THE DRAFT BREEDS OF FRANCE 



E. IS. Akix, Syracuse, X. Y. 



President, New York State Draft Horse Breeders' Club 



France has several distinct breeds and 

 types of heavy horses which are bred in 

 different districts or departments. These 

 different breeds or families of draft 

 horses are not bred in all parts of France, 

 but only in a few widely separated small 

 districts. It is probably true that all of 

 the heavy breeds of France had a com- 

 mon origin, and. when first introduced 

 in the United States, were not so distinct 

 in breeding, type, size, etc., as they are 

 at the present time. 



In the early days all of the horses were imported under the 

 name of i^orman, and, from the strife over admitting all heavy 

 breeds to registry as Xormans, between the principal importers 

 of 1870 and 1880 and those favoring only the Percheron 

 horse, has been evolved the General Draft Horse Stud Book of 

 France, and the present National Register of French Draft 

 Horses of this country, which admit for registry all heavy French 

 breeds including Percherons. 



The Society Hippi<iue Percheron of France, and the Percheron 

 Society of America, records only horses bred in the Perche dis- 

 trict, or their produce. 



A,t the government horse show held at Paris, June 17-21, 191-4, 

 under direction of the ^linister of Agriculture, the draft breeds 

 of France were classified as follows: Ardennais, Boulonnais, 

 Bretou, Xivernais, and Percheron. Wliile it may be true that 

 all of these breeds have not been kept pure and distinct, I can 

 see in the past thirty years a very successful effort by the breeders, 

 encouraged by the government, to establish and improve the char- 

 acter and type of each of the French breeds. 



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