The Freiberger, also known as Franches-Montagnes, is a

horse breed A horse breed is a selectively bred population of domesticated horses, often with pedigrees recorded in a breed registry. However, the term is sometimes used in a broader sense to define landrace animals of a common phenotype located within a lim ...

from

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

, from the Jura region, described as either a " heavy warmblood" or a "light coldblood". It was widely used as draft and pack horse in the

Swiss army The Swiss Armed Forces (german: Schweizer Armee, french: Armée suisse, it, Esercito svizzero, rm, Armada svizra; ) operates on land and in the air, serving as the primary armed forces of Switzerland. Under the country's militia system, re ...

. It has a good disposition and is versatile, suitable for both driving and riding. Each year at the ''Marché Concours'' in Saignelégier in the Franches-Montagnes district of the Swiss canton of Jura, on the second weekend in August, a variety of shows and competitions are held.

Breed characteristics

History

The presence of an autochthonous horse breed in the Jura traces to the year 1619. By the early 19th century, there were active breeders in the district of Franches-Montagnes. In 1817, there were 4,000 breeding mares on record. The horses were bred for use in agriculture and by the army as pack animals and artillery draft horses. There are records of imports of Anglo-Norman horses for the year 1821, and of other horses from England, France, Hannover and Oldenburg for the year 1830, with the goal to overcome the faults of the landrace breed, which was viewed as inferior due to its heavy and thick head, short neck and sloping rump, though its frame was considered excellent. The name ''Freiberger'' appeared in the late 19th century, used for the three types of horse previously named after the districts of '' Franches-Montagnes'', '' Porrentruy'', and '' Delémont''. These types were called ''cheval de Jura'' and later ''Franches-Montagnes'' regardless of which district from which they originated. They also had been called ''race welsche''. Until the early 20th century, it was also common to use names for the sub-types, such as ''Anglo-Jura'' for animals with Thoroughbred admixture, ''Normand-Jura'' for those with Anglo-Norman ancestry. It was only in the late 20th century that the name ''

heval des Michael Enright (born 1964) is a British actor who has played supporting characters in '' Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest'' and ''Old Dogs'', as well as in several TV series including ''Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'', '' Law & Order: LA'', ...

Franches-Montagnes'' became official. The ''Marché-Concours des Chevaux'' in Saignelégier, a combined

show Show or The Show may refer to: Competition, event, or artistic production * Agricultural show, associated with agriculture and animal husbandry * Animal show, a judged event in the hobby of animal fancy ** Cat show ** Dog show ** Horse show ** Sp ...

, race and market dedicated to the breed, has been held annually since 1897. The breed was crossed with

Swedish Warmblood The Swedish Warmblood or Swedish Half-bred is a Swedish breed of warmblood horse. It was originally bred as a cavalry horse at the Strömsholm and Flyinge studs. In the twentieth century it became a general-purpose riding and sport horse ...

in the 1970s, especially in Alsatian studs. By 1985, about half of the breeding population were descended from these Alsatian types, with the more traditional types becoming increasingly scarce. The last admixtures to date took place in the early 1990s, with Swiss Warmblood, with the intention of increasing the breed's suitability for the saddle. Since 1997, the breed's studbook has been closed to any external admixture. In the same year, a Swiss federation of breeders was established, ''Schweizerischer Freibergerverband'' (FM) / ''Fédération suisse d’élevage du cheval de la race des Franches-Montagnes'' (FSFM).fm-ch.ch
/ref> Today they are bred with strict regulation at the Avenches federal stud.

References

External links

A site about Freibergers
(French and German)
www.derfreiberger.de
Information about the race and character of Freibergers (English/German)
A Canadian site about Freibergers
(English) {{Equine, state=collapsed Horse breeds Horse breeds originating in Switzerland

Breed characteristics

History

See also

References

External links