The different uses of horses in France

The concept of a sector applies to a product which can be subjected to a succession of transformations, carried out by different agents, before reaching the end-user.
The equine sector is composed of very diverse activities, divided into 4 sub-sectors each having their own products, actors, and clients (see chart below)
Very often the horse is the final product, but can also be a production tool. For example, a race horse is the final product for its owners, but it is also a production tool for other racing products : bets, event admission fees, breeding, semen….
Even if the breeding stage, producing equids through the use of stud animals, is common to all the sub-sectors, the uses of the horse are then diversified depending on the segment.
Moreover, the final use of the horse is not necessarily determined at birth and can evolve gradually through its lifetime. 

In this segment, the horse is both a final product when purchased by an individual, a production tool providing a service when bought by a riding school, or a product being transformed, when placed with a professional rider.
These horses generally remain at the breeding stud up to the age of 3 before being backed for riding or carriage driving. They are then used in competitions, for instruction, horse performance shows, hacking or trekking. Horses, ponies and donkeys can be purchased by individuals as pleasure animals, for the upkeep of a plot of land.
Competition includes the three olympic disciplines (show-jumping, eventing, and dressage) but also numerous other disciplines, of which endurance riding which is highly developed.
Outdoor riding is practiced by individual horse owners, but is also offered by riding schools and particularly attracts novice riders. The number of horses purchased for this type of activity illustrates its importance.

Competition – leisure – relaxation :

•    competition (Show-jumping, eventing, dressage, endurance, carriage-driving, showing, hunter, TREC, polo, vaulting….)
•    Equestrian games
•    side-saddle riding
•    corridas
•    circus
•    Western riding
•    stud animals and semen
•    hunting
•    pleasure animal
•    instruction
•    Tourism ( gypsy caravans, equestrian farms, riding holidays, clinics, trekking …), physical and mental therapy                     
•    arts (fine arts, cinema, litterature ...)
•    keeping law and order
•    museums, zoos, works of art
•    animation (in the countryside and in towns)    

Race horses generally leave the stud at around 18 months old to begin a breaking-in and pre-training phase. This short phase enables them to acquire sufficient fitness to begin training.
Trotter races are reserved for trotter breeds, either French or foreign. This discipline offers relatively long careers, as trotter horses can race up to the age of 10. Gallop racing (flat or obstacle racing) mainly concerns thoroughbreds, AQPS (thoroughbred cross horses) even though some races are reserved for Arab or Anglo-arab horses. Flat racing careers start at the age of 2 years old and are relatively short, since they usually end after a few racing seasons. Obstacle racing horses start their career later on, usually at around 4 years of age, and sometimes race up to the age of 10 or more.
At the end of their racing career, race horses move, if possible, into the sports-leisure segment, and the breeding associations work towards their placement for other uses. Otherwise they will move towards the horse-meat sector. The best subjects will be used as stud animals for the racing sector.

Racing:

•    bets
•    finance
•    events
•    flat racing
•    trotter racing
•    obstacle racing
•    draft horse races
•    donkey races
•    pony races
•    stud animals and semen

Draft horses produced in France for horse meat are mainly exported before the age of 18 months to be fattened up abroad, essentially in Italy. Horses slaughtered in France are mainly adult horses,as the quality of the meat better meets the demands of the French consumer. These animals are either horses having been used previously in another segment (racing), or horses imported live from abroad, mainly from Western Europe.
There is also a small production of donkeys for meat, mainly used to produce charcuterie.
Additionally, the sector of milk from mares and jennies is developing in France, even if it is still marginal. It has a double value maximisation, both for food, and cosmetics. The mares most frequently used are draft mares (Comtois or Auxois) or ponies (Haflinger).

Food products :

•    meat (carcasse, vacuum packaged, frozen, prepared dishes, restructured)
•    charcuterie
•    dairy products : milk and cheese

Over the past few years, working horses have reappeared in towns, for upkeep (waste collection, watering of park areas), mounted suveillance (equestrian brigades), or for the transport of townspeople. In the country, animal power is used for skidding or other agricultural tasks (work in the vines).
Using donkeys with packsaddles is being redeveloped in France, a good way to accompany hikers on foot, or shepherds in summer pastures.
The uses of horses as educational mediators is also on the rise, particularly to help in the reinsertion of persons in difficulty, or to help with the socialisation of physically or mentally disabled people.

Animal Traction :

•    transport           
•    agricultural tasks          
•    skidding         
•    showing        
•    horse performance shows      
•    advertising         
•    Carriage driving tourism          
•    stud animals and semen

Other:

•    research and development
•    training
•    serums and vaccines
•    hormones (urine and blood)
•    management of land space
•    mounted police
•    waste collection, other