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The White Marble Horse of France
If there ever was a breed of horse that stepped out of the midst of time, it would be the Boulonnais. Listening, as if you can hear the hooves from battle cries of wars long ago, forgotten by man, this is the horse the fairytale princess bride would ride. The horse that God surely rides, for if he created a finer breed he kept it to himself. This horse, the Boulonnais, appears as an elegant and noble beast, standing atop a hill, as though carved in marble.
Though there are several theories as to the true origin of this breed it is thought to be traced back as far as the Crusades, in an effort to create a fast, strong and agile warhorse for knights to ride in battle. The breed has many characteristics that are different from other drafts and were used to upgrade many of the northern European drafts. While draft in size, they are not in temperament. Their coats are soft and silky to the touch with a double mane, a long luxurious tail and lack the typical heavy feathering on their legs. The Boulonnais of today range in height between 14.3 to 16.3 hands or more with substantial but not coarse bone. Other characteristics of the breed include a short elegant head, flat and broad between the eyes with a short muscular neck. With their large kind eyes the Boulonnais exhibits a full chest, rounded rib cage, a sloping shoulder and a nicely rounded croup. Despite their powerful muscular build the Boulonnais is an intelligent breed with an elegant appearance not often seen in heavy draft breeds. They exhibit a quick and lively step with the endurance to travel long distances. While the French breed registry only allows chestnut, gray and black colors the clear majority of horses are gray. Because of the fineness of the skin and delicate appearance of the veins the horse has been described as looking like “polished marble”, leading to its “White Marble Horse” nickname.