Explorations of the French equine herd

Mules Qui peut
3 days ago
3 min read

The President contacted us to inquire about the availability of information on the current number of equine births in France. An Excel file was sent to us in response; it is likely that this file is also available on the data.gouv.fr platform.

This file presents the number of equines per region. Equines are divided into three categories:

riding horses,

draft horses,

donkeys, mules, and hinnies.

The data covers the period from 2020 to 2024.

File limitations and analysis objectives

This file does not allow for a detailed analysis specifically of mules, as they are grouped with donkeys and hinnies. However, it does allow us to observe the general trends in the evolution of the French equine population.

This dynamic is studied using three types of graphs:

a graph representing the distribution of different types of equines in France;

a graph showing the evolution of the herd in terms of the number of individuals;

a map allowing observation of the geographical distribution of the herd across French territory.

1) Distribution of different types of equines

In terms of distribution, we observe a large majority of saddle horses, which represent approximately 80% of the herd. Draft horses account for about 10%, as do donkeys, mules, and hinny.

This distribution can be explained by the current predominance of equestrian sports and leisure riding in French society.

With regard to mules more specifically, it is necessary to consider a subset of the donkey, mule, and hinny category. Based on the analysis, it can be estimated that in 2024, the number of mules would be approximately 10,800 individuals, representing:

about 9% of the donkey, mule, and hinny category;

and about 1% of the total French equine population.

This estimate remains approximate, however, due to the grouping of categories in the source data.

2) Evolution of the horse population over time

At first glance, the French horse population appears relatively stable over the period studied, although a slight decrease is observable over the years. This decline does not appear, at this stage, to be particularly pronounced in absolute terms.

However, the analysis of relative trends (base 100 in 2020) reveals contrasting dynamics across categories:

a decrease of approximately 20% for draft horses;
a decrease of approximately 10% for donkeys, mules, and hinnies;
a more limited decrease of approximately 4% for riding horses.

Thus, it is the historically most utilitarian categories that have experienced the most significant declines.

3) Geographical Distribution of Livestock at the National Level

Spatial analysis reveals a marked geographical division according to equine breed.

Saddle horses are particularly concentrated in Normandy, a region historically associated with breeding the Selle Français breed.

Donkeys, mules and hinnies are present in a notable concentration in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, which can be explained by the presence of the historical cradle of the Baudet du Poitou.

Finally, draft horses appear to be more concentrated in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. This distribution could be linked to the proximity of breeding areas for draft breeds (such as the Comtois) as well as to a still relatively active use of draft horses in certain agricultural or forestry activities, although this hypothesis deserves to be documented.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this Excel file highlights a slow decline in the French equine population over the period 2020-2024.

This decline is not uniform: it affects draft horses, as well as donkeys, mules, and hinnies, more severely, while riding horses are more resilient.

The national analysis also reveals a geographical disparity in the distribution of the different types of equines, probably linked to historical, cultural, and territorial factors specific to breeding regions.

Regarding mules specifically, the available data remains too aggregated to allow for a detailed analysis: they are lumped into the broader category of donkeys and hinnies, which significantly limits the conclusions that can be drawn.

Sources

Data

French Institute of the Horse and Riding (IFCE) File in .xlsx format transmitted by the IFCE, containing the equine population figures by region and by category (saddle horses, draft horses, donkeys, mules and hinnies), for the period 2020–2024.

Data Processing and Visualization

Data processing and visualization scripts. Data cleaning, analysis, and graph generation using Python (pandas, plotly). Google Notebook. Colab:https://colab.research.google.com/drive/1JgaNSKGVZIndryltlh1RMma8428bU6kJ#scrollTo=laYm0Sw1zU0L