- Landais -

The Landais is a very old breed that has been influenced heavily by foreign blood. A high level of Arabian blood was introduced around the time of the Battle of Poitiers, AD 732, and once more in the 1900s.  More recently, they have been crossed with heavier breeds to increase their build and strength. Originally from the Landes region of southwestern France, these ponies make useful riding horses and light draft types.

The breed suffered a dramatic decrease in number after the second World War; Arabian and Welsh Section B stallions were used to boost the stock, and now the Landais bear the characteristics of those breeds. They are very hardy and make a good children's riding pony. They usually have a small head with a broad forehead and straight profile, and muscular, shaped necks set on nicely sloping shoulders. The chest is often underdeveloped, the withers pronounced, and this breed often exhibits a short, wide back with sloping hindquarters. Invariably they can be bay, chestnut, black, or brown, and they tend to stand anywhere between 11.3 hh and 13.1 hh.

Check out these websites to find out more about the Landais breed!

http://www.tiho-hannover.de/einricht/zucht/eaap/descript/772.htm

http://www.haras-nationaux.fr/hn0700/cheval_france/HTML_gb/races_poneys.htm#Ancre02

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