THE PERCHERON REVIEW 
15 
OPINIONS of Eminent PERCHERON 
Breeders and Dealers Regarding 
PERCHERON TYPE 
The following paragraphs taken from tlie Percheron history arc 
herein set forth with the special view of putting breeders right 
and especially beginners, on what constitutes correct Percheron 
type. It should be noted that not one of these long experienced 
men pins liis faith to extreme size. They all recognize that a draft 
animal should be put together in such a way that he can render 
the greatest possible service to his owner. He sliould be handy 
on his feet and able to do a full day's work every day in the year 
if need be. If one has a Percheron with these qualifications 
whether it be stallion or mare, then the more size one has the 
more valuable the animal is to keep or to sell. Therefore, the 
ability to do a lot of work with ease to the animal is of greatest 
importance and extreme size is only of second consideration. 
The facts given by these men, whose success in the Percheron 
business is widely known, should serve as a reliable guide for 
others. 
E. B. WHITE: "The main things to seek in the Percheron 
stallion are Vjone of good quality and quantity, good feet and 
correctly-set legs, especially the pasterns, a good back, plenty 
of depth in hoof, a good middle, and straight and free action 
at both walk and trot. Of course the horse should be sound 
and clean. He should show quality, but not be coachy. The 
size of a draft horse's head should be in proportion to his body 
and show quality. The eyes should be prominent and the horse 
should appear always alert. I believe that alertness strongly 
indicates prepotency. I never have seen a prepotent sire that 
nearly always appeared dull and sleepy. He should be of 
medium size. I believe that the over-sized ones are seldom, if 
ever, satisfactory in the stud. The things to be avoided are 
unsoundness, especially the kind that is generally considered 
hereditary. I prefer not to have an off-colored horse, not that 
the color makes the horse, but it indicates the possibility of 
the presence of some other blood than that of the breed and to 
that extent, makes uncertain the tyj)e of colts which the stallion 
will sire. ' ' 
J. O. SINGMASTER: "In my opinion, the chief character- 
istics of a Percheron stallion are these: a head of good length 
and breadth, broad between the eyes, wide-open nostrils; eyes 
full and rather outstanding, rather than deep-set or in any way 
out of normal; a gracefully curved and massive neck; broad and 
heavy shoulders and of graceful symmetry; medium-closely 
ribbed at the point of the hip; the hindquarters slightly nar- 
rower than the shoulder.s; a gently sloping and rather long hip; 
the legs to match this body — a good, straight limb, a flat bone 
of rather heavy type; long, springy pastern joints; good, dark- 
colored hoofs of above medium size, and clean legs both front 
and rear. He should also have a heavy tail. There are other 
points, but these should assist the inexperienced purchaser in 
guarding his own interests. The stallion 's weight in selling 
condition should be 2,100 pounds when matured and in breeding 
condition 1,950 pounds. I prefer the dark or steel gray or black 
colors. Plenty of bone to support the body is essential, but 
abnormal bone is rather a weakness that foretells an early break- 
down or roughness of limb. 
"We prefer the rather lengthy mare of good-reaching neck, 
with a sweet, feminine head, a good pair of shoulders, a deep 
body closely ribbed to the point of the hip, a gently sloping 
hip and flat-boned legs with springy pastern joints. At the 
throatlateh she should be much lighter and cleaner than the 
male. The prominent eye and the medium-sized hoof, dark- 
colored and sloping but not steep, should be sought. Get your 
mares of similar conformation, so that when mated with a 
stallion of opposite good points they will produce foals of dis- 
tinctive conformation or type that will build your reputation as 
a studious breeder of all that is best in Percherons. Color in 
the mare is not so essential as in the male. The mare should 
weigh from 1,750 to 1,900 pounds and be a square walker, with 
no wobbly joints. Percherons are of good disposition, and it 
stands us in hand to have it so remain, but it requires care in 
mating and care in handling the colts." 
W. S. COBSA: "The size of a brood mare is also of im- 
portance. We would not expect to raise real drafters from 
1,400 pound mares; the offspring at maturity are seldom more 
than chunks. On the other hand, there is quite a temptation to 
use, and a very general demand for, the "ton mare." There are 
many such mares that are quick in their movements and handy 
at work on the farm, that also make good mothers and regular 
breeders. They are the exception, however, among those of 
their size. In general, I believe, the experience of breeders of 
purebred live stock will bear out the statement that the ex- 
cessively large females are seldom the best breeders. 
"A mare weighing from 1,700 to 1,800 pounds in ordinarily 
good condition is the draft mare that may be expected to give 
a good account of herself both at work and in the stud. Get 
size in the offspring through the selection of the sire and 
through the kind, quality and quantity of feed given the colts. 
Fortunately, it is among these under excessive weights that we 
find the greater number of mares of acceptable brood type — 
sweetly feminine sorts which usually have necks long enough 
so that one may put his arm around and love them. 
' ' Avoid flat, shelly feet, straight pasterns, crooked hind legs, 
excessively sloping rumps, low backs and straight shoulders, 
both in the mares and in the stallion to which they are bred. 
The size of the bone may well be considered, though too much 
stress f]-equently has been placed upon mere size. It is the 
quality, however, which counts. W© want a clean, flat, hard, 
flinty bone, and enough of it to hold up the mare and carry 
her on any work she may be called upon to do. It is desirable 
also that the front legs should not be cut under too much just 
below and back of the knee. 
' ' Having found a mare that is sound and acceptable in size, 
type and conformation, and with snap and courage to carry on 
the work that comes with the heat of the day, we have reason 
to hope and expect that she will transmit these desirable char- 
acteristics as a heritage to her offspring. Such a mare not 
only moves more gaily, but is likely to move more correctly 
than the dull-headed, wobbly -legged mare. 
"It is idle to expect a soft, flabby, or poorly conditioned mare 
to stand up under the heart — and body — breaking stress of 
spring work, much less to conceive." 
W. S. DUNHAM: "When a horse is brought out for my 
inspection I first note his general conformation and size. A 
stallion to be successful in the stud should have good feet and 
legs and stand well on them. Nothing is so sure to be trans- 
mitted to the offspring as faults of conformation in the bony 
structure, such as curby formation of the hind legs, lack of bone, 
or crooked or badly placed hind legs. In order to suit me a 
stallion must have quality, size, finish and must be a true 
mover. If he has a powerful forearm and shoulder, he is almost 
sure to transmit these qualities to his offspring and to beget 
colts of large size. For a sire, do not buy too small a horse, 
and do not buy one that is lacking in substance or that does 
not stand well on his legs, feet and pasterns." 
A. L. ROBISON, JR.: "At the outset it may be said that 
the man who would succeed in the management of Percheron 
mares and foals must have mares of correct pattern, and they 
must all be of that one pattern. The more nearly they are 
alike in bloodlines the better, and they must be mated with a 
sire of the same type that has likewise descended from an 
ancestral line of which he is a typical specimen. It is a thank- 
less task wasting good feed and faithful care on mares and 
foals that do not resemble some one definite standard. The 
greatest mistake young breeders m;ike is in picking mares here 
and there that strike the fancy. Years later they may awake 
to the fact that the diverse types or uncongenial bloodlines, 
or likely both, have foiled their attempts to produce such colts 
and fillies as the breed needs. With a foundation uniform both 
in pattern and ancestry one is assured that the offspring will 
