The Percheron: The Samson Of Horses

The Percheron is a breed of  horses known for their endurance, strength and robustness.  An animal that stands out among others for its large size. Known as the Samson of Horses for his strength, we’ll talk more about him today.

History and Origin of Percheron

Its name comes from its place of origin, Le Perche, a place near Normandy, France. It seems that the Arabian horse  has a lot to do with the development of this breed, so they both share many similar characteristics.

However, it seems that its exact origins date back to 1823, when a stout and elegant horse named Jean Le Blanc was bred to a beautiful mare from Le Perche. Since then. this race began to be recognized as Percheron.

Later, during that same century, they began to ship the first copies to the United States. Soon, he became the preferred horse for farmers and carters, due to his strength in pulling carts. However,  with the arrival of the tractor, the breed almost became extinct.

There were also farmers who fought for the preservation of the breed and, in 1960, the usefulness of this horse was rediscovered.  So they started using it for sledding and recreation. Soon they began to take advantage of her elegance in fashion shows.

Physical Characteristics of Percheron

Its elegance, its thick tail and its strong, robust torso mark the difference between the Percheron and other horses. Let’s take a closer look at the physical characteristics of this breed.

Height

Females can measure from 1.5 m to 1.62 m, while males reach 1.70 m.

Body

Its extremities are short but very muscular, and the hooves on its paws are large and very strong. The torso is robust, thick and firm. His back is lean and very muscular. His neck, broad and short and strong. Definitely strength and robustness define it.

Head

Its head is not very wide, but it is quite elongated, although it widens in the area of ​​the eyes and in front. Their ears are short and their eyes are big.

Fur

A Percheron is considered authentic when its shades range from black to grey. The purest shades of these colors are greatly appreciated and sought after by equine specialists.

Weight

There are two varieties of Percheron, one smaller and one larger. The small ones usually weigh between 500 and 800 kilos, while the larger ones reach between 700 and 1.2 thousand kilos.

Percheron Personality

In addition to his endurance, we highlight his energy,  intelligence, docility and his perseverance as a worker.

All of this makes him a much sought-after horse for pulling carriages and for transporting loads. There were times that even they dragged even minibuses.

His obedience and ease to learn, along with his enormous docility, make him a perfect horse to work with.

Despite developing strength works,  the Percheron is characterized by not losing the elegance in any of its movements, something that not all horses can do.

Special cares

The Percheron horse does not need care other than that required by any horses of other breeds. Your fur will look shinier if brushed daily, and it will be more obedient if you receive love and feel loved. Like every animal…

This is all we know about the Percheron horse, and we wanted to share it with you. It’s obvious that we can’t have one at home as a pet, but now we’ll know how to tell them apart  when we go to ride a horse or watch a show with specimens of the breed. Let us place more value on its elegance and its good use.

Main image source: Marjon Kruik