Poitevin horses can be saved from extinction as cart-pullers in France

One of France’s oldest breeds of heavy horses, the Poitevin, may be saved from extinction if breeders succeed in convincing local authorities to draft them into service to pull dustbin carts.

Dozens of French towns and villages have already ditched dustbin lorries in favour of horses and carts as a greener way to collect household waste.

Enthusiasts are trying to persuade more of them to use the sturdy, long-maned Poitevin. The horses were on the verge of extinction 20 years ago after being replaced by tractors on farms

They owe their survival to the efforts of about 100 breeders in the south-western region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, but remain in danger of dying out. About 1,300 are left in the world and only a few dozen foals are born each year.

Some villages have replaced school buses with carts pulled by Poitevin horses or donkeys, to the delight of local children. Saint-Prix, a small town outside Paris, pioneered the use of a horse-drawn cart for household waste collection seven years ago.

The horses now help to bring more than 360 tons of rubbish to recycling depots each year.

Jean-Pierre Enjalbert, the mayor, said: “In purely financial terms, the cost of the horse and cart may not be that much less than a lorry, but the horse is far better for the environment.”

At least 60 local authorities across France are now using horse-drawn carts. As they clip-clop from house to house, people often come out to give them a carrot or an apple.

Poitevins now haul carts collecting litter from beaches on the Ile de Ré, a popular tourist destination off France’s west coast.

Bénédicte Touchard looks after the horses with her partner Jérôme. “The beaches are much cleaner now and when people see us with the horse, they’re intrigued so they come and talk to us and it helps to encourage them not to leave rubbish,” she said. “Everyone likes horses and the horse becomes a talking-point.”