THE PERCHEEON DRAFT HORSE 179 



stallions sometimes weigh as much as 2,300 pounds. In 

 height the stallions range from 15.2 to 17 hands, and 

 mares from 15.2 to 16.2 hands. The low-set and massive 

 form is preferred to the upstanding one. In color there 

 is much variation, gray being favored in France, while 

 darker colors are preferred in this country. All colors 

 are found, with black and gray predominating. The 

 action, especially at the walk, is of the very best for heavy 

 horses. 



The head is often rather large and full, but neat and 

 clean, the forehead broad, the face straight or slightly 

 dished above the nose, and the jaw strong; the eyes full 

 and prominent, and the ears refined and attractively set 

 and well carried. The neck is short but graceful. It is 

 smoothly blended with the body and cleanly attached to 

 the head, with an abundance of mane and foretop. The 

 head and neck are very attractive, suggestive of the 

 Arabian. The shoulders are set at a medium inclination, 

 neither too straight nor too sloping, thus giving a power- 

 ful movement for draft. The chest is full and deep, the 

 distance from the withers to the floor of the chest 

 equaling that from the chest to the ground. The ribs 

 are strongly arched and of great depth, giving a broad, 

 deep body. 



The^ back is short, broad and well muscled, and 

 the underline fairly long. The loin is broad and mus- 

 cular. The croup is powerful, but often too sloping. 

 The legs above the knees and hocks are powerfully 

 muscled. While the joints and cannons are not so clean 

 cut and dense as in the lighter horses, yet they are as 

 clean and hard as in any of the heavier horses. The 

 pasterns are not so long and sloping as in the lighter 

 breeds, but are excellent for draft. The feet are large, 

 with open heels and dense elastic hoofs. 



Uses of the Percheron draft horse. — As a draft horse, 

 the pure-bred or high-grade Percheron has no superior 

 either in America or France. The greatest usefulness of 



