Autre que Pur Sang (AQPS)

French half-bred horses combined local mares with Thoroughbred sires to provide riding, service and cavalry horses. Several regional populations joined the Selle Français in 1958. Their racing branch gained a separate AQPS studbook in 2006. Central-eastern France, including Nièvre, Saône-et-Loire and Allier, and the western breeding regions remain important parts of this history.

France Galop and the Association des éleveurs d’AQPS describes the desired traits of the AQPS in its breeding programme. This document guides the choice of breeding animals. The programme does not impose one height or a single rigid body type. It favours a substantial frame, broad joints, a long sloping shoulder, a developed chest and a well-supported back. Clearly defined tendons, correct limb alignment and energetic, ground-covering movement also matter. Height alone cannot show whether a horse can jump effectively or cope with repeated racing efforts.

Bay is common in the programme's description, with chestnut and grey also represented. Selection centres on pedigree and racing qualities, rather than one defining colour. Grey horses progressively acquire more white hairs as they age, which can conceal their original base colour. Coat appearance does not establish AQPS registration.

Flat racing contributes to the education and assessment of young AQPS horses. Hurdle races, steeplechases and cross-country races then call on speed, stamina and the ability to negotiate successive obstacles. A later move into leisure riding requires retraining: a horse used to racing in company needs to learn different paces, situations and responses to its rider.

France Galop oversees the studbook with the AQPS breeders' association. The rules require, among other conditions, a pedigree Thoroughbred contribution strictly above 87.5% and below 100%, with eligible ancestors. Breeding must use natural service. Identification, birth declarations and verified parentage also form part of registration. Being outside the Thoroughbred studbook is therefore insufficient on its own.

The programme published by IFCE in 2025 reports 1,067 AQPS registrations in France for 2022. This is an annual registration figure, rather than a count of all living AQPS horses or horses in training. Racing opportunities and the replacement of breeding mares support continued production across the different breeding regions.

A parentage test compares selected DNA markers in the foal with those of its declared dam and sire. This can identify an incompatible parent before the pedigree is entered in the AQPS studbook. The proportion of Thoroughbred ancestry is calculated from registered parents and ancestors; the laboratory does not measure a percentage of “Thoroughbred blood”. A pedigree documents a horse’s origins, but cannot by itself predict racing results.