94 A HISTORY OF THE PERCHERON HORSE 



1823 at Moiit Gaudray. He had a brown-bay mare 

 served by Launay's horse. 



Service for 12 Francs. — In Launay's notebook for 

 1822 we read the following interesting detail: "Mares 

 to be served three times, after which payment of ]2 

 francs for the service shall be made, and 1 franc, 

 50 centimes for the groom. ' ' Several of the farmers 

 had two or three mares served. Some of these men 

 are described as land-owners, while others are tenant 

 farmers. Launay's horse received a bonus of 200 

 francs a year, as shown by a letter from the director- 

 general of the haras at Paris to the Prefect of Orne 

 transmitting money to be handed over to Launay. 

 Pelletier's horse got 33 foals from the 1825 season, 

 and 32 from the 1826 season. This horse was a dap- 

 ple-gray, standing 17 hands high, and his prize money 

 was 150 francs a year. M. Lefort had a dapple-gray, 

 described as "Percheron, heavy draft," born in 1821. 

 In 1826 he served 26 mares, and in 1827 he had 32 

 mares. He stood 16 hands high. 



At Mortagne in the Early '30's.— In 1830 there 

 were three approved stallions in the Arrondissement 

 of Mortagne. Two belonged to Pelletier, and the 

 other to Jacques Geru. Geru's horse, Hercule, was a 

 dapple-gray, 16-hand, heavy draft, born in 1825. He 

 served 52 mares in 1830, and 58 in 1831. Pelletier's 

 stallion, Le Bijou, born 1825, was dapple-gray; he 

 served 35 mares in 1830, and the same number in 

 1831. Most of the mares were under 15.2 hands at 

 this time in that part of The Perche. They are, 



