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CHAPTER VII 

 DRAFT BREEDS 



The breeds of draft horses here considered are the Percheron, 

 the Belgian, the Clydesdale, the Shire, and the Suffolk. 



THE PERCHEROX 



France affords an exani])le of the couiniuiiity svstem of 

 breeding. While the production of the different types of horses 

 is extensively practiced in the country at large, the breeders of 

 different districts are devoting themselves to the production of 

 one type more or less exclusively, witli the result that many a 

 horse breeding section is noted for a class of horses distinctive 

 of and bearing the name of that community. Thus, we have the 

 Percheron of LaPerche, the Boidonnaise from that part of the 

 country contiguous to Boulogne, the Nivernais of ^Uevre, the 

 Ardennaise of Ardennes, and others. 



In America, by common consideration and studbook regis- 

 tration the Percheron is disting-uished from the other French 

 draft breeds collectively. In France, both the Percheron and 

 Boulonnaise are represented by studbook associations. 



LaPerche is a district comprising about three thousand square 

 miles, situated in the northeni or inland part of Xonnandy. It 

 has a country-Avide rej^utation for its grass land and the horses 

 produced thereon. 



Flemish blood predominated in Avhat may be regarded as the 

 native stock of France. On this cold blood base, repeated top 

 crosses of Oriental blood were made, the relative ]u'oportions of 

 hot and cold blood varying in the case of the different French 

 breeds. 



The foundation of the Percheron was composed of the Xor- 

 man descendants of the original Flemish stock, mated with 

 Oriental stallions, these crosses being either incidental to cur- 

 rent events or made with a definite purpose in ^dew. They had 

 a most important significance in determining the type of horse 

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