The
Percheron horse originated in the province of Le Perche, near Normandy,
France. Its ancestors served as war horses carrying knights into battle. As
agriculture grew, these horses were bred for size, weight, and strength. It
is felt the Arabian horse played an important role in the development of the
Percheron. By the 17th century, the French were using the Percheron to
pull heavy mail coaches.In the early 19th century, the French government established a stud at Le Pin for the development of army mounts. In 1823, a horse named Jean La Blanc was foaled in Le Perche and all of today's Percheron bloodlines trace directly to this horse.
The Percheron was imported to the United States in 1839. Only two of the eight horses survived the trip: Joan and Dilligence. These two horses helped establish the breed in America.
The Percheron was so popular by the 1930s the government census showed three times as many registered Percherons as the other four draft breeds combined. Following World War II, the invention of the modern tractor made the breed nearly extinct. As modernization took hold of the United States, the Percheron was all but forgotten. However, a handful of farmers, including the Amish, dedicated themselves to the preservation of the breed and kept it alive throughout the next 20 years.
In the 1960s a renaissance in the draft horse business began. Today, Percherons are back on small farms and working in the fields. Thousands are pulling hayrides, sleighs, and are in parades. Percherons are shown in competition hitching, halter, and riding classes.
