The Breton was originally bred for strength and durability. One theory is that they were brought to Europe during the
Aryan migration from Asia over 4,000 years ago, while another school of thought has them descending from horses bred by
Celtic warriors before their conquest of
Great Britain. The original ancestors of the Breton were a population of horses that lived in the Breton mountains, possibly descended from
steppe horses ridden by Celts. During the
Crusades, these mountain horses were crossed with
oriental horses to create a type known as the Bidet Breton. In the
Middle Ages, the ancestral Breton horse was sought by military leaders, partly because of its comfortable
gait, which was said to be partway between a brisk trot and an
amble. Due to its gaits and the fact that it only stood about high, The
Sommier was the common, heavier type, used mainly as a
pack horse and for farm and draft work. From the
Sommier, the
Roussin was developed, was used mainly in
wars and on long journeys. The
Roussin's natural
ambling gait made it popular as a lighter riding horse. A
stud-book was started in 1909. There were originally separate books for the Trait and Postier types, which in 1912 became two sections of a single book, and in 1920 were merged. Also in 1920, a
breed association, the , was formed. In 2018 the was made the official national association in its place. The breed retained its mountain roots with its main stud, the National Provincial Stud, being located in the mountain country of
Langonnet. In 1920, the decision was made to permit no new outside blood into the studbook, and in 1951 the studbook was officially
closed to outside horses. In France, breeding is concentrated mainly in the four Breton
départements of
Côtes d'Armor,
Finistère,
Ille-et-Vilaine and
Morbihan, but extends into northern
Loire-Atlantique and parts of
Maine-et-Loire, the
Massif Central and the
Pyrenées. New registrations in 2017 were just over 2300; of these, more than 900 were in Brittany, and almost 900 in the
regions of
Nouvelle Aquitaine and
Occitanie in the south-west of the country. The Breton has been exported to many countries, and has influenced a number of breeds. It may have influenced the
Canadian Horse, the
Freiberger or Franches-Montagnes of Switzerland, and the Italian
Tiro Pesante Rapido. In India, Breton mares were used to produce
mules, and contributed to the development of the
Indian Half-bred; at
Saharanpur some were put to an
Anglo-Arab stallion named Mystère to produce
carriage horses. The
Hispano-Bretón breed of Spain derives from
cross-breeding of imported Breton stallions with local mares; the Bréton Empordanès is a population in the
Empordà region of Catalonia. After the
Second World War a Breton stallion was used to improve the conformation of the German
Schleswig Coldblood. In Japan the Breton is among the imported heavy breeds that contribute to the
Ban-ei Race Horse. == Characteristics ==