Tell me about selle francais

S

Spangie

Well-Known Member
Joined
16 April 2010
Messages
125
Visit site
One has come up for sale near me, he sounds like a nice chap but don't know much about them as a breed. Does anyone have one? Do they have 'typical' characteristics and what are they good at?
 
I have one and also have known and looked after many. They are my favourite breed of all time, so willing and talented. They are also beautiful.

I have just fallen in love with them and really really would like to have loads..if only I could afford it..
 
I live in France and work with competition horses so I'm surrounded by the breed and yes they are super horses. Known for being extremely versatile, particularly good at jumping but can turn their hoof to anything... workmanlike and "practical" yet athletic and graceful too, nice looking, good character, smart movers. I love them! Do you know this horse's bloodlines?
 
They are typically good at everything. I absolutely adore the breed, and if I had the opportunity to buy another then I most certainly would. The one's I have owned and ridden have all been sane and sensible and real work horses, though all have also had the potential to be very willful when the mood took them (which wasn't very often), but there was rarely any drama with them. :)

What is the breeding of the one you're looking at?
 
Lovely horse adorable Alice. Both my boys have Selle Francais breeding but much of their blood lines originate from Dutch and German lines,so can only guess the breed are the French Version of a warmblood.
 
Wundahorse said:
Lovely horse adorable Alice. Both my boys have Selle Francais breeding but much of their blood lines originate from Dutch and German lines,so can only guess the breed are the French Version of a warmblood.
Click to expand...

Thank you. He has been the most amazing horse. His grandsire is I Love You/Alme both of which were Olympic showjumpers. He showjumped in Holland before being imported by his previous owners in 2000 as a working stallion. He was gelded at 8 and I bought him as a ten year old in 2004 out of a dressage dealers yard, they had retrained him as he had turned sour as a jumping horse. We never asked him to jump again, but he does field hop occasionally and I have watched him take one step of trot and ping a high hung five bar gate as if it is a cavalletti.

He thrived in my small yard with one to one care and we turned him into a show hunter. He took us, total amateurs, to HOY's 2 years running being placed both times. Lots of championships at the county shows and BD dressage to medium. He is like having a large Labrador on the yard temperament wise and always tries his best in competition. I wish I could clone him !

We retired him from the show ring in 2011 and he promptly injured himself in the field so he is now a field ornament and will remain so for as long as he is pain free and happy.

I had never heard of Selle Francais until I found him, but if he is a good example of the breed in type and temperament I would have another one and would recommend the breed to anyone.
 
Our 7 year old Irish sport horse,who is out of SF mare,has Alme bloodlines through Animo. Lovely natured horse with a huge jump and flowing paces.We have entered him for search for a star on 8 July.
 
Absolutely love mine, very loyal , calm but with spirit. I've only had him 6 months but think they can turn their hoofs to pretty much anything.

My boy is 19 sire is pure bred Arab, dam is French trotter but he is registered selle de Francais.
 
They are just a French riding horse and can be a mix of anything as long as the sire & dam are approved to reproduce in to the SF stud book.
They have a bit of Trotter, Warmblood, TB, Arab, AA and different imported breeds.
Our British Warmblood mare is Holst X TB and she can produce SF in France, her daughter that we bred is a graded SF by a TB stallion who is approved with SF.
Some are really stunning looking while others look more like Trotters (which isn't a bad thing as love trotters), not all are overly talented whilst others have loads of talent.
They breed loads of them in France every year because the breeders get money to bred and show them.
 
My aunt has one. She (the horse, not the aunt) is stunning, although I think has alot of TB blood. When she is good she is very very good and will come back when asked from a gallop in the country or plod around with a novice.

When she is bad she is horrid, and wont tollerate anything less than perfection. She'll also spook like a crazy thing. She is a slave to her seasons, poor thing, and had a foal in a previous home. She is a crazy flirt, which is kind of cute and quite an affectionate mare.

picture.php


This is her in good mode, giving my bf his first ever ride.
 
The cross breeding probably accounts for our WB's dam being a 14.2 Arab looking throwback,:D even though her dam and sire were full up horses.She then had our boy who is a big 16.2.
 
My boy is registered Belgian Warmblood but he is by Selle Francais Major de la Cour.

http://www.sporthorse-data.com/sirepages.htm?id=717070

He is the apple of my eye and has done everything he hacks alone or in company, sponsored rides, showing, dressage, magazine modelling, Small XC (cos I'm a wimp) he is fabulous to handle on the ground but can be a spooky ride and is sometimes quite naughty and occasionally he is VERY naughty when he gets over-excited. He is a good doer and also learns tricks really easily (for food). He is also very affectionate and cuddly.

picture.php


Soleil de la Cour doing a sponsored ride with me dressed as a pink fairy! He got rather exuberant on this ride and I thought I might need my wings :o

More pics on my profile.
 
Another lovely horse,keep them coming.The grey in my profile is out of a SF mare although her breeding is very much Dutch and German,so very continental.If i can get my daughter to upload more photo's i will add some.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top