France is known for a number of beautiful horse breeds like the French Trotter, the Selle Francais, and the Percheron. But, there is another breed of horse that originated in France that not many people know about. This breed is known as the Auxois draft horse; a horse breed that is known for its strength, power, and gentle temperament. There is so much you can learn about these remarkable horses. This guide will share with you all you need to know about the Auxois Horse.
In this guide, I will discuss:
- What is the Auxois horse?
- Basic breed information
- How big are Auxois horses?
- What colors the Auxois breed can be
- The breed’s history
- What these horses are good at and popularly used for
- The lifespan of the Auxois
- Fun Facts on this breed
What Is The Auxois Horse?
The Auxois Horse is a breed of horse who originated in the country of France. This breed is classified as a coldblooded or draft breed because of their heavy weight and use as work horses. These beautiful horses aren’t really well known because of their lack of popularity and uniqueness. This breed is known mainly for its strength, power, and gentle temperament, all of which make it an ideal workhorse.
Basic Breed Information:
| Height | Between 15 and 16.2 hands high |
| Weight | Between 1,600 and 2,400 pounds (725 and 1,088 Kilograms) |
| Acceptable Colors | Usually bay or roan, but can sometimes be chestnut |
| Country of Origin | France |
| Type | Coldblooded |
How Large Are These Horses?
This breed of horse is exceptionally large. This is because they are built with such heavy muscle for use as a work horse. On average, the Auxois horse will stand between 15 and 16.2 hands high, making them pretty small for a draft horse.
Though they may not be tall, their size is all in their powerful build. Because these horses are so muscular and dense, they weigh between 1,600 and 2,400 pounds (725 and 1,088 Kilograms).
This is a crazy weight for a horse as the average horse weighs just over 1,000 pounds (455 Kilograms)!
What Colors Can The Auxois Horse Be?
Unlike most horses, the Auxois horse can only be a select few colors. These few colors that are allowed in this breed are:
- Bay
- Roan
- Chestnut (rarely)
Though most horses are allowed to be black and grey as well, this is not the case. An Auxois horse found outside of these few colors will be not be considered a purebred horse.
History Of The Auxois Breed
This breed of horse has extremely old bloodlines. The oldest ancestors of this breed are believed to date back to the Middle Ages at the time the old Burgundian horse roamed Europe.
During the 1800s, some new blood was mixed into the Auxois horse breed to better improve it. The breeds crossed into the Auxois bloodlines were:
- Boulonnais
- Percheron
- Ardennais
- Trait du Norde
All of these new infusions into the Auxois bloodlines have helped to make these horses stronger, larger, and more ideal for work purposes.
During the 1900s, the infusion of other breeds into this horse’s bloodline stopped almost entirely except for the continued crossing with the Ardennais breed.
Sadly, today, this horse’s numbers are dwindling down to nearly nothing. This is because:
- They aren’t as needed because of the popularity of cars and other automobiles
- There are other breeds more greatly desired and more popular over them
- They have a very dense build making them popular on the meat market for those countries who eat horse meat
What Are Auxois Horses Used For?
The main thing that these horses are used for is driving. Because of their incredible strength, they make great work horses and can pull heavier loads and larger carriages than most other horse breeds.
What Is The Average Lifespan of the Breed?
Because they are a draft breed, the typical lifespan of one of these horses is between 22 and 27 years of age.
These large horses aren’t particularly known to have any specific health issues, just larger breeds tend to not live as long as lighter more agile breeds
Fun Facts On These Horses:
- They are nearing endangerment
- They don’t have heavy feathering on their legs like most other breeds
- Their ears are really small in comparison to the rest of their head and body
- The Auxois is really well tempered
- Though these horses are really heavy and bulky, they move freely and quickly which can be surprising