Table of Contents
Average Height
The Percheron is, on average, somewhere between 15.2 – 17 hands tall.
Colors
Grey or black.
Conformation
The Percheron is characterized by a square forehead, long ears, and a straight profile. Percherons have long, heavy necks, a broad chest, prominent withers, a short back, heavy muscles in the lower thigh, and a deep girth. A quality example of this breed should have a long croup and a round hip. The Percheron’s mane is generally very thick and the color is always grey or black.
Temperament
Alert, intelligent, and willing.
Members of this breed often excel in the following disciplines:
- Driving
- Hauling
- Show / Pleasure
Breed History
The Percheron gets its name from the La Peche valley in the south of France. Like many old breeds, the Percheron’s exact origins are unknown, but it is said that its ancestors were the Arabians that were brought to Europe by the Moors.
Percherons probably owe their size and weight (the largest Percherons can weigh as much as 2,600 pounds) to their use as battle mounts during the middle ages. After the invention of gunpowder, heavy warhorses were no longer needed, so the Percheron took up its new job pulling heavy French stage coaches. With the invention of the railroad, Percherons switched to farm duty and heavy labor.
It is probably because of this evolution that the modern Percheron is such a versatile and adaptable horse. Today, Percherons still serve as logging horses, but are also valued as driving and riding horses.