36 BEGINNINGS IN ANIMAL HUSBANDRY 



chestnut, though there are other colors. These horses are 

 much like the other typical carriage horses in style and 

 appearance, and do not have quite so trappy a gait as the 

 Hackney. There are very few pure-bred horses of the 

 French Coach breed in America, although they have been 

 imported for many years. Probably more have been brought 

 to Ohio and Illinois than elsewhere. 



The German Coach horse comes from northwest Ger- 

 many. In this region the breed has been kept for centuries. 

 The government takes an interest in the improvement of the 

 horse, in much the same way as in France. The German 

 Coach horse is somewhat larger than the other carriage 

 breeds of horses, and lacks the speed and action of either the 

 Hackney or French Coach. These horses are usually bay, 

 black, or brown in color, and stand from 16 to 16J/ hands 

 high. Not many horses of this breed are being brought to 

 America today. Men who formerly bought carriage horses 

 for driving, now use automobiles instead. 



The Percheron horse is also of French origin. There is 

 a small section of France called La Perche, which is about 

 100 miles southwest of Paris. It is a beautiful, rolling coun- 

 try, where the farmers have fine water, sweet grass, and fer- 

 tile fields. In this region the Percheron originated. The 

 breed is probably about 100 years old, but it has passed 

 through important changes during that time. Fifty years 

 ago Percherons were not as big as now, and they could trot 

 quite fast along the highways. The demands of Americans 

 during the past 25 years have caused the French to develop 

 a larger size in these horses. It is now the most popular 

 draft breed in America. Mature stallions weigh from 1700 

 to 2000 pounds, and mature mares from 1500 to 1800 pounds. 

 The height is from 16 to 17 hands. The color is usually 

 either gray of some shade, or black, though bay or brown 



