ a b L’histoire du cheval Auvergne Association Nationale du Cheval de Race Auvergne. Accessed November 2011. (in French) "The history of the Auvergne horse"
  4. ^ Nathalie Van Der Schoor Cheval d'auvergne Le Saboteur. Accessed November 2011. (in French) "The Auvergne horse"
  5. ^ a b Petit cheval Auvergne CRAPA'Hutte. Accessed November 2011. (in French) "The little Auvergne horse"
  6. ^ a b c d Durand, Alfred (1946) La vie rurale dans les Massifs volcaniques des Dores, du Cézallier, du Cantal et de l'Aubrac (thesis) Aurillac: Imprimerie moderne. pp. 249–251 (in French) "Rural life in the volcanic massifs of the Dores, the Cézailler, the Cantal and the Aubrac"
  7. ^ Prévot, Brigitte and Bernard Ribémont (1994) Le cheval en France au Moyen Age: sa place dans le monde médiéval; sa médecine, l'exemple d'un traité vétérinaire du XIVe, la 'Cirurgie des chevaux' Medievalia 10. Orléans: Paradigme ISBN 978-2-86878-072-0 p. 115 (in French) "The horse in France in the Middle Ages, its place in the mediaeval world; its medicine, the example of a 14th-century veterinary treatise, the 'Cirurgie des chevaux'"
  8. ^ Michaud, Joseph Fr and Jean-Joseph-François Poujoulat (eds.) (1851) Nouvelle collection des mémoires pour servir à l'histoire de France depuis le XIIIe jusqu'à la fin du XVIIIe: précédés de notices pour caractériser chaque auteur des mémoires et son époque, suivi de l'analyse des documents historiques qui s'y rapportent Volume XI. Paris; Lyon: Guyot p. 36 (in French)
  9. ^ Michel, Francisque (1861) Du passé et de l'avenir des haras: recherches sur le commerce, les dénominations et la production des chevaux, principalement en France, avant 1789 Paris: Michel Lévy Frères, London; Edinburgh: Williams & Norgate (in French) "Of the past and the future of stud-farms; research into the commerce, nomenclature and production of horses, principally in France before 1789"
  10. ^ Jacques Mulliez, Royal horses: history of the raising of the horse and the creation of stud farms, Montalba, 1983, 398 pages, p. 284 Template:Fr icon
  11. ^ a b c d e f g Alfred Durand, Rural life in the volcanic mountains of Dores, Cézallier, Cantal, and Aubrac,‎ 2006, 530 p. (ISBN 9782848190570) p. 249 Template:Fr icon
  12. ^ a b c d Jean Henri Magne, Veterinary Hygiene applicable to the study of domestic animals and means of improvement, vol. 1, Labe,‎ 1857, p. 345 Template:Fr icon
  13. ^ Count Achille de Montendre, On Equestrian institutions and the breeding of horses in the main states of Europe: composed of official documents and published writings from Germany, England, and France and some observations on different eras], vol. 2, Bureau du Journal des haras,‎ 1840, p. 381 Template:Fr icon
  14. ^ Society of friends of the University of Clermont, Review of Auvergne, vol. 9, Typ. et lithog. G. Mont-Louis,‎ 1892, p. 29 Template:Fr icon
  15. ^ a b c d e F. Joseph Cardini, [http://books.google.com/books?id=CQsPAAAAYAAJ&dq=Cheval+navarrin&lr=&hl=fr&pg=PA340-IA4&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false Dictionary of Equestrianism and Riding: a work uniting all horse knowledge, vol. 2, Bouchard-Huzard,‎ 1848, p. 341 Template:Fr icon
  16. ^ a b c The history of the Auvergne horse, Auvergne horse website, Association pour la relance du cheval d'Auvergne, consulted on 22 December 2009 Template:Fr icon
  17. ^ a b c d e André Sanson, Applications of animal production science, Librairie Agricole de la maison rustique,‎ 1867, p. 129-130 Template:Fr icon
  18. ^ Accounts of sessions of the Academy of Agriculture of France, Académie, 1947, Vol. 33, p. 171, Template:Fr icon
  19. ^ a b Louis Moll and Eugène Nicolas Gayot, General knowledge of the horse: studies of practical horse breeding science, with an atlas of 160 pages and 103 figures, Didot,‎ 1861, 722 p. p. 481 Template:Fr icon
  20. ^ a b c d e f g h Alexandre-Bernard Vallon, Lessons in hippology in the usage of MM. army officers..., vol. 2, Saumur, Javaud,‎ 1863, p. 504 Template:Fr icon
  21. ^ a b c d Society of friends of the University of Clermont, Review of Auvergne, vol. 9, Typ. et lithog. G. Mont-Louis,‎ 1892, p. 23 Template:Fr icon
  22. ^ Society of friends of the University of Clermont, Review of Auvergne, vol. 9, Typ. et lithog. G. Mont-Louis,‎ 1892, p. 24 Template:Fr icon
  23. ^ a b Louis Moll and Eugène Nicolas Gayot, General knowledge of the horse: studies in practical animal production science, with an atlas of 160 pages and 103 figures, Didot,‎ 1861, 722 p. p. 482 Template:Fr icon
  24. ^ Jean Henri Magne, Veterinary Hygiene applicable to the study of domestic animals and means of improvement, vol. 1, Labe,‎ 1857, p. 346 Template:Fr icon
  25. ^ a b Alexandre-Bernard Vallon, Lessons in hippology in the usage of MM. army officers..., vol. 2, Saumur, Javaud,‎ 1863, p. 506 Template:Fr icon
  26. ^ a b Report by the prefect of Puy de Dôme on the mounted service in 1873, 1873 Template:Fr icon
  27. ^ Veterinary Academy of France], Central Society for Veterinary Medicine, and the National Veterinary School of Alfort, Collection of Veterinary Medicine, vol. 23, Vigot Éditions,‎ 1846, p. 1030 Template:Fr icon
  28. ^ Antoine Richard, Reasoned Dictionary of Agriculture and the economy of livestock: according to the principles of natural applied science, Firmin Didot Frères, 1855, Vol. 1, p. 170 Template:Fr icon
  29. ^ Letter from the National Stud of Aurillac to the Minister of Agriculture, Aurillac, 4 April 1932 Template:Fr icon
  30. ^ Count Achille de Montendre, On Equestrian institutions and the breeding of horses in the main states of Europe: composed of official documents and published writings from Germany, England, and France and some observations on different eras], vol. 2, Bureau du Journal des haras,‎ 1840, p. 380 Template:Fr icon
  31. ^ Alexandre-Bernard Vallon, Lessons in hippology in the usage of MM. army officers..., vol. 2, Saumur, Javaud,‎ 1863, p. 505 Template:Fr icon
  32. ^ Alexandre-Bernard Vallon, Lessons in hippology in the usage of MM. army officers..., vol. 2, Saumur, Javaud,‎ 1863, p. 507 Template:Fr icon

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