THE PERCHERON IN
AMERICA
Power For An Emerging Nation
The First Important American Work Horse
The Percheron is thought to have descended from the "Black Horse of Flanders",
with additional influence coming from the Andalusian and the Arabian after
the Moorish invasion of France in 732 A.D.. The Percheron derives from
his name from the small French district of La Perche, southeast of Normandy.
They were the first of the draft breeds to come to America, and remained
the most numerous until surpassed by the Belgian in 1937. Edward Harris
imported the first four Percherons to America in 1839. In 1876, the breed's
leading importers and breeders established the "National Association of
Importers and Breeders of Norman Horses." Two years later the term "Percheron"
replaced "Norman" in the Association's name.
By 1910, the 5,338 American Percheron breeders had registered 31,900
horses over the previous decade. Although the internal combustion engine
was rapidly replacing the horse on city streets, horses still remained
the primary agricultural power source through the 1930s.
After the second World War, the tractor virtually destroyed the American
market for draft horses. As a result, only 58 Percherons were registered
in 1954. With the renewed interest in draft horses in the 1960's, registrations
rose to 1,253 by 1982.
Return to Timothy
Bigelow
Modified - 02/17/98
(c) Copyright 1998 Bigelow Society, Inc. All rights
reserved.
Don Bigelow - Director
crisbig
Rod Bigelow (Roger Jon 12 BIGELOW)
8 Prospect Circle
Massena, N.Y. 13662
bigelow@slic.com
Rod Bigelow at SLIC 
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