History of the Selle Francais
The Selle Français was named a breed in 1958, with its first stud book published in 1965. The Selle Français was created by crossing regional breeds with trotters, Thoroughbreds, Arabians, and Anglo-Arabians. All stock was registered in the stud book with pedigrees tracing back generations, making the Selle Français one of the few Warmblood breeds to have received very little foreign blood.
The most influential breed was the Anglo-Norman, developed in Normandy in the 19th century by crossing Norfolk Trotter, Thoroughbred, and Arabian stallions to refine the local mares (which themselves traced back to the medieval Norman war-horse). About 90 per cent of today's Selle Français trace back to this breed. Other regional breeds used to influence the Selle Français were the Charolais, Corlay, Vendee, Anjou, Ain, and Ardennes.
A small number of Thoroughbred stallions influenced the breed. The first was Orange Peel who stood at the national stud from 1925 to 1940. His grandson, Ibrahim, also had a great influence on the Selle Français. Furioso, who is thought to be the most influential Thoroughbred in warmblood breeding, Rantzau and Ultimate were also incredibly important in the Selle Français breed. The names of these three Thoroughbred sires can be found in virtually every successful modern Selle Français.
Today, there is still quite a bit of cross breeding between Selle Français' and other breeds, making it suitable for a wide range of activities.
Ultimately the history of the breed goes back much further. For centuries, testing and perfecting the sports horse was a consuming passion in France, in the same way as horse racing in the UK. To put this in context, as long ago as 1665, France established its first National Stud, which has become the Haras Nationaux, a network of 23 state-run stud farms dedicated to improving the quality of performance horse breeding.
Conformation
(Information acquired from The French Horse)
Conformation
Due to its diverse origins, the conformation of the Selle Francais can vary, but the selection tends towards large sizes and attractive conformation.
Color - Predominantly chestnut, though no restrictions
Conformation - Refined head; long elegant neck; sloping shoulders; strong body with well-sprung ribs; broad powerful hindquarters
Height - No restriction, though most CSFs tend to be over 16 hh and they can be much bigger.
Conformation - Refined head; long elegant neck; sloping shoulders; strong body with well-sprung ribs; broad powerful hindquarters
Height - No restriction, though most CSFs tend to be over 16 hh and they can be much bigger.
(Information acquired from The French Horse)
