PERCHERON HORSE 8i 



The breeds of coach, or carriage, horses are Hackney, 

 French Coach, German Coach, Cleveland Bay, and off- 

 shoots therefrom. 



Breeds of horses belonging to the roadster type are 

 American Trotter and Pacer, Arabian horse, and Thorough- 

 bred. 



Included among ponies are the American ponies, which 

 comprise Indian ponies, mustangs, and bronchos ; Shetland 

 ponies, Welsh ponies, and Hackney ponies. 



According to the use to which they are put, mules 

 are classified as plantation or sugar mules, lumber mules, 

 railroad mules, levee mules, and mine mules. 



THE PERCHERON HORSE 



Percheron horses are the most popular and widely distrib- 

 uted of all the draft breeds in America to-day. They orig- 

 inated in the district or province of La Perche, located in 

 the north-central part of France. In the early history of 

 France, along about the eighth century, horses were used 

 a great deal in war, and the French drew freely for breed- 

 ing purposes upon the Arabian horses which they cap- 

 tured from the Saracens whom they defeated in 732 a.d. 

 War as fought in those days demanded active, strong, and 

 rather heavy horses. Such horses had been developed 

 by the nomadic Arabs and were selected for use in France. 

 These Arabian fusions were practiced until about a century 

 ago, when a demand for large, active, strong horses arose in 

 France to be used not for war but on the heavy omnibuses 

 in the cities, and for farm work in the country. These 

 horses were strong, powerful, and active, somewhat rangy in 

 conformation, but well muscled. When railroads became 



T. AND L. ANIMAL HTJSB. 6 



