It first appeared in the Aurignacian period because of climatic changes and roamed the territory of present-day France during the Gravettian and up to the end of the Solutrean.

Its fossils, dated from 40,000 to around 15,000 years BC, are close to those of Equus caballus germanicus (the Germanic horse) and may not correspond to a valid subspecies.

First described by François Prat in 1968, it is around 1.40 m (4.6 ft) tall and differs from Equus caballus germanicus mainly in its dentition and slightly smaller size.

[7] According to Vera Eisenmann, the transition from Equus caballus germanicus to gallicus appears to have been gradual, accompanying changes in the biotope.

Smaller than Equus caballus germanicus (1.40 m or 4.6 ft on average), it has a different morphology, with more pronounced caballins characters on its dentition.

Based on cave paintings and primitive horses such as the Przewalski, specialists attribute a dun or pangaré coat (light brownish-yellow, black manes and tips, discoloration of the underside).

It is then possible that a new species or subspecies better adapted to climatic constraints succeeded Equus caballus gallicus in south-western France at the end of the Würm IV, but this question remains debated.

[3][16] Horses probably often passed close to the Rocher de Solutré during their seasonal migrations, overwintering in the Rhône and Saône valleys before moving west to the plateaus when the weather warmed up.

According to the Laboratory of Quaternary Geology and Prehistory at the University of Bordeaux 1, this horse could be the origin of today's Ardennais breed.

[24] Located in the commune of Bize-Minervois in the Aude department, this cave also shows a transition between the two subspecies, dated at around 33,000 years BC,[5] and therefore later than La Quina.