Selle Francais Horse Breed Guide: Characteristics, Health & Nutrition

The Selle Francais is a sport horse breed from France, best known for their talent in the show-jumping arena. Selle Francais horses also compete at the elite level of dressage and eventing.

Several breeds helped shape the Selle Francais into the modern type seen today, including the French Anglo-Arabian. The studbook organizes inspections for breeding stock and accepts approved outside bloodlines to improve the breed standard continually.

Although these horses are natural athletes, Selle Francais horses need good care and management to fulfill their sporting potential and prevent health problems commonly found in performance horses.

This breed profile will discuss the history, characteristics, health problems, and nutritional needs of the Selle Francais breed. Keep reading to learn more about feeding and caring for Selle Francais horses.

Selle Francais Horse History

While some European countries are better known for their influences on sport horse breeding, France has a long history of developing fine riding horses. The Selle Francais stands apart from many warmbloods thanks to its French origins.

Origin

Selle Francais bloodlines trace back to the 19th century when breeders began crossing native mares with imported English Thoroughbreds and Norfolk Totters. Crossing Thoroughbreds with Arabians to produce Anglo-Arab horses also became common in France during this period.

The French called the Thoroughbred crosses half-blood horses, or demi-sang, beginning in 1914. Half-blood saddle horses were popular throughout France. Different types of French Saddle horses included the Anglo-Norman, demi-sang du Centre, and the Vendeen.

Regional types of horses merged to form a single breed of French Saddle Horse, the Selle Francais, in 1958. Early Selle Francais horses had different types due to the separate influences of Thoroughbreds, Ango-Arabians, and French Trotters. ^[1]

Historic Use

Until the 20th century, French breeders primarily developed early French Saddle Horses as cavalry mounts. French residents also relied on the different regional types of saddle horses for transportation. Many worked as elegant carriage horses.

Breeding directions changed after the automobile and modern warfare made horse carriages and cavalry units obsolete. Saddle horses, once used for battle, began excelling in equestrian sport, and new breed registries focused on producing the ideal mount for leisure use.

Selective breeding for sport horses guided the Selle Francais into a uniform breed standard. Several prominent Selle Francais bloodlines also influenced the development of other European warmblood breeds. ^[2]

Famous Selle Francais stallions that became influential in other studbooks include Cor de la Bryere and Furioso II.

Breed Registry

The Association Nationale du Selle Francais (ANSF) is the official breed organization for Selle Francais horses. The ANSF maintains the breed registry and organizes inspections, stallion approvals, and breeding shows.

All Selle Francais stallions must pass a selection process to be eligible for breeding. Artificial insemination makes top stallions available to Selle Francais breeders on both sides of the Atlantic.

Like many warmblood studbooks, cross-breeding is permitted with horses of certain breeds that pass selection requirements. Outside breeds considered for approval include Thoroughbreds, Arabians, Anglo-Arabians, and French Trotters.

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Breed Characteristics

The ANSF evaluates Selle Francais horses based on conformation, gaits, and performance. The characteristics favored in the Selle Francais help make the breed an excellent sport horse for show jumping competition.

Conformation

Most Selle Francais horses stand between 16.1 to 16.3 hands at the withers, but the breed can range in height from 15.1 to 17.3 hands.

The selection and popularity of bloodlines rely more on the performance of breeding stock than conformation. However, these horses still share morphological traits that help make them suitable for their job. Correct conformation also helps sports horses stay sound in training.

The ANSF describes the breed’s characteristics with six keywords: performance, versatility, elegance, energy, strength, and intelligence.

An ideal Selle Francais is tall and scopey, with a balanced, harmonious build. These horses typically have broad foreheads with straight profiles. Necks are relatively long and muscular, with a solid connection to the withers.

They have straight backs, powerful hindquarters, and deep chests. The shoulders are long and sloping. Legs are muscular and correct with pronounced joints.

Colours

The most common coat colours found in Selle Francais horses are chestnut and bay. Grey coats are primarily seen in Selle Francais horses with significant Arabian ancestry. White markings on the legs and face occur frequently in the breed.

Temperament

Temperaments can vary between Selle Francais horses, but the breed has a strong reputation for intelligence and learning ability. Most of these horses have energetic, friendly personalities and willing work ethics.

The breed’s sensitivity and energy allow them to advance to the top level of equestrian sport, but hotter Selle Francais horses may not be suitable for timid riders.

One study of school horses found Selle Francais horses had higher tactile sensitivity and activity than draft breeds. The study also found reactivity decreased with age, suggesting older Selle Francais horses are more suitable for low-level riders. ^[3]

Disciplines

The Selle Francais breed produced some of the biggest show-jumping stars of the last century. The studbook also consistently ranks at the top of the WBFSH jumping studbook ranking.

Famous Selle Francais horses include Jappeloup, who won individual gold at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Baloubet du Rouet is one of the most well-known Selle Francais horses of the 21st century. This stallion earned individual gold at the 2004 Athens Olympics and won three FEI Jumping World Cup Finals with Rodrigo Pessoa.

The breed’s Olympic medals aren’t limited to show jumping. At the 2012 Olympics, the Selle Francais Opgun Louvo carried his German rider Sandra Auffarth to individual bronze and team gold in eventing.

Selle Francais horses with more Thoroughbred blood are competitive in international three-day eventing. While more Selle Francais horses have started to compete in dressage, the breed still lags behind other European warmbloods with more active gaits.

Other popular disciplines for Selle Francais horses include vaulting and carriage driving.

Health Profile

Selle Francais horses share common health problems and genetic diseases with other warmblood breeds. While good care can help manage some health problems, research suggests genetic testing should play a larger role in breed selection for sport horses.

Genetic Diseases

One study found that 6% of Selle Francais horses carried the gene variant for Warmblood Fragile Foal Syndrome (WFFS). WFFS is an autosomal recessive disorder that causes a fatal genetic defect of the connective tissue in affected foals. ^[4]

Researchers believe that breeding selection for hypermobility and elastic gaits contributed to the prevalence of Fragile Foal Syndrome in warmbloods. Other warmblood breeds have higher carrier frequencies than the Selle Francais, including up to 17% in Hanoverians and Danish Warmbloods. ^[5]

Genetic studies also identified genes related to polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM) in Selle Francais horses. PSSM causes abnormal accumulation of glycogen in muscles, leading to tying up and poor performance in sports horses without careful management. ^[6]

Some researchers suspected the Selle Francais breed could inherit cerebral abiotrophy, an inherited neurologic condition found in Arabian horses. However, recent studies did not find any cases of CA in Selle Francais horses. ^[4]

Health Problems

Research suggests Selle Francais foals have a higher risk of developmental orthopedic disease than Thoroughbred foals. Good feeding practices that promote moderate growth rates and regular light physical activity help reduce these risks. ^[8]

Studies investigating risk factors for certain lamenesses found show jumping horses had a higher incidence of foot-related lameness than horses in other disciplines. Selle Francais are commonly used for show jumping and may have a higher risk of these problems. ^[9]

The stress of training and competition is associated with an increased risk of musculoskeletal injury and digestive problems in all performance horses. One study identified gastric ulcers and joint problems as the most common disorders in eventing horses. ^[10]

One study comparing medical imaging records of Selle Francais Horses, French Trotters, and Thoroughbreds found significant differences in the structure of certain joints between these breeds. Results from nuclear scintigraphy and ultrasonographic records showed anatomic variants of lumbosacral articulation, where the lower spine meets the pelvis. ^[7]

More research is needed to determine if these differences affect the risk of joint problems in the backs of Selle Francais horses. ^[7]

Care and Management

While performance horses are susceptible to certain health risks, quality basic horse care can help keep your Selle Francais healthy and performing at a top level. Good management prioritizes the physical and mental well-being of athletic horses, while providing preventative care.

Work with your veterinarian and other equine health practitioners to develop a comprehensive wellness program that includes the following:

• Veterinary Exams: Ensure regular veterinary check-ups for early detection of health issues. Include regular lameness exams for early injury identification.
• Vaccinations: Maintain a regular vaccination schedule as advised by your veterinarian to prevent infectious diseases.
• Dental Care: Schedule routine dental check-ups and tooth floating to keep your horse’s teeth healthy and functional.
• Parasite Control: Follow a deworming program to protect your horse from common internal parasites.
• Farrier Care: Regular visits from a qualified farrier are essential for hoof health and to prevent lameness. Show-jumping horses may need extra protection from shoes.
• Daily Grooming: A thorough daily grooming routine supports a healthy coat and skin, enhancing your horse’s natural appearance. Grooming also promotes circulation and muscle health.

Top-level sport horses often need veterinary maintenance to keep their joints comfortable and manage osteoarthritis from wear and tear. Talk to your veterinarian about joint injections and other maintenance options for Selle Francais horses.

Most sport horses live indoors. Try to provide as much turnout time as possible for Selle Francais horses to limit stall confinement, which can increase stress in performance horses. Extended turnout also supports muscle health in Selle Francais horses with PSSM. ^[6]

This athletic breed does best in consistent training programs that provide regular exercise. Work with your trainer to develop an appropriate program for your Selle Francais.

Nutrition Program

Good nutrition is vital for all Selle Francais horses. Many horses also need targeted feeding solutions for increased performance demands and to address specific health concerns.

Weight Maintenance

Most Selle Francais horses are easy keepers, which means they have an efficient metabolism. These horses should easily maintain their body weight on a balanced diet and can quickly become overweight on high-energy diets.

Selle Francais with a strong Arabian influence in their pedigrees might be predisposed to equine metabolic syndrome are also prone to becoming overweight if not kept active. This metabolic disorder is characterized by insulin resistance and an increased likelihood of developing laminitis. ^[11]

You can use body condition scoring (BSC) to determine if your Selle Francais is a healthy weight and whether dietary changes are necessary. Ideally, you want to maintain your horse at a body condition score of 5 on the 9-point Henneke scale.

Sample Diet

The following sample diet is intended for a mature 600 kg (1300 lb) Selle Francais horse with normal body condition at maintenance (not exercising).

Most Selle Francais horses in light work do well on a forage-only diet. Horses with intense training schedules and performance demands may need extra calories from feed, but forage alone can easily meet the energy requirements of most horses.

However, forage-only diets are universally deficient in essential nutrients and require fortification with a vitamin and mineral supplement. These supplements help fill nutritional gaps in the diet without adding extra calories or starch.

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Forage

Providing your Selle Francais with free-choice forage supports optimal digestive function and mimics natural grazing patterns. However, it is important to choose the right type of forage to maintain a healthy weight and support metabolic health.

A 600 kg (1300 lb) Selle Francais horse should eat approximately 12 kg (26 lb) of forage dry matter per day from low-sugar, low-starch grass hay. Together, starch and sugar (ESC) are known as hydrolyzable carbohydrates (HC) should make up less than 10% of the diet. These components can stimulate insulin release, unlike NSC which contains carbohydrates that do not all influence insulin.

Low-calorie forages with low HC content are the safest option for easy-keeper breeds, allowing for adequate volumes of forage without over-supplying energy. Performance Selle Francais horses may need higher-quality hay to meet their energy needs.

Supplemental alfalfa hay can benefit exercising horses that require additional protein. This legume forage also contains high levels of calcium, which supports gastric health.

However, it should not be fed as the sole hay source, since excessive amounts can disrupt the mineral balance in the horse’s diet. ^[12] Diets feeding over 1 kilogram of alfalfa can be balanced by feeding 0.5 kg of wheat bran mash per kg of alfalfa.

Feeding hay in a slow feeder can help extend forage availability in overweight horses that are on restricted diets. Overweight horses may also need to wear a grazing muzzle during turnout to restrict grazing on high-starch grass.

Feeding Recommendations

Diets with large volumes of high-starch grains increase the risk of digestive upset in Selle Francais horses. If you can’t eliminate commercial concentrates from your horse’s diet, split the daily ration into small meals to lower these risks. ^[13]

To increase the energy content in your horse’s diet, opt for fiber-based feeds like soaked hay pellets and beet pulp rather than grain-based feeds. Additionally, fat supplements can provide a safe and concentrated energy source for exercising horses. ^[14]

Look for fat supplements high in omega-3 fatty acids. These fats have anti-inflammatory properties that benefit cardiovascular, muscle, joint, skin, and metabolic health in exercising horses.

Horses should always have access to fresh water and salt. Exercising horses need to drink more water to replace the water lost through sweat. These horses also have higher sodium requirements.

Nutritionists recommend feeding at least 2 tablespoons of loose salt with your horse’s daily ration to ensure they get enough sodium in their diet. Feeding plain loose salt is more effective than providing horses with a salt block.

Nutritional Supplements

Ensuring your Selle Francais receives a balanced, forage-based diet is crucial for their health and performance. Once the diet is balanced, you might consider adding nutritional supplements for additional support.

• Visceral+® is designed to maintain stomach and hindgut health in competition horses, as well as supporting the immune system. This veterinarian-recommended supplement provides comprehensive gut support.
• Vitamin E is an antioxidant nutrient that is crucial for muscle function and neurological health, particularly in exercising horses.
• W-3 Oil is a fat supplement that is enriched with high levels of the omega-3 fatty acid, DHA. Feeding w-3 Oil supports joint health, coat quality and respiratory health in performance horses.
• MSM aids in maintaining healthy connective tissue and is beneficial for joint support in both exercising and senior horses.
• Acetyl-L-Carnitine is an antioxidant compound that improves metabolic efficiency in muscle cells.

Have questions about what you should be feeding your Selle Francais horse? Submit their diet online for a free evaluation, and get answers from our experienced equine nutritionists to formulate a balanced diet.