Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1904-10-07
The PERcHERoN HORSE.

| panlOnB or man. Tnere Is no uOuD'
about the fac that the Arabiaps under
stood the principles OF breeding, the
same as we do now. Nearly all of the
modern nations of Europe trace the orr
gin OF their best breeds OF horses to
Arabia. This Is true in respect TO ev-
cry breed and every lind of horse. The
superiority OF one breed over another
today is due to the larger amount OF
intelligence and greater care applied by
one nation, or one race Of people over
others. There is no country in Europe
that has drawn from the Arabian
source so extensively as the Frenc
The history Of the development OF the
horse has been ~co-extensiye with the
development of civilization. The French
people have been endowed by nature
with the horse instinct. They have
shown themselves to be superior, not
only in their ability to raise and train
horses, but the modern, scientific prin-
ciples of selection in breeding were APP
piled most successfully by the French.
The feudal lords and early rulers in
France o charge OF the business OF
breeding. Their expert horsemen Sc
lected and retained the best stations,
and permitted these stations to be
crossed with the choicest mares. These
principles which received the attention
and encouragement of France, hum
dreds, perhaps thousands, of years ago,
have been retained up to the present
time. Today 1t is impossible to go to
France and buy their best stations be-
aus the French government n the
French people are united in their eff
forts to keep them at home.
There are several different breeds of
horses in France. but the most admired
of all draft breeds is the Percheron.
The Percheron horse is raised in a
very small portion of Normandy called
La Perche," where the highest result
has been attained. In this section of
France the purpose of the breeders has
been to produce the kind of a horse that
could move the greatest weight most
rapidly. For hundreds, and ever thou
sands, of years, the kind of stations
and the kind of mares that could do
the greatest amount of work have been
kept in this small country. The infe-
rior ones, those who did not ONE up
to the high standard, those thai were
below the average of the breed, were
sold into and were never per-
mitted to reproduce their shortcomings.
In making their selections for breed
ing purposes, not only have they select
ed horses with substance, but horses
that were comedy and handsome in
their appearance. In producing a heavy
draft horse, good looks and a fine APP
pearance were very essential accompa-
niments.
There is probably no horse living
that is so handsome as a well-made
draft horse. The graceful curves I'm his
outline are more attractive than the
most beautiful picture. A Percheron is
not only a good, useful horse, but he is
also handsome and attractive.
The French raise horses primarily for
their own use, both in peace and war.
The success of Napoleon vas due to the
superior horses raised in France more
han any other one thing, and the Per-
cheron performed his part.
Nearly every nation In Europe has its
peculiar breed of draft horses, but there
is none that begin to compare with the
Percheron. He has weight, substance,
heavy bone and an iron constitution
combined. Frequently, a 2,000-pound
Percheron Will move with the grace
and ease and have the action OF a road
horse. There is no other draft breed
that has all of these good qualities com
bined. The Shire and Belgian may be
larger, but they fall far snort of the
Percheron in other qualities. America
is yet a comparatively new country; we
have not yet had time to produce a
breed of drift horses characteristic OF
this country and independent OF the
oldest civilizations, and our useful
horses lave come from abroad in the
same way as America is now occupied
ny European ClNlilAdllOH.
III the same proportion that we, the
descendants of Europeans, are superior
to the native American Indians. so the
horses that come from Europe are SUI
perior to the native horses that pri-
marily ran wild over the American
prairies.
AS it were, we have transplanted,
into America, breeds of horses that are
the result of hundreds and thousands
of years of evolution and development
in Europe.
I think that 1t is safe to say that
more Percheron stations and mares
have been brought to America than all
OF the other draft breeds put together.
The Percheron, more than any other
breed OF draft horses, is possessed of
those qualities that Americans like. His
activity and energy appeal to the
American taste. We go to Europe with
out prejudice and take from the coun-
tries OF Europe what we think is best.
The fact that we have chosen the Per-
cheron in preference to others is an
evidence of his superiority from an
American standpoint.
For so years, Percheron stations and
mares have come to America for breed
ing purposes as5 during the past TWO
years more nav been brought to this
country han were ever imported in an
equal period of time. In the Perche,
where nothing but Percheron horses
are raised, the records of pedigrees of
their horses were kept principally by
the government. In that country,
where they were all pure bred. pedigree
Is a subordinate matter. The Inferior
animals, no matter how well they might
be bred, were discarded and went into
commerce, while those hat were supe-
rior, the best ones of each generation,
were permitted to multiply and inn
prove the breed. 1t Is easy to see how,
when these principles OF selection were
applied, each generation Is better than
it's predecessor.
When Percheron horses were brought
to America, we were not able to put
into application the principles that ex-
list in France. 1t vas necessary for us
to establish stud books mi pedigree
rectrds In order to preserve the purity
of the breed of Percheron horses as 1t
Is found in France. Less thai 80 years
ago, a stud book was started in France
under the auspices OF the Societte Hip
pique Percheronne de France. AT about
the same time, the Percheron stud book