The Selle Français (SF) is a breed of sport horse from France. It is renowned primarily for its success in show jumping, but many have also been successful in dressage and eventing. An athletic horse with good gaits, it is usually bay or chestnut in color. The Selle Français was created in 1958 when several French riding horse breeds were merged into one stud book. The new breed was meant to serve as a unified sport horse during a period when horses were being replaced by mechanization and were transforming into an animal used mainly for sport and leisure.
Bred throughout France, the Selle Français has been exported worldwide, with additional stud books formed in Great Britain and the United States. Horses registered with the stud books must undergo inspections which judge their conformation, gaits and performance. Horses of other breeds who pass the inspections, including those of Thoroughbred, Arabian, Anglo-Arabian and French Trotter bloodlines, may be used for breeding, with the progeny able to be registered as Selle Français. Selle Français have proven successful at the international level of competition in many equestrian disciplines. They are most commonly seen in show jumping, eventing and dressage, although they are also seen in combined driving, equestrian vaulting and competitive trail riding competitions. Selle Français and their riders have won numerous medals in the Summer Olympics and World Equestrian Games, including making up the entire gold-medal French teams in show jumping at the 2002 World Equestrian Games and eventing at the 2004 Summer Olympics.
Breed characteristics
Because of the diversity of the breeds that contributed to the Selle Français, there are not set breed standards. It can range from , although, because they are used as sport horses, most Selle Français usually stand a relatively tall . It is an athletic horse with balanced, harmonious and powerful gaits. Some morphological traits remain the same throughout the breed. The forehead is broad, and the facial profile is straight or convex. The neck is strong and rather long, well connected to the withers, and the back straight. The croup is elongated, muscular and slightly oblique, and the powerful hindquarters are an asset in show jumping. The chest is deep, and the shoulders long and sloping. The legs are strong and muscular with wide joints and hard hooves.
The Selle Français is generally bay or chestnut in color, the latter being a legacy of its origins in the Anglo-Norman breed. Gray is much less common, with its origins in the Thoroughbred and Anglo-Arabian horses that contributed to the breed. White markings, such as white on the lower legs, are fairly common within the breed, and are again inherited from its Norman ancestors. The temperament of the Selle Français is highly variable from one horse to another. This is due to the selection criteria for breeding stock, which since the beginning of the breed have been based on physical ability. In recent years, however, the ANSF and breeders have been working to create selection criteria that focus on temperament. The vast majority of Selle Français have good temperaments, quiet but energetic, patient and friendly. The breed is reputed to be intelligent and quick to learn.
History
The origins of the Selle Français begin with native French horses. In 19th century Normandy, native mares were crossbred with Thoroughbred or Norfolk Trotter stallions. The most common crosses were between native mares used by the military, or those bred for pulling carriages, and Thoroughbred stallions. In 1914 these types were recognized as demi-sang or "half-blood" horses. Half-blood horses were found in many French regions, and different types were usually named after the regions in which they were bred. The three main types of French saddle horses were the Anglo-Norman (bred around Caen), the demi-sang du Centre (bred around Cluny) and the Vendéen (bred around La Roche-sur-Yon).
In 1958, "Selle Français" or French Saddle Horse was created by merging all of the regional half-blood horses in France under one name. The merged types included the Anglo-Norman, the Charolais (from the Charolles region), and the Vendéen. The merger was done to create a sport horse that would meet the needs of a mechanized society where horses were used for leisure and sport. The first Selle Français were not homogeneous in type, but offered a wide genetic diversity, due to the wide variety of local horses crossed with Thoroughbreds, Anglo-Arabians and French Trotters. Norman origins, however, were the most widely represented, as the Anglo-Norman had been used for breeding throughout France.