Poitou-Charente myths, legends and history - Baudet or dreadlock donkeys

Baudet donkeys

Poitou-Charentes myths, legends and history

I hope your Christmas was a merry one, we had great fun in Poitiers with Ed, who even joined us on our traditional Christmas Day bike ride. Here is a little something I hope will entertain you and help get you through the post-Christmas slump.

 

Baudet or dreadlock donkeys

 

One of the cutest and most unusual things to originate from the Poitou area has to be our local breed of donkey, the Baudet du Poitou. These beauties are larger than your average donkey and famed for their size and strong bone structure, but it’s not that that attracts me. I adore their peculiarly scruffy look, with their long, chocolate brown, tangled coat that hangs like straggly dreadlocks, and their gorgeous large, furry ears. The dreadlocks form as they moult, when the falling hair becomes felted and attaches to the new hair growth, giving their skin a natural protection from the elements, and tradition dictates these are never brushed out. 

The Baudet donkey

 

They were valued for their breeding of mules, when sired with a Poitevin mare, the Mulassier, and records show they have been around for hundreds of years. Although the breeding was strictly kept in the Poitou region, the mules were exported worldwide and played an important role in the local economy, with the sale of one breeding male donkey earning you enough for a villa on the Atlantic coast. In 1846 at a fair in Champdeniers, 1,500 mules were sold in a single day and there were 18,000 mules born in 1867. With the decline in demand for mules after the Second World War, there was little need for the breeding donkeys and many farms repurposed their space, replacing them with cows. By the 1980’s the Baudets had almost became extinct with less than one hundred remaining.

Baudets at Dampierre-sur-Boutonne

 

I am delighted to say that they have made a comeback, thanks to a conservation breeding programme set up in Dampierre-sur-Boutonne, in the Charente-Maritime. This visitor site includes a museum area that explains all about their history, decline and rebirth, as well as allowing you to wander around the enclosures that are home to around fifty donkeys. You can also book to walk or picnic with a donkey or help at feeding time. If you visit in June, when we did, be prepared for off the scale cuteness as the paddocks are home to the long-legged, dark chocolate brown, velvety foals. They are skittish and full of mischief, but happy to be petted by their adoring fans.

 

A family day out at Dampierre-sur-Boutonne

You can also find them on the Ile de Ré, just off the coast from La Rochelle, where one of the most popular sights for tourists are the Baudets who wear stripy pyjamas on their legs. These give them an extra layer of protection from the flies and mosquitos found in the salt marshes they traditionally worked in.

I hope you have enjoyed getting to know the Baudet. Thank you for another year of reading my blogs, liking, commenting and sharing them. Hearing from you really makes my day. I hope 2025 is a healthy and happy one for you and your loved ones. My next blog will be my annual public and school holiday post, helping you to plan your travels in France. 

 

Happy New Year.