[6]: 267 [7] Oxen of this type were used mainly for agricultural draught work in Haut-Poitou [fr], in the Saintonge, in Touraine and in the Vendée.

[7][2] The name of the breed is due to Eugène Gayot [fr], who in 1860 identified Parthenay, in the département of Deux-Sèvres, as the principal centre of production.

A number of dairy co-operatives were formed, and the Parthenaise was used to produce a local type of butter, the Beurre Charentes-Poitou [fr], which quickly became well-known.

After the Second World War the Parthenaise was still well represented in the Vendée and the Gâtine, but was under threat, both from the difficulty of finding bulls that met the stringent regulations for registration for artificial insemination, and from reduction of herds by culling to eradicate bovine tuberculosis.

[7] By the 1960s it had become clear that the dual-purpose aim for the breed was no longer viable, and in 1971 the decision was taken to select for beef production only.

[8] The coat ranges in colour from light to dark wheaten,[6]: 267  with grey rings round the muzzle and eyes.