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The Auxois is a horse breed from eastern France. It is a large breed, with some individuals weighing over , bred for horse meat, agricultural work and leisure pursuits. Overall, members of the breed are solid and muscular in appearance. They are usually bay or bay roan in color, although some other colors are accepted by the breed registry, and are known for their power and docility. The Auxois is a direct descendant of the Bourguignon of the Middle Ages. In the 19th century, blood was added from other French draft breeds before the creation of a stud book in 1912. After the creation of the stud book, only purebred Auxois or Ardennais and Trait du Nord crosses could be registered. World War I interrupted efforts to set the breed standard, but testing resumed in 1920, and between then and World War II the Auxois was the pride of regional farmers. The breed reached its peak in the 1930s, but by the 1960s began to decline with the advent of mechanization. By the 1970s, the Auxois had almost become extinct, and the French government began pushing the breeding of all native draft horses for meat production, as opposed to agricultural usage. However, the meat of the Auxois was not considered high quality, and this, combined with a lower-than-expected market for meat, led to a continued decline in French draft horse populations. In the 1990s, the French government reversed its position on breeding for meat, and began promoting draft breeds for leisure pursuits. The Auxois continues to be rare, having the eighth-smallest population numbers of the nine native French draft breeds. An annual breed show is held in Semur-en-Auxois, and the Auxois is frequently seen at the Paris International Agricultural Show. ==Breed characteristics== The Auxois is a horse of great size, larger than the Ardennais and almost as large as the Trait du Nord. It is massively muscular in build, built for heavy pulling. The average height is , with an ideal height of to for stallions and for mares. They weigh from to more than , depending on whether an individual horse is bred for meat, agricultural work or leisure pursuits.〔 The head is relatively short, with a wide forehead. The neck is also relatively short and muscular, the shoulders long and sloping and the chest wide and deep. The body is solid, with a broad, short back and loins. The hindquarters are well-muscled.〔 The legs are robust, although they can appear small in relation to the mass of the body. They usually have less feathering on the legs than other French draft horse breeds.〔 Horses registered with the studbook may be branded on the left side of the neck with the letters "TX".〔 This brand is generally applied during breed competitions, and only after the age of two.〔 Auxois horses are usually bay or bay roan in color, although they can also be chestnut or red roan,〔〔 similar to the Ardennais.〔Collective 1951, p. 151〕 gray and seal brown (the latter called black pangaré by the breed registry, although these horses are genetically brown, not black with pangaré markings) are also accepted for registration; all other colors are excluded.〔 The Auxois is known for its power and docility,〔 having a calm and gentle temperament.〔 Like the Ardennais, it is an easy keeper, able to survive outdoors in all seasons, even in the harsh climatic conditions sometimes seen in Morvan and Nievre.〔 The majority of Auxois are still bred for meat production, and in 2001, 50% of the horses bred were intended for slaughter.〔 However, the power and gaits of the breed make them valued for competitive and leisure driving, as well as equestrian tourism.〔 The smaller horses of the breed are used for milk production.〔 The Auxois is used for celebrations, such as weddings, and historical reenactments.〔 It is also used for logging,〔 and in recent years, has been increasingly used in agriculture, being found in vineyards, gardens and farms.〔 The use of them for the maintenance of rural roads is also in planning.〔Collective 2002, p. 109〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Auxois」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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