Percheron
Country of origin | France |
---|---|
Traits | |
Distinguishing features | Agile draft horse breed. Mostly gray or black. Clean-limbed, powerful and docile. |
Breed standards | |
The Percheron is a
Before
The breed is still used extensively for draft work; in France, they are also bred for
Characteristics
The size considered ideal for the Percheron varies between countries. In France, height ranges from 15.1 to 18.1 hands (61 to 73 inches, 155 to 185 cm) and weight from 1,100 to 2,600 pounds (500 to 1,200 kg).[1] Percherons in the United States generally stand between 16.2 and 17.3 hands (66 and 71 inches, 168 and 180 cm), with a range of 15–19 hands (60–76 inches, 152–193 cm). American Percherons average 1,900 pounds (860 kg), and their top weight is around 2,600 pounds (1,200 kg).[2] In Great Britain, 16.2 hands (66 inches, 168 cm) is the shortest acceptable height for stallions and 16.1 hands (65 inches, 165 cm) for mares, while weights range from around 2,000–2,200 pounds (910–1,000 kg) for stallions and 1,800–2,000 pounds (820–910 kg) for mares.[3]
They are generally
Many horses have white markings on their heads and legs, but registries consider excessive white to be undesirable.
The head has a straight profile, broad forehead, large eyes and small ears. The chest is deep and wide and the
Horses in the French registry are branded on the neck with the intertwined letters "SP", the initials of the Société Hippique Percheronne.[5]
History
The Percheron breed originated in the
During the 17th century, horses from Perche, ancestors of the current Percheron, were smaller, standing between 15 and 16 hands (60 and 64 inches, 152 and 163 cm) high, and more agile.[10] These horses were almost uniformly gray; paintings and drawings from the Middle Ages generally show French knights on mounts of this color. After the days of the armored knight, the emphasis in horse breeding was shifted so as to develop horses better able to pull heavy stage coaches at a fast trot. Gray horses were preferred because their light coloring was more visible at night. This new type of horse was called the "Diligence Horse", because the stage coaches they pulled were named "diligences". After the stage coach was replaced by rail, the modern Percheron type arose as a slightly heavier horse for use in agriculture and heavy hauling work, moving goods from docks to railway terminals.[11]
19th century
Arabian stallions were made available to Percheron breeders for use in breeding army mounts, beginning in 1760 at the royal stud at
In the United States and Great Britain
Percherons were first imported into the United States in 1839 by
In 1876, the Norman-Percheron Association was formed by a group of Percheron breeders in Chicago, and at the same time the stud book was begun. The Norman-Percheron Association was the United States' first purebred livestock association. In 1877, the word "Norman" was dropped from the name.[17] Later, in the panic of 1893, the Percheron Association went bankrupt and ceased to function.[11] In 1905, also in Chicago, Percheron breeders met again to reform as the Percheron Society of America. Since 1934, the group has been known as the Percheron Horse Association of America.[17] At its height, the organization was the largest draft horse association in the world, in the early 20th century registering over 10,000 horses annually.[11][18]
In the late 19th century, Percherons also began to be exported from the United States to Great Britain, where they were used to pull horse-drawn buses in large cities. The first Percherons imported to Britain included some of the thousands of crossbreds from the United States. In Britain, many of the horses, once they finished their bus-pulling career, were sold to farmers. Other imported horses were sold to the British Army, and in 1900, 325 horses were shipped to South Africa for use in the
20th and 21st centuries
In 1911, the French society
Prior to World War I, a flourishing trade route for Percherons existed between Nogent-le-Rotrou, Le Havre and the United States.[21] However, after the war began, an embargo was placed on French Percherons, disallowing them from exportation. Other than an exception in April 1916 to allow 59 horses to be shipped from France to the US, this embargo remained in place until the end of the war. The war took its toll on the Percheron breed as horses, fodder, and handlers were requisitioned for the fighting, and even after the embargo was lifted France did not have the quality or quantity of stock to fulfill the needs of American breeders. The embargo created a breeding boom in the US, replacing the previous practice of importing the majority of Percherons from France, and late in the war horses were shipped the other way – from the US to Europe – to supply those needed in the war.[22] The lack of feathering on the Percheron's lower legs made them easier to care for in the mud that they often worked in during wartime. Their quick trot on paved roads made them more versatile than motorized vehicles, and they were useful for work with guns and in forward units due to their calm temperaments.[15]
Between 1918 and 1922, over 350 Percherons were imported to Britain from France and, combined with stock from the US and Canada, were used as breeding stock to establish the breed in the country.[23] In 1918, the British Percheron Horse Society was formed. British breeders and owners continue to import Percherons from France, and also occasionally from Canada, when not prohibitively expensive.[15]
By the 1930s, Percherons accounted for over 70 percent of the purebred draft horses in the United States, and all of the major land-grant universities maintained stables of Percherons.[11] A 1930 census of horses found over 33,000 Percherons in the United States, with the next most popular breed, the Belgian, having a population of less than 10,000. One Percheron historian attributes this popularity to the breed's "strength, energy, activity, robustness and endurance".[24] After World War II, increasing mechanization prompted a decline in the Percheron population.[10] In 1954, only 85 Percherons were registered in the US, a record low.[11] The 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s were bad years for the US Percheron population, and breeding was reduced to only a few farms. These breeders kept the American population alive through these years, however, and the 1980s saw renewed interest in the breed.[25]
In 1966, the French stud book was changed to include draft types from other areas of France that were closely related to the Percheron – including the horses of
In 1988, there were 1,088 Percherons in the United States, rising to 2,257 by 1998.
Augeron
The Augeron, also known as Caen or Virois, was developed from the Percheron during the 19th century[37] and was merged back into the Percheron in the 1960s. Bred mainly in the Pays d'Auge region, it previously had its own studbook, registered by the Société hippique du trait augeron.[38][39] The status of the subtype has been repeatedly debated because of its origin from Percherons bred in Pays d'Auge, a breeding group that was modified from the original breed standard due to the influence of soil and climate over the years, creating the Augeron type.[40] Augerons are light gray in color, tall, strong, well-built, and energetic.[37][41][42][43] They stand 158–170 cm (15.2–16.3 hands) in height, but those horses bred in Vire are known to be smaller than the standard.[37]
In the 19th century, the existence of the Augeron population was, despite its popularity, generally ignored by authors.[a] In Paris, they were named "Caen" and "Virois", after their region of origin,[37] although specialists included the "Caen Virois" breed with the Augeron in a 1904 text.[44] In the 19th century, these horses were sold at fairs in Argences and Bayeux in Lower Normandy.[37] They were noticed several times for their homogeneity, beauty,[45] and high value.[46] In 1858, Augerons were sold for between 600 and 1200 francs.[47]
The Société hippique du trait augeron, or Augeron Horse Society, was formed in 1913 by breeders in Auge to record these horses in a
Uses
The Percheron is the most famous and populous of all French draft breeds in the world today.
In Great Britain, the Percheron is used for advertising and publicity, as well as forestry and farm work. They are crossbred with lighter horses by breeders of heavy hunters in order to increase size and improve disposition.[15] Purebred Percherons are also ridden, and some have proven useful at show jumping.[2] Crossbred Percherons have been used successfully in dressage.[55] In both the Falkland Islands and northern Australia, Percherons have been crossed with local mares, primarily Criollos in the Falklands, to produce larger stock horses with greater stamina. These crossbred horses are used extensively in both the sub-Antarctic climate of the Falklands and the sub-tropical climate of Australia for working stock. In Australia they are also crossed with Thoroughbreds for use as mounted police horses.[56]
In 1978, the first World Percheron Congress was held in Great Britain, and has been held annually ever since. Although the majority of the shows have been held in North America, four – in 1980, 1989, 2001 and 2011 – have been held in France.[26] Each year, in July, the French national breed show is held in Haras du Pin.[57]
Since the early 2000's the United States Army's Fort Sam Houston Caisson and Funeral Honors Platoon have used Percherons for pulling the casket-bearing military caisson during funeral details. As of 2019, the Fort Sam Houston Caisson Platoon had 11 working Percherons and one lighter horse used as the riderless horse in a funeral procession. In addition to funeral details, which they perform year round, the Caisson Percherons are routinely featured at the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo and other United States Army recruiting events in the south Texas area.[58]
Notes
- ^ Original quote in French: "généralement passée sous silence par les auteurs"
References
- ^ a b "Règlement du stud-book du cheval Percheron" (PDF) (in French). Les Haras Nationaux. 2010. Retrieved 6 September 2011.
- ^ a b c d "Disposition and". Percheron Horse Association of America. Archived from the original on 10 January 2014. Retrieved 7 October 2009.
- ^ a b "Characteristics of the British Percheron". British Percheron Horse Society. Retrieved 1 May 2012.
- ^ a b Dal'Secco, Les chevaux de trait, p. 28
- ^ "La marque" (in French). Société Hippique Percheronne de France. Retrieved 13 September 2011.
- ^ Dugast, Sur les traces du cheval percheron, cover copy
- ^ a b c d e Hendricks, International Encyclopedia of Horse Breeds, pp. 335–337
- ^ Mavré, Attelages et attelées, p. 40
- ^ Terry and Durling, The Romance of the Rose or Guillaume de Dole, pp. 32, 96
- ^ a b c d e "Percheron". Breeds of Livestock. Oklahoma State University. Archived from the original on 4 January 2012. Retrieved 26 January 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "The Origin and History of the Percheron Horse". Percheron Horse Association of America. Archived from the original on 10 February 2015. Retrieved 7 October 2009.
- ^ a b c Edwards, The Encyclopedia of the Horse, pp. 94–95
- ^ a b Mischka, The Percheron Horse in America, pp. 30–31
- ^ Mischka, The Percheron Horse in America, pp. 34–35
- ^ a b c d e McDermott, The Working Horse Manual, pp. 22–23
- ^ Fox, Circus Baggage Stock, pp. 3–4
- ^ a b "About Us". Percheron Horse Association of America. Archived from the original on 10 February 2015. Retrieved 7 October 2009.
- ^ a b "Percheron". Breeds of the World. International Museum of the Horse. Archived from the original on 24 May 2013. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
- ^ Bongianni, Simon & Schuster's Guide to Horses and Ponies, Entry 87
- ^ Mavré, Attelages et attelées, p. 80
- ^ Dal'Secco, Les chevaux de trait, p. 42
- ^ Mischka, The Percheron Horse in America, pp. 4–6
- ^ "History of the British Percheron Horse Society". British Percheron Horse Society. Archived from the original on 23 February 2020. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
- ^ Mischka, The Percheron Horse in America, pp. 14–16
- ^ Mischka, The Percheron Horse in America, p. 21
- ^ a b c d Kouyoumdjian, Virginia (27 May 2011). "France Hosts the 2011 World Percheron Congress". The Draft Horse Journal. Archived from the original on 27 March 2012. Retrieved 7 September 2011.
- ^ Mavré, Attelages et attelées, p. 31
- ^ Audiot, Races d'hier pour l'élevage de demain, p. 26
- ^ , p. 2
- ^ Mavré, Attelages et attelées, p. 36
- ^ Pilley-Mirande, Nathalie (October 2002). "Les traits français dans le monde". Cheval Magazine (in French) (371): 62–65.
- ^ Leboucq, Christophe (2002). Origine et avenir du cheval de trait Percheron (Thèse d'exercice) (in French). École Nationale Vétérinaire de Toulouse. p. 19.
- ^ Roger & Beaune, Maîtres et protecteurs de la nature, p. 292
- ^ "Règlement Stud Book" (in French). Société Hippique Percheronne de France. Retrieved 8 September 2011.
- ^ "Breed Information – ALBC Conservation Priority List". American Livestock Breeds Conservancy. Retrieved 7 October 2009.
- ^ "Parameters of Livestock Breeds on the ALBC Conservation Priority List (2007)". American Livestock Breeds Conservancy. Archived from the original on 15 September 2010. Retrieved 7 October 2009.
- ^ a b c d e Magne, Jean Henri (1857). Hygiène vétérinaire appliquée : Étude de nos races d'animaux domestiques et des moyens de les améliorer [Applied Animal Health: Study of our breeds of domestic animals and ways to improve them (in French). Vol. 1. Labe. pp. 260–261.
- ^ Jacoulet, J.; Chomel, Claude (1895). Traité d'Hippologie (in French). Vol. II. S. Milon fils. p. 491.
- ^ a b Faucher, Daniel (1951). La France, géographie-tourisme [France, geography, tourism] (in French). Vol. 2. Librairie Larousse. p. 120.
- ^ Mavré, Attelages et attelées, p. 223
- ^ Gossin, Louis (1858). French agriculture (in French). Lacroix and Baudry. pp. 316–317.
CHEVAL AUGERON.
- ^ Dechambre, Paul (1928). Traité de zootechnie: Les équidés [Study of Animal Husbandry: Equidae] (in French). Vol. Traité de zootechnie, II. Librairie agricole de la maison rustique. p. 114.
- ^ Levasseur, Emile (1890). La France et ses colonies (géographie et statistique) (in French). Vol. II. C. Delagrave. p. 124.
- ^ Diffloth, Paul (1904). Zootechnie générale : production et alimentation du bétail. Zootechnie spéciale; cheval, âne, mulet [General husbandry : production and feeding of livestock. Special husbandry: horse, donkey, mule (in French). Encyclopédie agricole, J.-B. Baillière et fils. p. 352.
- ^ Proceedings of the Académie d'agriculture de France: Volume 39 (in French). Académie d'agriculture de France. 1953. p. 342.
- ^ H. Vallé de Loncey (1888). Les races de chevaux de trait (in French). France, Belgique, Angleterre: Bureaux de l'Acclimatation. p. 368.
- ^ Cegarra, Marie (1999). L'animal inventé: ethnographie d'un bestiaire familier (The invented animal: ethnography of a familiar bestiary) (in French). Paris: L'Harmattan. p. 317.
- ^ Mavré, Attelages et attelées, p. 44
- ^ Edwards, Les chevaux, p. 192
- ^ Edwards, The Encyclopedia of the Horse, pp. 262, 276
- ^ "Spanish-Norman". International Museum of the Horse. Archived from the original on 9 February 2015. Retrieved 4 April 2012.
- ^ Dal'Secco, Les chevaux de trait, p. 59
- ^ Dal'Secco, Les chevaux de trait, p. 9
- ^ "Heinz Hitch Percheron Horses Appear In Rose Parade". The Horse. 1 February 1999. Retrieved 27 December 2009.
- ^ "Use of the British Percheron". British Percheron Horse Society. Retrieved 7 October 2009.
- ^ "History of the Breed". Percheron Horse Breeders Association of Australia. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
- ^ Dal'Secco, Les chevaux de trait, p. 108
- ^
- Warren, Chris (28 January 2015). "Caisson Section: The Ultimate Honor". San Antonio Magazine. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
- Hickman, Timothy (21 February 2019). "Newest member of the Fort Sam Houston Caisson makes his debut". Joint Base San Antonio. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
Sources
- Audiot, Annick (1995). Races d'hier pour l'élevage de demain: Espaces ruraux (in French). Éditions Quae. ISBN 978-2-7380-0581-6.
- Bongianni, Maurizio, ed. (1988). Simon & Schuster's Guide to Horses and Ponies. Simon & Schuster, Inc. ISBN 978-0-671-66068-0.
- Dal'Secco, Emmanuelle (2006). Les chevaux de trait (in French). Artemis Éditions. ISBN 978-2-84416-459-9.
- Dugast, Jean-Léo (2007). Sur les traces du cheval percheron. L'Étrave. ISBN 978-2-909599-80-9.
- Edwards, Elwyn Hartley (2006). Les chevaux (in French). De Borée. ISBN 978-2-84494-449-8.
- Edwards, Elwyn Hartley (1994). The Encyclopedia of the Horse (1st American ed.). Dorling Kindersley. ISBN 978-1-56458-614-8.
- Fox, Charles Philip (1983). Circus Baggage Stock: A Tribute to the Percheron. Heart Prairie Press. ISBN 978-0-9622663-0-0.
- Hendricks, Bonnie (2007). International Encyclopedia of Horse Breeds. University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 978-0-8061-3884-8.
- Mavré, Marcel (2004). Attelages et attelées : un siècle d'utilisation du cheval de trait [Hitches and harness: a century of using the workhorse] (in French). France Agricole Éditions. ISBN 978-2-85557-115-7.
- McDermott, Rowena (1998). "The British Percheron". The Working Horse Manual. Farming Press. ISBN 978-0-85236-401-7.
- Mischka, Joseph (1991). The Percheron Horse in America. Heart Prairie Press. ISBN 978-0-9622663-5-5.
- Roger, Alain & Beaune, Jean-Claude (1991). Maîtres et protecteurs de la nature. Éditions Champ Vallon. ISBN 978-2-87673-099-1.
- Terry, Patricia; Nancy Vine Durling (1993). The Romance of the Rose or Guillaume De Dole. University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 978-0-8122-1388-1.
External links
- Société hippique Percheronne de France
- Percheron Horse Association of America
- British Percheron Horse Society
- Percheron Horse Breeders Association of Australia