It is a large breed, with some individuals weighing over 910 kilograms (2,010 lb), bred for horse meat, agricultural work and leisure pursuits.

After the creation of the stud book, only purebred Auxois or Ardennais and Trait du Nord crosses could be registered.

By the 1970s, the Auxois had almost become extinct, and the French government began pushing the breeding of all native draft horses for meat production, as opposed to agricultural usage.

The rich pastures of the Auxois area, including the French Gold Coast, parts of Yonne, the Saône-et-Loire and northern Nièvre, are conducive to the breeding of large draft horses.

[7][15] The recognition of the Auxois dates back to the early 20th century, making it relatively new compared to other French draft breeds.

[16] The Auxois is a direct descendant of the Bourguignon of the Middle Ages,[6][17][18] a small, robust, tough horse used for riding and driving.

A now-discredited theory once held that the Auxois was a descendant of the even older Solutre horse, the bones of which were found in the area where the breed was developed.

[20] The local mares created from 19th century breeding were crossed with Ardennais and Trait du Nord stallions, sought after for their large size and power, which made them valuable for agricultural work.

With the creation of the stud book, only purebred Auxois or Ardennais and Trait du Nord crosses could be registered.

[23] World War I interrupted the efforts to secure a breed standard, with stud book selection not resuming until 1920.

Within a few years, the ideal height was set around 15.3 hands (63 inches, 160 cm), and its breeding spread throughout Auxois and neighboring regions.

[24] Before the advent of motorization, it was the preferred pulling animal, even for slow work, winning out over the local Charolais cattle breed used as oxen.

[26] It was described, like the Ardennais and the Trait du Nord, as a born plowhorse, with a neck naturally held so low that the nose almost touched the ground.

Merchants visiting Burgundy horse fairs appreciated the breed, and deemed its bay coloration better able to hide dirt than that of the light gray Percheron or black Nivernais.

[28] The peak populations and usage of the Auxois and other French draft horses was short due to the advent of mechanization in the 1960s.

The Auxois and other draft breeds were quickly abandoned in favor of machines,[9] and population numbers began to fall in the early 1950s and collapsed completely in the 1960s.

[31] By the 1970s, the Auxois had almost disappeared,[9] although many villages in the breed's homeland retained a small number of mares for traditional competitions.

The stud encouraged farmers who could no longer find buyers for their animals to fatten them for resale to the slaughter markets.

[36] French farmers moved towards the production of animals for recreation or agricultural uses, and the National Stud began supporting this aim.

[13] It focuses mainly on the training of young horses for riding and driving, and showcases various performances, as well as providing shoeing services and birthing assistance.

[39] As it has been since the creation of the Auxois stud book, only purebred horses and Ardennes and Trait du Nord crosses are allowed to be registered.