Almost unknown outside of their native region in the Marais (marsh) of France, the Poitevine or Mulassier horse is nearly extinct. In the past they played the role of breeding the large draft mules which were considered the most valuable worldwide. The original bloodstock for the Poitevin horse was brought from Norway, Denmark and Holland by the Dutch, who were working on draining the marshlands. The horses are well adapted to the swampy conditions with huge feet and coarsely feathered legs. Often dun in color, they are usually referred to in old texts as "coarse", "plain" or "unremarkable". They also had the misfortune to have the label "sluggish" and "dull" applied to them.
The few remaining members of the breed are a mix of two body types, some more leggy (like a Clydesdale) and others more compact. Some other native French breeds have been used to revive the breed, but the numbers of these other French horses are not high and the numbers for the Mulassier remains around 300 total.
The breed has no other role in today's time except for the production of a very few mules, and more Mulassier horses.
3 Mulassier horses are in the USA, and a small number outside of France. Why aren't there more? There are only a few offered for sale outside of France, and those we have looked at recently cannot pass the blood tests required for importation in the USA. We have breeders trying, but we do not expect to be able to get more than 1 or 2 more animals into the states any time soon. |
