| Freiberger | |
| Image Alt: | a chestnut horse with four white socks at the trot |
| Country: | Switzerland |
| Colour: | usually bay, less often chestnut; rarely other colours |
| Male Height: | 155 cm |
| Female Height: | 147 cm |
| Male Weight: | 650 kg |
| Female Weight: | 550 kg |
The Freiberger or Franches-Montagnes is a Swiss breed of horse of light draught type. It originates in the Canton of Jura in north-western Switzerland, and is named for the Freiberge or Franches-Montagnes District in the south of that canton. It is widely distributed in Switzerland, and is also present in France and Belgium.
It was formerly used principally as a farm horse or by the Swiss army; it is now used mainly for driving and riding. The French: Marché Concours|i=no is an annual fair for the breed held in Saignelégier, capital of the Franches-Montagnes District.
The Freiberger originates in the historic Jura region of Switzerland; use of horses in agricultural work and as post-horses is documented there from about 1620.
By the early nineteenth century, there were active breeders in the district of Franches-Montagnes. In 1817, there were breeding mares. The horses were bred for use in agriculture and by the army as pack animals and artillery horses. There were imports of Anglo-Normans in 1821, and of Hanoverian, Oldenburger and other horses from England and France in 1830, all with the aim of correcting the perceived faults of the native breed – a heavy head, a short neck and a sloping croup – although its overall build was considered good.
The name Freiberger appeared in the late nineteenth century, used for the three types of horse previously named after the districts of Franches-Montagnes, Porrentruy, and Delémont. These types were called "cheval de Jura" and later "Franches-Montagnes" regardless of the district from which they originated. They had also been known as the race welsche.
Until the early twentieth century there were named sub-types, such as the Anglo-Jura – with Thoroughbred blood - and the Normand-Jura, with some Anglo-Norman ancestry. It was only in the late twentieth century that the name (Cheval des) Franches-Montagnes became official. The French: Marché-Concours des Chevaux|i=no in Saignelégier, a combined show, race and market dedicated to the breed, has been held annually since 1897.
Some cross-breeding with imported Swedish Warmblood stock took place in the 1960s.
A stud-book was established in 1960. It was closed to any external admixture in 1997. In the same year a breed association, the Schweizerischer Freibergerverband or Fédération suisse d’élevage du cheval de la race des Franches-Montagnes, was established.
Although the Freiberger breed is not at risk, with an estimated total population in 2017 of about, of which approximately were in Switzerland, the original type – those with 2% or less of foreign blood – is endangered. An interest group for the preservation of this stock was formed in 1996 as the German: Interessengemeinschaft zur Erhaltung des Original Freiberger Pferdes|i=no or French: Communauté d’intérêt pour le maintien du cheval originel des Franches-Montagnes|i=no. In 1999 the total number of such horses was decreasing rapidly, with a remaining stock of about 300 mares and 30 stallions. In 2003 a conservation programme for the original type was established by the interest group, in collaboration with ProSpecieRara and with the at Avenches.
The Freiberger is variable in type, from a riding horse to a light draught horse conformation. Mares average in weight and in height at the withers; the average height and weight for stallions and geldings are and . The usual coat colours are bay and chestnut, with only minimal white markings.
The traditional uses were as a draught horse for agricultural work, or as a military horse, either as a saddle horse or as a pack animal. In the twenty-first century it is used both as a riding mount and for driving.