Percheron

	Email		Print
	Bookmark		Link

Percheron

The Percheron is a breed of powerful rugged draft horse

Draft horse

A draft horse , draught horse or dray horse is a large horse bred for hard, heavy tasks such as ploughing and farm labour. There are a number of different list of horse breeds, with varying characteristics but all share common traits of strength, patience and a docile temperament which made them indispensable to generations of...
s that originated in the Perche

Perche

Perche is a former province of northern France extending over the d?partement in France of Orne, Eure, Eure-et-Loir and Sarthe....
valley in northern France.

many old breeds, the Percheron's exact origins are unknown, but it is said that its ancestors were crossbred between the heavy "forest horse

Forest Horse

Originally from Northern Europe, the Forest Horse, or Dulivial, was a large-boned, slow-moving, heavy horse believed to be the ancestor of the Draft horse breeds of Europe....
" type of animal native to northern Europe

Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
and the Arabians

Arabian horse

The Arabian horse is a list of horse breeds of horse that originated in the Middle East. With a distinctive head shape and high tail carriage, the Arabian is one of the most easily recognizable horse breeds in the world....
that were brought to Europe by the Moors

Moors

In the Spanish language, the term for Moors is Moro; in Portuguese language the word is mouro. There seems to have been some confusion about the relationship of the word moro/mouro to the word moreno , both from Greek language ma?ros, i.e....
. Percherons probably owe their size and weight to their ancestors' use as battle mounts

Horses in warfare

The first use of horses in warfare occurred over 5000 years ago. The earliest evidence of horses equestrianism in warfare dates from Eurasia between 4000 and 3000 BC....
during the Middle Ages

Middle Ages

Discussion

Ask a question about 'Percheron'

Start a new discussion about 'Percheron'

Answer questions from other users

Full Discussion Forum

History

Like many old breeds, the Percheron's exact origins are unknown, but it is said that its ancestors were crossbred between the heavy "forest horse

Forest Horse

Europe

Arabian horse

Moors

Horses in warfare

The first use of horses in warfare occurred over 5000 years ago. The earliest evidence of horses equestrianism in warfare dates from Eurasia between 4000 and 3000 BC....
during the Middle Ages

Middle Ages

File:Karl 1 mit papst gelasius gregor1 sacramentar v karl d kahlen.jpgThe Middle Ages of European history are a period in history which lasted for roughly a millennium, commonly dated from the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century to the beginning of the Early Modern Period in the 16th century, marked by the division of Western Christi...
. In North America the Percheron was used extensely for draft work and transportaion in the French colonies of Florida and the Louisiana Territory. After the invention of gunpowder, heavy war horses were no longer needed, so the Percheron took up its new job pulling heavy French stagecoach

Stagecoach

A stagecoach is a type of four-wheeled closed coach for passengers and goods, strongly sprung and drawn by four horses, usually four-in-hand....
es. With the invention of the railroad, Percherons switched to farm duty and heavy labor.

It is possibly because of this evolution that the modern Percheron is such a versatile and adaptable horse. Today, Percherons serve as logging horses but also are valued as pleasure driving horses, riding horses, and as competitors in both regular horse show

Horse show

A Horse show is a judged exhibition of horses and pony. Many different list of horse breeds and equestrianism disciplines hold competitions worldwide, from local to the international levels....
s and in draft horse showing

Draft horse showing

Draft horse showing refers to horse shows exclusively for horses of the draft horse breeds. In North America, though a small number of draft horses are also shown under saddle, the term "Draft horse showing" refers to a specific horse show competition that primarily features Driving exhibitors present their horses to be judged in horse harn...
.

Characteristics

Percherons are noted for heavy muscling and for an aspect of ruggedness and power. Another characteristic of the Percheron is clean action and quality conformation of the feet and legs. The breed is close coupled, wide and deep through the chest, with plenty of back rib. The muscles of the forearms, croup and gaskins are especially emphasized in a good drafter, and ease and balance of gait is essential.

The Percheron head and neck is typical of the correct draft horse. Good Percherons have a large and full prominent eye, a broad and full forehead, and straight face. A wide jaw and refined ears attractively set and carried with animation are visible evidence of the Percheron's Arabian

Arabian horse

Mane (horse)

The mane is the hair that grows from the top of the neck of a horse or other equine, reaching from the poll to the withers, and includes the forelock or foretop....
is thick, though the tail is usually cut short. Percherons have withers

Withers

The withers is the highest point on the back of a non-upright animal, on the ridge between its shoulder blades....
well defined, a short back, a deep girth, long, somewhat level croup, big, well-rounded hip, and powerful muscling in the lower thigh.

Percherons range in height from 15 to 19 hands high, most are between 16-2 and 17-3 hands high. They can weigh up to 1,200 kg (2,600 pounds) with the average around 860 kg (1,900 pounds). One of the tallest horses on record was a Percheron named Dr Le Gear. Foaled in 1902, he stood 21.1 hands

Hand (unit)

A hand is a unit of length measurement, originally based on the breadth of a male human hand and now standardized at 4 inches . When used to measure height, it is abbreviated "h" or "hh" ....
(7 feet) at the withers and weighed just under 1,370 kg.Percherons can be long-lived horses, living over 25 years.

In recent years, modern show Percherons have been bred for a longer, thinner neck, a longer back, and longer, smoother-looking muscles. These types of modern percherons are used mainly as show horses for competition.

Percherons are generally black

Black (horse)

Black is a equine coat color of horses in which the entire hair coat is black. Black is a relatively uncommon coat color, and novices frequently mistake dark Chestnut or Bay for black....
or gray

Gray (horse)

Gray or grey is a Equine coat color of horses characterized by progressive silvering of the colored hairs of the coat. Most gray horses have black skin and dark eyes; unlike many depigmentation genes, gray does not affect skin or eye color Their adult hair coat is white, dappled, or white intermingled with hairs of other colors....
. Some registries only accept those two colors, though chestnut

Chestnut (coat)

Chestnut is a Equine coat color of horses consisting of a reddish-to-brown coat with a mane and tail the same or lighter in color than the coat....
, and bay colors are acceptable for registration in the US with a DNA test

Genetic fingerprinting

DNA profiling is a technique employed by forensic scientists to assist in the identification of individuals on the basis of their respective DNA profiles....
confirming their parentage. Some Percherons have white markings

Horse markings

Markings on horses usually are distinctive white areas on an otherwise dark base equine coat color. Most horses have some markings, and they help to identify the horse as a unique individual....
on the head and feet, but excessive white is undesirable.

The Percheron is expected to be of good temperament and be an easy keeper

Easy keeper

An easy keeper, easy doer or good doer is a livestock animal that can live on relatively little food. The opposite of an easy keeper is a hard keeper , an animal that is prone to be too thin and has difficulty maintaining adequate weight....
. The breed is reputed to be proud, alert, and intelligent. They are generally very gentle horses, well-suited for driving, and are strong and willing workers. The Percheron is readily adapted to varying climates and conditions. They have the strength to pull heavy loads and the graceful style to pull a fine carriage. Percherons can be ridden and some have even been trained to jump.

Percheron

History

Characteristics

See also

External links