The Fish Race is a bi-annual re-enactment of the traditional journey to transport fresh fish from the coast to the French capital in the days long before motorised transport and railways. Whenever the fishing fleet unloaded its haul at the port of Boulogne, teams of horse-drawn vehicles (known as Ballons de Marée) rushed the fish to Paris - although just how 'fresh' it was after covering the 270 kilometres in 24 hours or more with no refrigeration is anyone's guess!

Boulannais Horses

Well-organised relay teams of Boulonnais horses were used on the regular route but, even so, there were inevitably occasional mishaps that caused the delivery to be a little late. One such incident that has been consigned to history concerned the manager of the Hôtel du Grand-Condé. So distraught was he when the delivery of fresh fish failed to arrive in time to be served for Louis XIV's dinner that he chose to commit suicide rather than face the Royal wrath. A trifle over dramatic maybe, but there is no doubting the economic importance of the route and the vital role played by the Boulonnais horses.

One of the goals of the re-enacted Fish Race is to create a greater awareness, amongst an increasingly urban population, of the French breeds of working horses that are part of that country's national heritage - a living heritage that still has much to give. Even today these horses have a role to play in both town and country, where they can be used to move timber and coal, or to deliver beer, wine or milk - all without adding to pollution levels!

The teams participating in the race are representative of the nine French breeds of draught horses, together with those of neighbouring European countries - all with the aim of proving that they are far from being the 'museum pieces' that some might believe them to be. On the contrary, they are also capable of providing a great sporting spectacle, with performances of strength and endurance that still have relevance at the beginning of a new century.

Above all, the French recognise that the assortment of breeds participating in the race represents considerable genetic diversity. This in itself gives scope for future development within French breeds to satisfy diverse requirements and provides a worthwhile reminder of the many reasons to value these horses - the 'giants of the road'.

As a publicity exercise, 'La Route du Poisson' is a remarkable success, with the unstinting support of the public at all times of night and day. The first modern version of the race took place in 1991, contested by 6 French teams and one from Germany. By the time the second event took place in 1993 the number of participating teams had more than doubled to fifteen and has varied only a little subsequently.

Sixteen teams were entered for the latest renewal, some representing regional teams from France (one of which was the 'Traits de Genie', a mixed team with pairs from France and other countries) and all the French draught horse breeds, i.e., Ardennes, Auxois, Boulonnais, Bretons, Percherons, Comtois and Normandy Cobs. The remaining teams were foreign entries from Belgium, Switzerland, Germany and, for the first time, from Britain. British drivers had participated previously as part of mixed teams, but this occasion was their first attempt to put a complete team together.

Ardennes Horses from Sweden

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