The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-01-23
lie PERcHERoN HoRsE
Popularity is Rapidly Increasing In
United States.

The PercherOn horse is increasing
in popularity throughout the United
States and Canada the Farmers Ad-
yOcate, London, Canada says.
The history Of the PercherOn on
this continent is rather too large TO be
briefly told. About the beginning OF
The last century. some French horses
of draft blood were imported into
America BY 1850 the Percherons
were sixteen hundred pound horses.
This was the weight of the farmers
Napoleon. imported in 1851 into Ohio,
the first great PercheTOn that APP
peared in the central states. and the
horse that was destined 10 inaugurate
that era Of draft breeding that has
finally placed the breed he represent
ed in first place. as the fayorite draf-
ter of the American people. Today,
in the United States, there are prob
ably three times as many Percherons
as there are of any one draft breed.
"Typically, the Percheron is
horse OF some range, not squatty or
chunky. He has a tow line that diff
fers from that of most other breeds.
Short, stubby necks and heavy. sour
heads are not typical Of the breed.
The bone often appears light judged
by the standard of some other breeds,
but it is of the stuff that wears as
has been proved on the streets.
The pasterns are not long. CoHpl-
| ed with this sort Of formation there
is in the typical Percheron a breezy
gaiety of motion and an air of ele
gance characteristic TO no other
breed. In contrast with the Ameri-
can development of this breed, of
horses, and the rapidity with which
the Percherons populariEed them
selves in the United States, especial
| ly in the Central and Western States.
The great French drafters were,
until a very few years ago, unknown.
practically speaking, on this side Of
the boundary. We had good Clydes-
dales and Shires as good representa-
| tives of the two British draft breeds
as We're found outside of Britain. but
| the horses that came out OF Flanders
originally, the breed that has a his
| tory dating back to the Saracenic in
vasion of Europe, early in the eighth
century never, till recently, attained
much prominence in this country.
For some reason, largely, we believe
because this country was peopled by
| Scotch and English. The two out
standing British draft breeds main
tanned here that vast measure Of
popularity, which at home has made
them the strongest in favor with the
public of the draft breeds.
But change is at hand, even in
| this domain of the Shire and Clyde.
Our Prairie is by no means all occupi-
ed yet. The kind of horse that will
predominant in this country will be
decided by the ideals of the men who
are coming in here now have of
what constitutes perfection in draft
ers. The American and the Percher-
on are inseparable Where the for
mer is, there also will be found the
latter.
The increasing popularity of the
Percheron in this country is best
evidenced by the increasing number
of these great dappled-grey and black
horses that one sees about our cities
In Winnipeg in use by carriage com
panies, railways, the abottair com
panies, by brewers and in other lines
where strength and weight are re
quired combined with docility and q
whole lot Of horse sence, one find:
the Percheron forging rapidly to the
front. And on the farms when The
breed is known, as 1t will be in
few years more, the Percheron will
come into his own here just as he ha
come into it on the farms Of the Cen
trail and Western States during tn
last fifty years. And it will not TAX
him half century to do it either
A friend of the Percherons.