In the Middle Ages, knights praised them for their strength and reliability and Napoleon’s return from the Napoleonic Wars is said to be partially due to his cavalry of Ardennes horses, which withstood the desolately cold and harsh conditions that killed so many others. The Ardennes is also believed to be the Belgian breed that Julius Caesar referred to in his account of the Gallic Wars as ‘rustic, hard and tireless’. The breed has remained relatively unchanged since the last Ice Age, and references to the Ardennes can be found throughout history in the accounts of knights, kings and emperors.
The Ardennes is believed by many to be a direct descendant of the prehistoric Solutrian horse, which roamed the area as far back as the Paleolithic period (circa 50,000 BC). The rough terrain and harsh climates made for a very strong, hardy, low-maintenance breed. Horse Breed: Ardennes Horse Cultures of the WorldĬountry of origin: France, Belgium, Luxembourgīreed origin: One of the oldest documented draught horse breeds, the Ardennes horse originates from the Ardennes area (funny that!) which stretches between Belgium, Luxembourg and France.
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