The Percheron Horse

The mighty Percheron is probably one of the most loved draft horses that we have on this beautiful earth, not much is known about the Percheron draft horse but they do say that its ancestors were the heavy horses used by the knights in the battle of Poitiers, that was where the moors invaded Europe and the battle of Poitiers was where Charles Martel defeated the moors and in the process, united Europe. After the battle, they had access to the Arabian and Barb horses of the moors and these were used extensively in the breeding and development of the Percheron draft horse.

Because of the invention of gun powder, the Percheron horses were no longer needed as war mounts; this was when they went from being battle horses to pulling the heavy coaches, they were well suited for the task however. They were prized for their power and their endurance, and not only did they pull the coaches of the rich and powerful, they were also used to pull the heavy mail coaches. Anyway, this did not last forever because the train came into being and the Percheron had to find other things to do. Percherons started appearing not only in the cities, but also in the county doing various tasks and the breed being modified to accommodate the new jobs, the Percheron became even bigger and heavier as he was used for just about everything that a horse could be used for; they used them in plowing and farm work, they were still being used in the city and they even started to use them in dock work, hauling goods from one place to another.

They say that is the reason why Percherons are such a versatile breed today, these days they are a favorite in the logging industry because these huge horses have put to shame modern man-made machinery, they are able to go places that a tractor can’t even dream of going, they also do not need roads; that comes in handy when there are young trees that shouldn’t be damaged. Percherons are also used on farms even to this day, they also have a reputation for being excellent jumpers, and pleasure riding horses.

The Percheron horse has a lot of muscling but at the same time, he has that look of grace about him that you don’t quite expect in such a heavy breed. The legs should have excellent conformation with a nice back, a big deep chest and well muscled forearms; one look at the neck and head and you can see the Arabian blood in the breed, they have a graceful looking neck and a delicate looking head with a wide forehead a strait face and a full jaw all topped with animated ears giving it that classic Arabian feel. In recent years, they have started to breed the Percheron for a finer leaner look to use in competitions and shows, although these are traits you will only see in show horses.

The Percheron horse has a great temperament, they are Disney’s favorite for pulling carriages and such at Disney world because they can be trusted around children. He is intelligent and proud at the same time, he is gentle and patient. These horses will give you everything that they have when it comes to working, they adapt well to almost any type of climate, they have the power to work on the farm and pull heavy loads and at the same time, they have the grace and wonderful good looks to pull a carriage and be absolutely gorgeous! Quite an admirable combination!

The Percheron can be found mainly in grey and black colors but chestnut, bay and sorrel can also be found although these are kind of rare, there are even some registries that will not accept these colors, so careful consideration is needed when thinking of getting something other then black.

The Percheron horse can be up to 19 hands high and they can weigh up to 2,600 pounds, these are horses that live for a long time, it has been reported that one Percheron lived to be 41 years old, so if you are thinking of getting one, take that into consideration.