by M. Y. Mim

The popularity of the beautiful, elegant, versatile Percheron seems barely to have waned since the breed's murky origins. Some scholars maintain that the Percheron, or a close ancestor, existed in the region at the end of the Ice Age.

ended, thanks to gun powder, the Percheron suited France's need for horses to pull heavy stage coaches. The French needed a horse that could trot from seven to ten miles per hour, and the endurance to do it day in and day out.

The entire, long history of the Percheron shows humans adapting the breed to changing needs of time, and the Percherons' willing ability to make these changes.

The railroad eventually replaced the need for stage coaches, but the rapidly growing cities demanded omnibuses for public transport of the day. Thousands of omnibus horses were called for in Paris and other French cities. At the same time, horses (faster and stronger) were replacing oxen in agriculture. The nearby Beauce, the granary of France, needed a bigger horse for agriculture. As trade and commerce grew, so did the need for horses of heavy draft to move large loads from docks and railheads. They needed an even larger horse than did the farmer. Again, the breeders of Le Perche complied.

"Across the pond," a new country developed, requiring horses. For unknown reasons, North Americans preferred black Percherons and very rarely imported any other of the vast number of colors available.

The Percheron quickly became America's favorite horse. In the decade of the 1880s, almost 5,000 stallions and over 2,500 mares were imported to this country from France, mostly from Le Perche.

A short period during the WWI brought importation to a standstill, but the recovery was as quick as the decline.

The 1930s census is a good indication of the affection Americans for the Percheron. Over 70% of the purebred draft horses in America were Percherons. Every major land grant school in America maintained a stable of Percherons.

Then came the great depression of the 1930s and the draft horse made a dramatic comeback. Corn was cheap, farmers were broke, gasoline wasn't free. Registrations more than doubled in a few short years. In 1937 they reached 4,611, a figure not seen for over a decade.

The low point in Percheron registrations came in 1954 when just 85 head were recorded. The term endangered species was certainly appropriate though not yet in common use.

It was a relative handful of people, dedicated to the breed, unconvinced of the wisdom of the course being pursued by agriculture, and unwilling to relinquish their equine heritage, that kept the Percheron alive. They were aided in this by the thousands of Amish farmers throughout the country who stuck with the draft horse.

This determination and patience was rewarded.

Americans rediscovered the usefulness of the draft horse. Other Americans discovered the pleasure of working with them at non-farm tasks. The shows welcomed them back. The growing recreation business discovered their attractiveness at ski lodges, etc. The wood lot owner looked around for a horse logger that would take out a few trees without ruining the rest.

The Percheron now thrives through a combination of niche markets.

Sources:
Draper, Judith, The Ultimate Encyclopdia Of Horse Breeds and Horse Care, Hermes House Publishing, London; Anness Publishing Lt,.,©, 2006

Oklahoma State University , Breeds of Livestock, "Percheron," http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/horses/, referencing Hendricks, B.L., International Encyclopedia of Horse Breeds, University of Oklahoma Press, Norman. Okahoma, 1995; and Promotional Material, Percheron Horse Association of America, P.O. Box 141, Fredericktown, Ohio 43019. Phone: (614) 694-3602.

Promotional Material, Percheron Horse Association of America, P.O. Box 141, Fredericktown, Ohio 43019. Phone: (614) 694-3602, 2008