Percheron Qualities

Percheron horses can be found along the Bay of Biscay and all over Northern France. Mainly utilized for their riding expertise, this horse can also be used for drafting and harness work alike. Sometimes they can be referred to as the Percheron of Dunois as well.

Percheron Temperament

The temperament of the Percheron horses is that of even temperedness and most would also consider them tractable. They are sweet and patient, certainly enough to be used for little ones riding, though stern enough to participate in a war if needed. This breed is extremely well rounded and athletic.

Percheron Appearance

The Percheron horses stand at around seventeen hands in full grown size. They have a refined head and are considered very handsome. Very powerful with a prominent wither, they can be rather muscular. They bode short but very strong legs and have hard feet to help them outlast those long journeys. Generally, they are easily identifiable by their longer manes and tails and signature gray colors.

Percheron Upkeep

Caring for your Percheron is a cinch. This breed, unlike some of the others, can easily maintain their own basic needs. For example, they can easily locate their own food supplies and their own shelter if needed. No major health ailments have been reported or associated with this breed and they have the ability to live in any climate, be that warm or cold.

Percheron History

Percheron horses come from France. They have been recognized as one of the heaviest breeds to come out of this area. They bode a long pathology, one that contains a lot of Arabian blood lines in it, which in turn can create the current style of gray fur coatings that they all bode. The breed is categorized as one of the larger styles, and for their dominant size they have been utilized along with the French knights during many wars, including the Battle of Poitiers. Not long afterward, a man named Robert, the Count of Rotrou, encouraged the breed to obtain an Oriental influence. They accomplished this by importing them sometime during the late 1090’s. Experts agree that this breed has no real foundation, some assuming they were just used as warhorses during the Middle Ages. They went on to work as coach horses, agricultural workhorses, and also more popularly used as riding horses in their homeland. They went on to have sires made by the Royal Stud at Le Pin for Arab styles in the middle of the seventeenth century.