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Selle Français
This French breed was developed to be a strong, all-around athlete.
In the World Equestrian Games, it competes in show-jumping, dressage, eventing, and endurance contests. The Selle Français is the favorite mount on the French Olympic Show Jumping team.
Height: 15-16 hh (horse hands)
Color: Mainly Chestnut
Body Type: Light
This breed comes from...
Normandy, France
Explore the traits of this breed!
SIDE VIEW
Look at its lean physique. This trait was probably inherited from its trotting horse ancestors.
The long neck improves balance and maximizes agility. Both traits are essential for dressage and jumping.
The Selle Francais is tall but relatively light in weight. This horse is 16.2 hands (5 ft 6 in, 168 cm) high at the withers.
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FRONT and BACK VIEW
The head is slightly long and reminiscent of its relative, the French Trotter.
Look at its long and muscular forelegs. This trait helps absorb the shock of landing after a jump.
The leg bones of this breed are extremely strong. This helps to withstand the rigors of "eventing," a 3-day competition that combines dressage, cross-country racing, and jumping.
This horse's coat color is bay with 2 white "socks" on its hind legs.
Look at its broad, robust hindquarters and strong hocks. These traits help propel it over 7-foot (2.1 m) jumps!
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The Selle Français Story
The Selle Français is said to trace its ancestry to the Anglo-Norman horse. It was a 19th-century breed produced in Normandy, France, by crossbreeding local heavy horses with English stock. In the 20th century, the Anglo-Norman was further crossbred with Thoroughbreds. By mid-century, the result was a new breed: the "Cheval de Selle Français." Its name means "French Saddle Horse." It is called Selle Français (pronounced SELL fra-SAY) for short.
In the quest to create the perfect sport horse, the Selle Français is still being modified. A Selle Français can have one parent that is a Thoroughbred, Arabian, Anglo-Arab, French Trotter, or other approved breed. Individual horses are accepted into the Selle Français studbook only after successful inspection by a team of judges. Jumping ability accounts for 30 percent of the score.
Appaloosa | Arabian | Belgian Draft | Connemara | Dutch Warmblood | Friesian | Haflinger | Hanoverian | Icelandic Horse | Lusitano | Miniature Horse | Morgan | Oldenburg | Paint | Percheron | Quarter Horse | Selle Français | Thoroughbred
Credits:
All images, © AMNH