Though Comtois horses have been praised since the Romans, their precise origin remains unclear. The Burgundians would have crossed their horses with local mares in the 5th century, and the Comtois' mane was originally black. After World War II, the breed was crossed with blond-maned sorrel horses, a characteristic that made its success and still constitutes a beauty criterion in competitions. The Comtois horse has been bred in Franche-Comté for 1,500 years, and its historic cradle is located in the center of the Jura region, near Switzerland.