The Breeds of Horses 23 
sideration of a true draft horse, and in this respect the Percheron 
is second to none. The head is rather large and not so clean-cut 
as in the light breeds. The nose or face is straight, with nostrils 
of ample size. The neck is short, strong, and powerfully muscled. 
The shoulders are more upright than in the lighter breeds. The 
chest is broad and deep, indicating a large capacity in the vital 
organs. The body is comparatively short on top, long below, 
broad along the back, with the ribs strongly arched and of great 
depth. The loins are short, broad, and thickly muscled. The 
croup is broad and wide, but with a tendency to steepness which 
is very objectionable and affects both the beauty and the power of 
the horse. The legs above the knees and hocks are heavy and 
powerfully muscled, while the joints are fairly large and not so 
clearly defined as among lighter horses. The cannons are short 
and strong. The pasterns are more upright and not so clearly 
defined as in the light breeds. The feet are large. The action is 
true and strong and is perhaps second to none, although the ad- 
herents of the Clydesdale breed claim superiority for their breed 
(Fig. 9). 
29. The French draft horse. —— The history and description 
of this breed is practically the same as that of the Percheron. 
In fact, all Percherons are French Draft horses. In America, it 
has been the custom to refer to draft horses introduced from France 
as French Draft horses, which formerly caused much confusion, 
as there are several clearly recognized breeds of draft horses in 
France, such as the Percherons, already considered, the Boulon- 
nais, the Bretons, the Ardennais, the Nivernais, and the Picardys. 
Each of these breeds, as it developed, became similar to the Per- 
cherons. It is extremely doubtful whether any draft horses come 
to this country from France that cannot be properly listed as 
belonging to one of these breeds (Fig. 9). ; 
30. The Clydesdale draft horse. — The Upper Ward of Lanark, 
in the valley of the Clyde River, has long been renowned for power- 
ful farm horses, the superior size and strength being due, in part 
