8 
THE P E R C H E R 0 N REVIEW 
''Le Perche Aux Bons Chevaux' 
(The Perche of the good horses) 
To those who nic I'l miliar with A History of the Percheron 
Horse, (Sanders I'lililisliing Co., 1917), tlie verses printed on the 
opposite page explain themselves, but as there is a young armj' 
of Percheron enthusiasts and potential breeders growing up, whose 
knowledge of the Percheron is still in the elementary stage, a 
brief resume of the salient episodes in the historj' of their favorite 
breed is opportune. 
Since immemorial times the ancient French province of le 
Perche, from which the Percheron derives its names, has been 
famed for the quality of its native horses, and the words quoted 
as title at the head of this page have been handed down through 
generations in Prance as proof that mention of the Perche is 
synonymous with good horses. 
During the age of chivalry the Percheron, like all the heavier 
breeds of horses in Europe, was employed as a war horse. The 
feudal barons and their vassals of that period in the Perche 
sallied forth to battle mounted on their own native horses — the 
prototypes of the Percheron of today. During a part of the 
eleventh century history records that the barons of le Perche 
and Normandy were continually engaged in civil strife. Each 
fief or petty kingdom was continually struggling for supremacy 
with its neighbor. This civil strife was only broken in order to 
fight the Saracen invaders of Sjiain. The Crusades, however, 
caused the knights-errant of the Perche to sink their petty wars 
in order to repel the infidel menace to Christianity in Palestine, 
and the men of Perche, along with thousands of other crusaders 
from all parts of Europe, rode all the way to the Holy Land, 
filled with a fervent Christian zeal to repel and annihilate the 
Moslem unbelievers. Rotrou III, Count of Mortagne and Seigneur 
of Nogent, commanded the tenth corps of the Christian army at 
the siege of Antioch, and also took part in the siege and capture 
of Jerusalem, July 15, 1099. On returning to the Perche the 
following year the old quarrels between the nobility broke out 
again, and we find Rotrou engaged in strife with his mortal enemy, 
Robert of Belleme, known to history as "Robert the Devil." 
Shortly afterwards the bellicose barons and their retainers again 
united their strength to crush the common foe in Spain, and we 
learn that the knights of the Perche greatly distinguished them- 
selves against the infidel invaders. And so the story goes "when 
knighthood was in flower," the fighting instinct seemed to be a 
necessary adjunct to the lives of the feudal barons of those days. 
In all these desperate encounters a good mount was essential. 
Clad from head to foot in heavy armour the knights rode only 
the best tyqje of destrier or war charger — active horses of proud 
carriage, possessed of a powerfully boned and well-muscled frame, 
and endowed with rare intelligence, courage, and stamina. The 
Percheron horse of that period was admirably fitted for this 
purpose. 
From the end of the sixteenth century up to the time of the 
French Revolution the Perche enjoyed a long and profound peace. 
Agriculture and livestock breeding made much progress, and 
manufactures, arts and commerce grew apace in this golden age. 
As the old war-charger type became obsolete horses were used 
for other purposes ; many of them became pack animals, others 
were used on the land. Up to this time oxen had been employed 
exclusively for plowing. 
With the advent of the stage coach or diligence the Percheron 
at once became popular, and achieved undying fame as a horse 
which trotted fast with a heavy load ; indeed it is generally 
admitted in France that no other breed or type of horses could 
equal the Percheron for this particular work. Power, activity, 
stamina and wearing qualities were all put to a severe test in 
moving the heavy, lumbering diligence coaches on a time schedule. 
Then came the railroads which rendered the diligence obsolete. 
.The Percheron was then modified to suit the prevailing demand 
for a heavier farm horse. But several decades jireviously we find 
that the breed had been undergoing a modification: the colts 
were better fed and selection became more rigorous under the 
stimuli of prizes, pensions for stud stallions, and other incentives 
offered by the French Government in order to encourage the 
farmers to raise better horses. The Government haras or studs 
did grand work in co operating with the efforts of breeders in 
the Perche. 
All the great draft breeds found their admirers and partisans, 
and were introduced in this country at that period. These sev- 
eral breeds have each played an important economic role in 
America's agricultural history. But it will not be denied, let 
the explanation be what it will, that none have risen to the 
degree of popularity enjoyed by the Percheron today. There 
is in the make up of the Percheron certain qualities which 
jiarticularly endear him to the average American farmer, and 
as the years pass the popularity of this sterling breed shows no 
signs of waning. Owing to the invention of mechanical imple- 
ments which re(|uired considerable power for their operation, the 
American imi)orters gradually insisted on a horse which would 
weigh a ton or more in good flesh. As the Percheron is a breed 
which shows remarkable jjlasticity and early maturity it responded 
wjsll to the selective methods and more intensive feeding system 
necessary to produce a weightier horse. 
No one who has ever visited the home of the breed can forget 
the rustic old-world beauty of this small province, with its streams 
and rills, woods and dales, rolling hills and splendid macadam 
roads; old quaint villages and picturesque farm houses, hundreds 
of years old in many cases. About the end of May, or in early 
June, the landscapes are ravishing in their color, contour, and 
perspective. 
The romantic history, of the Perche, the religious zeal which 
])rompted its knights to rush to the succor of Christianity when 
it was menaced by the Moslems, the sacrifices in blood and 
treasure which its inhabitants have willingly made through the 
ages powr la patrie, the strong link of friendship which has been 
forged by the farmers of le Perche and American importers 
during several decades; as well as the quality, distinction, beauty 
and utilitarian virtues of the Percheron horse have all combined 
to inspire the writer in his humble attempt to perpetuate in 
verse the memorv of ' ' le Perche aux bons chevaux. ' ' — J. A. 
