Boulonnais

The Boulonnais, also known as the "White Marble Horse", is a heavy draft horse breed now bred mainly by the French government due to their decreased numbers. The origins of the breed trace to a period before the Crusades, and they were at one point a very popular draft horse in France and other parts of Europe. The breed is generally branded on the left side of the neck with an anchor. Most Boulonnais are gray in color. Black or very dark bay coa... more

The Boulonnais, also known as the "White Marble Horse", is a heavy draft horse breed now bred mainly by the French government due to their decreased numbers. The origins of the breed trace to a period before the Crusades, and they were at one point a very popular draft horse in France and other parts of Europe. The breed is generally branded on the left side of the neck with an anchor. Most Boulonnais are gray in color. Black or very dark bay coat colors were frequent in 18th century, but as gray is a dominant gene, and breed numbrers are small, non-gray members of the breed have become extremely rare. There is an attempt today to reintroduce black color via the genes of a single black Boulonnais stallion, named Esope. There were originally two varieties of Boulonnais recognized: a larger type was called the Maree, which stood 15.3-16.3 hands high and weighed 1,430 to 1,650 lbs.. The smaller type was called the Mareyeuse or Mareyeur (horse of the tide), and ranged between 15.1 and 15... less