Percheron

Hailing from the Perche region in northwestern France, the Percheron is a proper heavy draft horse, and a hugely popular one at that. It's among the most numerous draft breeds in the world, and to this day it's kept busy with farm work, driving, parades, and crossing with lighter horses to great effect.

What strikes people most, though, is the temperament. Here's a breed that ranks among the largest horses going, yet it carries itself with a calm, even nature that puts nervous first-time owners at ease. Handlers will tell you it's willing and sharp to learn, and that's precisely why it was such a favourite for heavy hauling and city work back in the days when horses pulled everything through the streets. There's real power in this horse, sure, but it moves with a fluid, active quality you wouldn't expect from something this size.

Most Percherons come out gray or black, and you can see the Arabian influence plainly in the refined head and athletic build. Nowadays they're just as at home under harness as under saddle, and they cross beautifully to produce sport and pleasure horses with real substance and good sense about them.

Who it suits

Anyone who can properly house and feed a very large horse, and who fancies a steady, trainable partner for harness work, driving, or general riding, will find plenty to love in the Percheron. The calm temperament makes it approachable enough, but don't let that fool you, its size still calls for secure fencing, sturdy equipment, and a handler who knows what they're doing. At the end of the day it's a working breed, and it's happiest with regular tasks to get on with and good turnout besides.

The name comes from the Perche, a former province in northwestern France just south of Normandy, and it's there the breed took shape over centuries, built up from heavy local mares with a good dose of Arabian and other oriental blood mixed in along the way. That Arabian contribution gets the credit, more often than not, for the breed's refined head and lively movement.

For much of its early history this was an all-purpose working horse, bred for farm work, hauling, and coach work above all else. As road transport grew across France, the breed found itself pulling diligences and heavy wagons, and breeders naturally selected for stamina along with a brisk walk and trot that could hold up over long distances.

It was the nineteenth century that really changed things, bringing formal organisation and a great surge in popularity abroad. A French studbook was established for the breed around this time, and enormous numbers of Percherons were exported, particularly to the United States, where the breed grew into one of the most common draft horses found on any farm. American breeders set up their own registry too, keeping record of both imports and home-bred stock.

Then came mechanisation in the twentieth century, and draft horse numbers took a hard knock, the Percheron along with the rest. Dedicated breeders kept the breed alive through those lean years, mind you, and it's recovered well in numbers since. Today you'll find Percherons bred across France, North America, and a good many other countries, put to work in driving, agriculture, forestry, and crossbreeding.

A large, deep-bodied draft horse with heavy muscling and a broad, powerful frame, that's your Percheron. The head is fairly refined for a draft breed, mind, with a straight or slightly dished profile, a wide forehead, and big eyes that reflect the Arabian influence further back in the pedigree. The neck runs thick and arched, the shoulders slope nicely, and the legs are clean and strong with a good deal less feathering than you'd find on some of the other heavy breeds.

Where this breed really sets itself apart is in the way it moves, covering ground with a long, free stride at both walk and trot, quite unlike the heavier, slower draft types. Colour plays a defining role here too, with most Percherons coming out gray or black, and many of the gray ones are born dark and lighten gradually as they age.

Coat and colours

Gray and black are this breed's signature colours through and through, and quite a few registries favour or even insist on them. Gray Percherons typically arrive close to black at birth and lighten year on year from there, often turning nearly white by old age. You'll come across other colours here and there too, bay, chestnut, and roan among them, though how welcome they are depends very much on the registry in question. Where white markings show up, they're generally limited to the face and lower legs.

The Percheron has built up quite the reputation for a steady, willing nature, and rightly so. It keeps its cool under pressure, which counts for a great deal in driving teams, at public events, and in busy, crowded settings where a horse prone to panic would be genuinely dangerous. Add a sharp intelligence into the bargain, and you've a horse that picks up routines and tasks without much bother at all.

Around people the breed tends to be friendly and good-natured, and it often gets on grand with novice riders under supervision, though its sheer size still calls for a bit of care regardless. In company with other horses, Percherons are generally sociable and settle well into herds and driving pairs. It's a hardworking breed that's content with a job to do, and no end of individuals show real patience through grooming, harnessing, and everyday handling.

Grooming

• Give it a good brush a few times a week, clearing away dirt and loose hair and checking the skin as you go
• Clean and check the feet every day, as those big hooves are bearing a serious amount of weight
• Keep a close eye on the lower legs and any feathering, that's how skin trouble gets headed off
• Bathe as the need arises, particularly for gray horses being kept show-ready
• Have the farrier out roughly every 6 to 8 weeks for trimming or shoeing

Exercise

• Turn it out daily in a large, securely fenced paddock
• Keep up regular work under harness or saddle to hold fitness and muscle
• Build conditioning up gradually, protecting the joints on such a heavy horse
• Steer well clear of hard, fast work on firm ground, it puts real strain on the legs and feet

Environment

A Percheron wants roomy stabling with wide doorways, high ceilings, and stalls sized properly for a giant horse. Whatever fencing, gates, and equipment you have, they'll need to be heavy enough for its strength. The breed manages a fair range of climates well enough, but it does benefit from shelter, shade in the heat, and dry footing to protect the feet and legs.

Like any horse, the Percheron is a grazing animal at heart, and it should be eating mostly forage. Good quality hay or pasture forms the base of the diet, with the daily amount scaling up alongside the horse's large body weight. Draft horses can be efficient feeders, so it's worth matching concentrates to the actual workload to avoid piling on excess weight. Clean water and a salt source ought to be available at all times, and a few smaller feeds through the day suit the equine gut far better than one great big feed.

Treats and supplements

A small handful of carrots or apple pieces makes a safe enough treat. Where forage alone doesn't quite meet the horse's needs, especially on poorer pasture, a balanced vitamin and mineral supplement or a ration balancer can help fill the gaps. Any change to feed is best made gradually over several days, to keep the risk of colic down. It's well worth having a word with an equine vet or nutritionist for diets suited to growth, work, or any special conditions.

With good care, a Percheron will typically see 20 to 25 years, and it's a hardy, robust breed on the whole. That great size does put extra load on the feet, legs, and joints, though, so keeping weight in check, staying on top of farrier care, and providing sound footing all matter a great deal for the horse's comfort. Like other draft horses, it can be prone to certain skin and muscle conditions, and regular veterinary care goes a long way toward catching problems early on.

Preventive care

• Book in annual vet exams and keep vaccinations current for your part of the world
• Keep a regular deworming and dental programme going
• Trim or shoe the feet every 6 to 8 weeks
• Watch body condition closely to keep excess weight from creeping on
• Keep stalls clean and legs dry, that's what prevents skin disease

Between the calm temperament and the sharp mind, training tends to go rather smoothly for a horse of this size. The breed answers well to handling that's consistent and patient, and it holds onto lessons once they're learned. Early groundwork is well worth the effort, because a horse this size has to be safe to lead, tie, and handle for the farrier and vet alike. No end of Percherons take readily to harness work, and the breed trains up just as well for riding, driving, and other ridden disciplines.

Basics

1. Start with leading, standing, and yielding from light pressure on the ground
2. Build up calm acceptance of grooming, hoof handling, and tacking up
3. Bring in harness or saddle gently, in short, low-pressure sessions
4. Add driving or ridden work bit by bit, so long as the horse stays relaxed
5. Keep sessions consistent, and finish up on a clear success

Percherons reach breeding maturity in much the same range as other large horses, though heavy breeds are often given extra time to finish growing before they're put to work or bred. Mares are typically bred during their natural spring and summer season. Gestation runs around 11 months and almost always brings a single foal, since twins are rare and a risky business altogether in horses.

Foals arrive large and are up and nursing within hours, as you'd expect from such a big breed. Weaning usually happens around four to six months, and the foal keeps developing its full size and muscle over several years after that. Because draft conformation places real stress on growing joints, careful nutrition and unhurried development matter a great deal when raising young Percherons. Conformation, temperament, and health all need weighing up in breeding decisions, and many breeders register their foals with a recognised Percheron studbook.