By Kim J. Harmon

The Percheron horse breed – which originated in Le Perche, France, near Normandy – became established in America back in the first half of the 19th century and it is largely through Diligence that this happened.

That’s Diligence . . . with a capital D. Diligence (the stallion) and Joan (the mare) were apparently the only two horses to survive a rough journey from Le Perche to America in 1839, an attempt by Edward Harris of Moorestown, New Jersey, to bring the first Percherons to America.

These two horses helped establish the Percheron breed in the states as Diligence reportedly sired more than 400 foals with three of his being recorded among the foundation stock in the first American Percheron stud book in 1876.

Diligence and Joan, however, can – like all Percheron everywhere – be traced all the way back to a horse named Jean Le Blanc, who was used by the French government in the early 19th century to develop a strong line of army mounts.

Now, the Percheron has become very well-known as a sturdy draft animal – with ancestors that served as war horses carrying knights into battle – but because of poor record keeping the true origins of this magnificent breed will forever be shrouded in mystery (although some speculate that it is a descendant of the original horses found in the region during the Ice Age and others believe it is closely related to the Boulonnais horses which was used in the Roman invasion of Brittany and still others believe is is descended from Abd el Rahman’s Arab stallions).

According to The Percheron Home Page, the Percheron – which was originally mated with Arab stallions in the eighth century and during the Middle Ages – is generally gray or black. The head is fine with a square, wide forehead and the neck is long with a thick mane. The average height is 14.3 to 16.1 hands and the animal has a natural, light gait.

The earliest recollections of the go all the way back to the Crusades. There are reports that the animal was modified by Oriental blood to develop a coach-horse type and thus was further refined by the introduction of draft-type blood to produce animals for heavy farm work.

Around this time, the Percheron had become popular for its size and substance. And by the 17th century, the horses from La Perche had earned a nice reputation and were widely sought after because, standing about 15 to 16 hands high back then, these horses were adaptable to a number of different uses.

The French government got into the act to develop their war mounts and then entrepreneurs in America began trying to import the horse. After Mr Harris made two attempts, no other Percheron imports were recorded until 1851. In that year, stallions named Normandy, Gray Bill and Louis Napoleon first set foot on American soil and not only did Louis Napoleon have a profound impact on the breed, but the owners were influential in created the Percheron Association in 1876.

(NOTE: It was then that a group of breeders met in Chicago, Illinois and formed the Norman-Percheron Association (the first purebred livestock association ever) and opened the first stud book. The name Norman lasted only until the following year, when it was dropped. In 1905, breeders met again in Chicago and formed the Percheron Horse Society of America – which it was known as until 1934, when it became the non-profit Percheron Horse Association of America. At its busiest, the PHAA was registering more than 10,000 horses per year and was the largest draft horses association in the world. Now, there are more than 3,000 members representing all 50 states and more than 2,500 horses are registered with the Percheron Stud Book of America every year.)

 

According to records, thousands of Percherons were imported to America late in the 19th century – with the importation continuing well into World War II. As a sturdy horse, the Percheron quickly became popular not only with the farmers in the fields but the teamsters in the cities who had to move their freight. The horse became so popular, and so widespread, that a government census showed there were three times as many registered Percherons as the other four draft breeds combined – and that was in 1930.

Oddly enough, however, the invention of the farm tractor led to a sharp decline in the breed. As America became more technologically advanced, the need for draft horses in the fields and on the streets became negligible. If it weren’t for some farmers dedicated to the preservation of the breed – most notably the Amish – the breed would have likely become extinct in America.

The dedication of the farmers kept the breed stable through the 1960s, when there came a sort of renaissance in draft horses. All of a sudden, as draft horses once again became useful, America rediscovered the Percheron breed.

The Percheron has since become a popular breed for work (back on the farm, in the fields, and pulling carriages along city streets) and for play (hay rides, sleigh rides, parades and competitions and state and local fairs).