The Percheron horse

by Charles Du Hays

PRODUCTION, REARING, AND IMPROVEMENT OF THE PERCHERON HORSE.

... Facilis descensus Averno;

Sed revocare gradum?

Almost everything that has been written about the horse may be reduced pretty much to,—complaining that there does not exist a breed which unites, in an elevated degree, high moral to physical qualities; modestly seeking, and teaching the means of obtaining such a breed.

It is reasonable that such sentiments should surprise us, here in the heart of France, where, for a long time, a race of horses has flourished which may be said to fill the requirements proposed in every way.

The proof of this statement is easy: a hasty sketch of the principal characters of the breed suffices to furnish it.

To no ordinary strength, to vigor which does not degenerate, and to a conformation which does not exclude elegance, it joins docility, mildness, patience, honesty, great kindness, excellent health, and a hardy, elastic temperament. Its movements are quick, spirited, and light. It exhibits great endurance, both when hard worked, and when forced to maintain for a long time any of its natural gaits, and it possesses the inestimable quality of moving fast with heavy loads. It is particularly valuable for its astonishing precocity, and produces by its work, as a two-year-old, more than the cost of its feed and keep. Indeed, it loves, and shows a real aptness for labor, which is the lot of all. It knows neither the whims of bad humor, nor nervous excitement. It bears for man, the companion of its labors, an innate confidence, and expresses to him a gentle familiarity, the fruit of an education for many generations in the midst of his family. Women and children from whose hands it is fed, can approach it without fear. In a word, if I may dare speak thus, it is an honorable race. It has that fine oriental gray coat, the best adapted of all to withstand the burning rays of the sun in the midst of the fields—a coat which pleases the eye, and which in the darkness of the night allowed the postilion of former times to see that he was not alone—that his friend was making his way loyally before him. It is exempt, (a cause of everlasting jealousy among the breeders of other races,) always exempt from the hereditary bony defects of the hock, and where it is raised, spavin, jardon, bone spavin, periodical inflammation, and other dreaded infirmities, are not known even by name.

This truly typical race would seem a myth did it not exist in our midst. But every day we see, every day we handle this treasure,—the munificent gift of Providence to this favored region, to cause agriculture, that “nursing mother,” to flourish, and with agriculture, peace and abundance.

I need not name this breed; every one from this incomplete sketch has recognized the fine race of steady and laborious horses, bred in the ancient province of Perche, (so justly entitled Perche of good horses,) plowing in long furrows the soil of Beauce, and thence spreading itself over all France, where its qualities render it without a rival for all the specialties of rapid draft.

Hence it is that all our provinces envy us the possession of the race, and even foreign countries seek after it with an eagerness amounting to a passion.

HERCULES.

The breeder,—who is ordinarily a farmer, not sufficiently rich to be beyond temptation,—finds himself without strength, without resistance in presence of this urgent demand. The finest types, not only of the males, but of the females also, are disappearing every day.

This, tending incessantly to deprive Perche of that in which it is so superior, is so much more to be dreaded as the question of filling up the vacancies and of saving this race from a tendency to degeneration and from inevitable destruction becomes the necessary corollary of such commercial operations.

Entered upon this course, if Perche does not adopt, without delay, salutary measures, if it does not make a vigorous effort to place itself in a condition, either to resist the tendency or to contribute to it in a well-maintained and uniform manner, the breed is fated to a complete eclipse at the moment even when the future belongs to it.

Indeed the future does belong to the Percheron horse, if he can sustain himself in the first rank of the truly useful races until the not far distant day when that era of triumph will come. Every thing now seems to incline to establish the truth of what, at first, appeared a paradox.

I am aware that, for the moment, the Percheron has, in the class of fancy-horses, an antagonist that seems to derive formidable strength from the prestige belonging to elegance. The English thoroughbred and its congeners are in possession of the scepter of fashion and “bon-ton.” But this antagonism, more apparent than dangerous, on account of the elevated but rather limited spheres in which it exists, will last but for a time, and will yield before reason and the necessities of a difficult situation.

Our age, factitious to excess, is governed by the demands and temptations of a luxury which is tending to ruin the most solidly established families. It wildly suffers patrimonies and fortunes to dwindle away under the lead of a vain and noisy ostentation, without perceiving that already they are decreasing and becoming less every day, under the continued action of the laws. A change will be brought about, and the effect of an inevitable reaction will be a return towards sobriety and simplicity.

Recovering from the intoxication of city luxury, the best minds will, let us hope, recover their tone in the quiet of the fields, and agriculture will regain its too long forgotten rights. Tired out by allowing themselves to be eaten up by that elegant guest called the fancy-horse, and by the army of evil-doing satellites following in his train, men will come back to the one which requires but little care, and which returns good service, to the one which does not object to work, the boon companion of every man desirous of following nature’s law, which is that of labor.

The value of the Percheron is more evident than ever. It is this, among the serviceable races, which is called to the greatest fortune; for, of all the ordinary breeds, it is the nearest to the blooded, in shape and qualities. His usefulness causes him to be everywhere in demand. If the railroads have driven him from the highway, they claim him as an auxiliary in the centers of population and at all their termini; for he is eminently a trotter, remarkable for the ability to move at a relatively rapid gait, and excelling in the valuable faculty of rapid draft. Since the post-coaches have ceased to use these horses, the omnibuses of the large cities, and those communicating with the railroads, require increasing numbers.

This leads us to seek for the means of improving the Percheron race and of maintaining it in its original purity and perfection in the land of its birth. But let us first see what is the origin of this race, what country gave it birth, and by what characters it is to be recognized.

We have, for this examination, borrowed largely of those who have known and studied Perche intimately, and hope to remain truthful in following them step by step.