5-year-old Hanna de Simoussais has been selected to represent the Poitevin draft horse breed at the International Agricultural Show which begins this Friday in Paris. For weeks now, her owner, Amélie Rubio, has been fine-tuning the preparation of this mischievous-looking mare. Walks on the beach, aerobatics and cardio sessions: “We never do the same thing otherwise she gets bored”, assures this thirty-year-old at the head of an equestrian center located in Saint-Jean-de-Liversay, in Charente. -Maritime.
Armed with a “passion for heavy horses”, Amélie Rubio acquired this Poitevin mulassier trait (breed of horses intended for the production of mules) at the age of 6 months. “A real love at first sight”, she breathes in front of this gentle and attentive colossus.
“Very close to their guardians”, “calm and endearing”, the Poitevin draft horses are nevertheless in danger. “Among the nine breeds of draft horses in France, the Poitevin trait is today the most threatened”, sums up Ophélie Lecampion, the leader of the Association des races mulassières du Poitou. This structure watches over both the Poitou donkeys, the Poitevin mulassier trait and the Poitevin mules – resulting from the union of the first two species.
The risk of consanguinity ruled out
These three breeds are specific to the former Poitou-Charentes region and have long constituted its treasure. However, with the mechanization of agriculture, these forces of nature almost fell into oblivion. Impossible to know precisely the exact number of Poitevin traits: between 600 and 700 animals in France, according to Ophélie Lecampion. “And there are only about sixty births per year compared to nearly 2,500 for the Breton trait, a species also threatened”, advances the host to underline the magnitude of the challenge.
In recent decades, passionate breeders have succeeded in eliminating any risk of inbreeding. “We have also managed to stabilize the workforce, the breed of the Poitevin trait is no longer deteriorating”, sums up Ophélie Lecampion while highlighting the arrival of new generations ready to save this naked heritage.
This is the case of Amélie Rubio who hopes to acquire other Poitevin mule traits in the next few years and “promote this breed”.
If their corpulence imposes some, explains this thirty-year-old, these docile horses are very easy to ride, including by beginners. They are also less fearful than saddle horses, agrees Ophélie Lecampion. Only downside: their appetite! “I don’t ration it but Hanna eats 20 kg of hay a day, compared to 13, on average, for a saddle horse”, jokes Amélie Rubio.