Transcriber’s Note
Italic text displayed as: _italic_
[Illustration:
THE
PERCHERON
HORSE.
]
THE
PERCHERON HORSE.
TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH
OF
CHARLES DU HUŸS,
AUTHOR OF THE “DICTIONARY OF THE PURE RACE;” “TROTTERS;” “THE BOOK
OF THE RACES;” “THE MERLERAULL;” “THE HORSE-BREEDER’S GUIDE;” ETC.
ILLUSTRATED.
NEW YORK:
ORANGE JUDD & COMPANY,
245 BROADWAY.
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1868, by
ORANGE JUDD & CO.,
At the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the United States for
the Southern District of New-York.
LOVEJOY, SON & CO.,
ELECTROTYPERS & STEREOTYPERS,
15 Vandewater Street, N. Y.
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
[Illustration: Decoration]
PRODUCTION, REARING, AND IMPROVEMENT OF THE PERCHERON HORSE 7
PART FIRST.
GREATNESS AND DECLINE OF THE PERCHERONS.
CHAPTER I.—Glance at Perche 11
CHAPTER II.—Sketch of the Percheron Race 14
CHAPTER III.—Origin of the Percheron 17
CHAPTER IV.—Modifications of the Percheron Race 20
CHAPTER V.—His first Modification due to contact with the Brittany
Race 21
CHAPTER VI.—Conditions under which they are bred 23
CHAPTER VII.—Causes of the Degeneracy of the Percheron Horse 26
CHAPTER VIII.—Starting Point of this Degeneration 28
PART SECOND.
OF THE MEANS OF REGENERATING THE PERCHERON HORSE 32
CHAPTER I.—Regeneration of the Percheron Breed 33
CHAPTER II.—Regeneration of the Breed through itself or by
Selection 33
CHAPTER III.—Consanguinity 38
CHAPTER IV.—Ought the gray coat of the Percheron to be inflexibly
maintained? 40
CHAPTER V.—Preserve pure, and without Mixture the three Types of the
Percheron Race—the Light Horse, the Draft-Horse, the
Intermediate Horse 44
CHAPTER VI.—Improvement of the Breed by means of Foreign Crossings 48
CHAPTER VII.—The Arab Cross 51
CHAPTER VIII.—The English Cross 64
CHAPTER IX.—Improvement by means of the Stud-book 71
RECAPITULATION 75
PART THIRD.
INFORMATION TO STRANGERS WISHING TO BUY PERCHERON HORSES 81
CHAPTER I.—Food and Breeding 84
CHAPTER II.—Trade. Glance at the most celebrated Breeding Districts 93
CHAPTER III.—Speed and Bottom of the Percheron Horse 95
CHAPTER IV.—Tests of Speed of the Percheron Horse 97
CHAPTER V.—Tests of Endurance of the Percheron Horse 99
INDEX.
Arabian, The type horse, 51
Good tempered, 60
Cross imparts endurance, 59
Qualities obtained from, 75
Cross-breeds easy to raise, 61-63
Disproportionately small legs, 63
Labor at three years, 61
Larger than their sires, 62-68
Square trotters, 59
Surest to turn out well, 62
Stallions offer quick and sure means of improvement, 45
Breeders, 13
Temptation to sell, 8-22-27
Breeding Centers, 92
Breeding In-and-in fixes character, 18
Systematic. Opposition of the Army, 73
System of, 46-62
Brittany Horse, 21-27
Cattle, Charollaise breed, 72
Cotentin breed, 37
Maine breed, 90
Percheron breed, 89
Colts, Cost of rearing, 23
Food of, 23-85
Sale of at six months old, 23-84
Sold to Beauce farmers, 24
Troubled with strangles, 86
Weaning, 85
Worked at fifteen months, 23
“Cross-bred Horse”, 54
Crossing with the Thoroughbred, 55
Eastern Blood imported, 18
Stallions at Pin, 20
Brought from the Crusades, 17-18
English and Danish Stallions at Pin, 20
English Horses, Spurious, 56
In the Crimea and Italy, 54
Too nervous for draft, 69
English Thoroughbred, 39
Care required in rearing, 61
Cross successful if used with judgment, 64
Discouraging results, 68
Fractious and nervous, 61
Introduced into France, 28
Its Progeny heavy consumers, 68
Possession tends to dissipation, 9
The Horse of Fashion, 9
Fairs, Improvement by means of, 72
Forage Plants, 13
Fillies, Treatment of, 87
Horse Association of Perche, 31
Improvement by foreign crossings, 48
By Selection, 33-37
By the Arab Cross, 51
Means of, 32
Preparation of land for, 49
Preparation of a breed for, 49-51
In-and-in breeding, 38
Useful in establishing a family or breed, 39
Intelligence of an Arabian, 58
Of “Lapin”, 58
Interbreeding, 38
Land—thorough culture essential, 13
Loads usual for English and French horses, 69
Mares, Care of Brood, 23
Mares, Never sell good, 34
“Natural Horse”, 54
Norfolk Stallion, Description, 55
Perche, Department of—Geography, Topography, and Agricultural
character, 11
Effects of soil and climate on other animals, 88
Horses exported annually from, 42
Introduction of foreign mares, extensive since 1830, 27
Loss of the best stock, 27-29-30
Percheron Breeders’ character, 82
Percheron Horse, Arabian Origin, 17
Characteristics, 7-15-22
Cared for by Women and Children, 8
Color, 40
Color—Gray the favorite, 41
Color Non-essential, 43
Coming in Fashion, 45
Degeneracy, 26-28
Demand for Export, 79
Difficulty of finding horses free from Foreign blood, 28-30
Docility, 8
Efforts to stop the exodus of good stock, 29
First among serviceable breeds, 10
Feat of endurance, 99
Food and Breeding, 83
Freedom from Spavin, etc., 8
Heavy Draft Type, how obtained, 47
Height, 14
List of exploits on the turf, 97
Mares, little pastured, 12
Modern modification of the breed, 20
“Omnibus Type,” how obtained, 46
Prices realized by the farmers, 23-25-26-29
“Primitive Type”, 52
Proof of an Ancient breed, 19
Separation of the Sexes, 16
Sold at Chartres, 26
Speed and Bottom, 95
Strength of the type, 22
Three classes, 15-44
“Primitive Horse”, 53
Prizes, System of awards, 34
Given for Size, and for trotting, 31
Recapitulation, 75
Sheep, Percheron breed, 90
Soil, Influence of, 53
Stallions, Brittany and others, brought into Perche, 30
Not used before four years old, 36
Quarter-blood Eng., preferable to full-blood, 76
Stud-book, 35
Strangers, Information for, 81
Stud-Book, Improvement by means of, 71
PREFACE.
[Illustration: Decoration]
The little volume which is now presented to the notice of the lovers of
the horse in America is a translation of the work of a distinguished
French author, who, holding a high position of trust, made this as a
report to the Government. His views in some respects may be regarded as
extreme, but on the whole they are characterized by strong common sense
and are supported by a practical familiarity with all the phases of his
subject which should give them weight.
The Percheron horse no doubt stands first among the draft breeds of
the world. His value has been thoroughly tested in this country, and
the fact is established beyond a cavil that with careful breeding,
and probably an occasional renewal by the importation of fresh blood,
the Percheron maintains his superior characteristics, and impresses
them upon his descendants of only one-quarter or one-eighth blood to
a very marked degree. The value of fast trotters, their encouragement
by Agricultural Societies, and the enormous prices which have been
paid for animals valuable simply for their speed as trotters, has no
doubt had a tendency to direct the aims of horse breeders in a wrong
direction. The result is, from whatever cause it comes, that the true
horse-of-all-work has been neglected. The Percheron, combining as he
does a certain attractiveness of style, very free action, considerable
speed united to power, with astonishing strength for his weight,
and the greatest kindness and docility, seems to offer to American
horse breeders an exceedingly useful animal, either to be maintained
distinct, or used for improving our stock of both light and heavy
draft-horses by crossings. The value of this work, however, does not
consist in its recommendation of this breed, or demonstration of its
value in France, but its bold discussions of the principles of breeding
as applied to the improvement of the Percherons, and equally applicable
to that of other draft breeds, will doubtless commend themselves to the
careful consideration of breeders.
Interest in the Percherons has increased greatly of late. Several
notable importations have been made, and excellent representatives of
this noble breed are to be found in the Eastern, Western, and Middle
States. The engravings which embellish this volume are portraits of
animals owned by Mr. W. T. Walters of Baltimore, Md., through whose
interest in this subject the Publishers were induced to issue this
translation of M. Huÿs work.
THE PERCHERON HORSE.
[Illustration: Decoration]
PRODUCTION, REARING, AND IMPROVEMENT OF THE PERCHERON HORSE.
[Illustration: Decoration]
... _Facilis descensus Averno;
Sed revocare gradum?_
Almost everything that has been written about the horse may be reduced
pretty much to,—complaining that there does not exist a breed which
unites, in an elevated degree, high moral to physical qualities;
modestly seeking, and teaching the means of obtaining such a breed.
It is reasonable that such sentiments should surprise us, here in
the heart of France, where, for a long time, a race of horses has
flourished which may be said to fill the requirements proposed in every
way.
The proof of this statement is easy: a hasty sketch of the principal
characters of the breed suffices to furnish it.
To no ordinary strength, to vigor which does not degenerate, and to
a conformation which does not exclude elegance, it joins docility,
mildness, patience, honesty, great kindness, excellent health, and a
hardy, elastic temperament. Its movements are quick, spirited, and
light. It exhibits great endurance, both when hard worked, and when
forced to maintain for a long time any of its natural gaits, and it
possesses the inestimable quality of moving fast with heavy loads. It
is particularly valuable for its astonishing precocity, and produces
by its work, as a two-year-old, more than the cost of its feed and
keep. Indeed, it loves, and shows a real aptness for labor, which is
the lot of all. It knows neither the whims of bad humor, nor nervous
excitement. It bears for man, the companion of its labors, an innate
confidence, and expresses to him a gentle familiarity, the fruit of an
education for many generations in the midst of his family. Women and
children from whose hands it is fed, can approach it without fear. In
a word, if I may dare speak thus, _it is an honorable race_. It has
that fine oriental gray coat, the best adapted of all to withstand
the burning rays of the sun in the midst of the fields—a coat which
pleases the eye, and which in the darkness of the night allowed the
postilion of former times to see that he was not alone—that his friend
was making his way loyally before him. It is exempt, (a cause of
everlasting jealousy among the breeders of other races,) always exempt
from the hereditary bony defects of the hock, and where it is raised,
spavin, jardon, bone spavin, periodical inflammation, and other dreaded
infirmities, are not known even by name.
This truly typical race would seem a myth did it not exist in our
midst. But every day we see, every day we handle this treasure,—the
munificent gift of Providence to this favored region, to cause
agriculture, that “nursing mother,” to flourish, and with agriculture,
peace and abundance.
I need not name this breed; every one from this incomplete sketch
has recognized the fine race of steady and laborious horses, bred in
the ancient province of Perche, (so justly entitled _Perche of good
horses_,) plowing in long furrows the soil of Beauce, and thence
spreading itself over all France, where its qualities render it without
a rival for all the specialties of rapid draft.
Hence it is that all our provinces envy us the possession of the race,
and even foreign countries seek after it with an eagerness amounting to
a passion.
[Illustration: HERCULES.]
The breeder,—who is ordinarily a farmer, not sufficiently rich to be
beyond temptation,—finds himself without strength, without resistance
in presence of this urgent demand. The finest types, not only of the
males, but of the females also, are disappearing every day.
This, tending incessantly to deprive Perche of that in which it is so
superior, is so much more to be dreaded as the question of filling up
the vacancies and of saving this race from a tendency to degeneration
and from inevitable destruction becomes the necessary corollary of such
commercial operations.
Entered upon this course, if Perche does not adopt, without delay,
salutary measures, if it does not make a vigorous effort to place
itself in a condition, either to resist the tendency or to contribute
to it in a well-maintained and uniform manner, the breed is fated to a
complete eclipse at the moment even when the future belongs to it.
Indeed _the future_ does belong to the Percheron horse, if he can
sustain himself in the first rank of the truly useful races until the
not far distant day when that era of triumph will come. Every thing now
seems to incline to establish the truth of what, at first, appeared a
paradox.
I am aware that, for the moment, the Percheron has, in the class of
fancy-horses, an antagonist that seems to derive formidable strength
from the prestige belonging to elegance. The English thoroughbred
and its congeners are in possession of the scepter of fashion and
“_bon-ton_.” But this antagonism, more apparent than dangerous,
on account of the elevated but rather limited spheres in which it
exists, will last but for a time, and will yield before reason and the
necessities of a difficult situation.
Our age, factitious to excess, is governed by the demands and
temptations of a luxury which is tending to ruin the most solidly
established families. It wildly suffers patrimonies and fortunes to
dwindle away under the lead of a vain and noisy ostentation, without
perceiving that already they are decreasing and becoming less every
day, under the continued action of the laws. A change will be brought
about, and the effect of an inevitable reaction will be a return
towards sobriety and simplicity.
Recovering from the intoxication of city luxury, the best minds will,
let us hope, recover their tone in the quiet of the fields, and
agriculture will regain its too long forgotten rights. Tired out by
allowing themselves to be eaten up by that elegant guest called the
fancy-horse, and by the army of evil-doing satellites following in his
train, men will come back to the one which requires but little care,
and which returns good service, to the one which does not object to
work, the boon companion of every man desirous of following nature’s
law, which is that of labor.
The value of the Percheron is more evident than ever. It is this, among
the serviceable races, which is called to the greatest fortune; for,
of all the ordinary breeds, it is the nearest to the blooded, in shape
and qualities. His usefulness causes him to be everywhere in demand.
If the railroads have driven him from the highway, they claim him as
an auxiliary in the centers of population and at all their termini;
for he is eminently a trotter, remarkable for the ability to move at
a relatively rapid gait, and excelling in the valuable faculty of
rapid draft. Since the post-coaches have ceased to use these horses,
the omnibuses of the large cities, and those communicating with the
railroads, require increasing numbers.
This leads us to seek for the means of improving the Percheron race and
of maintaining it in its original purity and perfection in the land of
its birth. But let us first see what is the origin of this race, what
country gave it birth, and by what characters it is to be recognized.
We have, for this examination, borrowed largely of those who have known
and studied Perche intimately, and hope to remain truthful in following
them step by step.
PART I
GREATNESS AND DECLINE OF THE PERCHERONS.
[Illustration: Decoration]
CHAPTER I.
GLANCE AT PERCHE.
The Department of Perche is too well known to need a description here.
We will limit ourselves to the remark that this region, which has
become so celebrated for its fine race of horses, represents an ellipse
of about 25 leagues long by nearly 20 broad.
This ellipse is bounded on the north by Normandy; on the west, also by
Normandy, and by Maine; on the east, by the portion of Beauce including
Chartrain and Dunois; on the south, by the Vendomois—three portions of
the ancient Orleanais.
At the present time, enclosed in the center of the four departments,
Orne, Eure and Loir, Loir and Cher, and Sarthe, the territory of Perche
comprises the following divisions:
_1st._—The district of Mortagne (department of Orne);
_2nd._—The district of Nogent-le-Rotrou, and a portion of those of
Chartres, Dreux, and Chateaudun (department of Eure and Loir);
_3rd._—All the western side of the district of Vendôme (department of
Loir and Cher);
_4th._—The eastern portion of the districts of Mamers and Saint Calais
(department of Sarthe).
It is the summit region of the middle portion of the vast plateau
extending between the sea and the basins of the Loire and the Seine.
It is here that the rivers Sarthe, Huisne, Eure, Loire, Iton, Höene,
Braye, Avre, Commanche, and Percheron Orne, take their source,
springing up from the same plateau and crossing it on their way to the
Channel and the ocean.
The country is, in general, uneven and hilly, cut up in every direction
by small valleys watered by springs or small brooks flowing into the
rivers above named. All these valleys, no matter of what extent, are
natural meadows, and the most of them rich and fertile. But drainage
could here be usefully applied everywhere, to rid them of their surplus
humidity, and to purge them of their too abundant aquatic plants. The
finest valley is that watered by the Huisne, which is second to none
in France for length, extent, richness, and beauty of sites. Here are
situated Nogent-le-Rotrou, Condé, Regmalard, Boissy, Corbon, Mauves,
Pin-la-Garenne, Reveillon, etc., etc.,—all centers renowned for the
beauty of their horses.
The land is generally clayey, lying upon a calcareous subsoil of the
secondary formation. Some portions are silicious, the high and hilly
points always so.
The Percheron country contains rather few meadows, in proportion to
the total surface of the soil, and to this circumstance, probably, is
due the superiority of its horses. Here the rearing takes place in the
stable and the brood-mare is found under the hand of the breeder. The
idea of making use of her comes naturally to his mind. He works and
feeds her well. All the secret of his breeding lies in these few words.
Here, for many years, agriculture has flourished; artificial meadows
are everywhere cultivated with success, and are necessary to produce
the enormous quantity of fodder consumed by the number of horses raised.
Among the plants for green and dry forage, clover first and then
fenugreek are the favorites of the Percheron farmer. He uses plaster
and marl with care, and would tell you, should the opportunity offer,
that it is through system and superior cultivation that Perche has
been able hitherto to meet the large demands made upon her from the
commencement of the present century, particularly for the last fifty
years. He is, moreover, laborious and persevering. Disregarding the
industrial arts, the glory of other districts, his true vocation, his
favorite occupation, is cultivating the ground and raising horses,
which he has practised with zeal from the most remote period. In fact
cannot this be inferred, even from the example of his early lords?
The Counts of Perche, those old Rotrous, triple knights, had they not
adopted as an emblem of their nobility the stamp of their horses’
feet?... Not content with a single chevron, they placed three upon
their standards, to signify both the superiority of their horses, and
their infinite number. For in symbolical language (and none is more so
than that of heraldry,) the number three implies infinity; and the oval
form of the eastern courser’s foot, to which the chevron is distinctly
traced, was used in early times as a sign of chivalry, replacing the
ancient ring of Rome. Hence comes, as a distinctive mark of nobility,
the large number of coats of arms with chevrons, among those of the
knights. The simple chevron was the designation of the noble, and the
particular marks which often accompanied the chevron served to recall
some exploit, some distinguished feat of arms, the nature of the
tastes, or the possessions of the warrior who bore this blazon.
Perche is very much cut up: the farms generally small; the fields,
likewise small and mostly enclosed by hedges. The temper of the
Percheron breeder is invariably mild. He knows all the importance of
attention to the race which he rears, and nevertheless, it must be
confessed, that with the exception of the mildness with which he treats
it, he has done next to nothing to ameliorate it or preserve it in its
beauty. Nature, time, and the climate, have done all.
Perche has a climate eminently favorable to horse-breeding. Under its
influence, the water is tonic and the food nutritious, the air is pure,
bracing, and drier than that of Normandy. The sea is farther off, and
its influence, in consequence, is less felt.
However, these can be but general attributes, for the country varies
in aspect according to the district. The portion near Normandy, which
is watered by the Sarthe, is much the same as that province. The
grasses are, however, sparser, and especially do not have that extreme
sweetness and great tonic quality which distinguish those of the
environs of Courtomer and Merlerault, situated only a few leagues from
the limits of Perche.
On the side of Beauce, there are vast plains sometimes undulating, and
having much similarity to that province.
On the Maine side, the country gradually assumes the characteristics of
aspect and cultivation peculiar to it, so that the transition between
these two provinces is not an abrupt change, but they blend like the
tones of a picture. Upon some points woods, ponds in the north-east,
forage and grain upon the remainder, are the chief features, and are
the sources of the revenues of the country.
[Illustration: Decoration]
CHAPTER II.
SKETCH OF THE PERCHERON RACE.
The height of the Percheron horse is generally 14¾ to 16 hands; he
is of a sanguine temperament, mixed in variable proportions with the
musculo-lymphatic; his color is almost always gray, and is, among the
characteristic features, that which first strikes the eye.
According to their predominence, these temperaments constitute
varieties which may be thus classed:
_1st._—The light Percheron, in which the sanguine temperament
predominates;
_2nd._—The draft Percheron, in which the lymphatic temperament is the
most fully developed;
_3rd._—The type intermediary between these two, partaking of the one by
its lightness, and of the other by its muscular force.
The latter is the most numerous, but it has much degenerated of
late years; and there is a tendency to its disappearance since the
post-coach service, which formed it, has gradually given way to
other means of conveyance. It has style, although the head is rather
large and long; nostrils well open and well dilated; eye large and
expressive; forehead broad; ear fine; neck rather short, but well
filled out; whithers high; shoulder pretty long and sloping; breast
rather flat, but high and deep; a well-rounded body; back rather long;
the croup horizontal and muscular; tail attached high; short and
strong joints, and the tendon generally weak; a foot always excellent,
although rather flat in the low countries and natural meadows; a gray
coat; fine skin; silky and abundant mane. Such are the most general
characteristics of the old Percheron race. These are the points which
are still noticed upon what remain of some old horses, preserved from
the transformation which commenced long ago; for at the present moment
everything is much changed. Since the time of the foreign crossings,
the foot has become flatter, the head overcharged, the tendon still
weaker, the back longer, the shoulder has lost its direction, and the
croup has become shorter. The race has changed suddenly to fill new
wants which have unexpectedly sprung up.
Of course these different characters are modified by the varieties
upon which they are noticed, but the “_ensemble_” presents a striking
similarity.
The light Percheron, suited to harness, is found particularly in
the Norman portion, in the district of Mortagne, near Courtomer,
Moulins-la-Marche, Aigle, Mesle-sur-Sarthe, and especially in the
parishes of Mesnière, Bures, and Champeaux-sur-Sarthe. This is easily
accounted for, as here is the best blood of France, near the region
where has been found the best Norman type. Here the soil, temperature,
and pasturage, are pretty near the same.
In going from Nogent-le-Rotrou to Montdoubleau, and following the
limits of Perche-Manceau, by Saint-Calais, Vilvaye, Ferté-Bernard,
Saint-Corme and Mamers, we travel over the birthplace of the heavy
draft-horse. Here we meet with the heavy brood-mares.
In the center of Perche, at Mauves, Regmalard, Lougny, Corbon,
Courgeon, Reveillon, Villiers, and Saint-Langis, nothing is bred; the
farmer brings up the horse colts of Eperrais, Pin-la-Garenne, Coulimer,
Saint-Quentin, Buré, Pervercheres and the breeding parishes of the
district of Mortagne, Nogent-le-Rotrou, Montdoubleau and Courtalain.
Horses of different sexes and ages are never mingled in Perche; they
are there separated with care. But it is not exactly the same in
respect to kinds.
The post-coach and the heavy-draft horse are there to be met with upon
the same ground. The post-coach horse is, to be sure, bred a little
everywhere; his temperament and the conditions in which he is placed,
prepare him for this specialty.
It is, as we see, at the two extremities of the ellipse (especially
where the pasture grounds are), that the mares are found. In the
center, at Mauves, Regmalard, Lougny, etc., etc., the inhabitants turn
their attention to bringing up the colts.
CHAPTER III.
ORIGIN OF THE PERCHERON.
What, now, is the origin of the Percheron? Some attribute to him
an Arabian ancestry; others, less explicit and without positively
assigning to him so noble an origin, hold him to be strongly
impregnated with Arabian blood. M. Eugene Perrault, one of the most
extensive and skillful dealers in fancy horses in all Europe, has
frequently remarked to me that of all the various races of horses
none were so interesting to him as the admirable Percheron, and that,
judging from his appearance and qualities, he was satisfied he was a
genuine Arab, modified in form by the climate and the rude services to
which he had for ages been subjected.
We cannot, however, find in history the written positive proof that
the Percheron is an Arab, but we believe it easy, by fair historical
deduction, to prove what he is in fact.
It is well known that after the defeat of the famous Saracen chief
Abderame by Charles Martel, on the plains of Vouille, the magnificent
cavalry of the foe fell into the hands of the victors, since more than
300,000 infidels were killed on that day, and the horses which they
rode were, like themselves, from the East. Upon a division of the spoil
a large number of these were assigned to the men of La Perche, of
Orleanais, and Normandy, who composed the bulk of the French forces,
and they must necessarily have left in their progeny indelible traces
of their blood.
La Perche, like all Christian countries, furnished, as is well known,
her contingent of fighting men to the crusades, and the chronicles cite
several Counts of Bellesmer, Mortagne, and Nogent, barons and gentlemen
of that province, who, with many of their vassals, made pilgrimages to
the Holy Land.
The Abbe Faet, in a letter addressed to the Congress of Mortagne,
July 16, 1843, and in his great work upon La Perche, cites in this
connection a lord of Montdoubleau, Geffroy IV., and Rotrou, Count of
La Perche, as having brought back from Palestine several stallions,
which were put to mares, and the progeny most carefully preserved. The
small number of the sires, their incomparable beauty, and manifest
superiority, must have led to the _in-and-in_ breeding so much
deprecated by most breeders; but the qualities of the sires became
indelibly fixed upon their progeny.
The lord of Montdoubleau was, it is said, the most zealous of the
advocates and breeders of the new blood, and, being the most zealous,
was the most successful; hence it is that the Montdoubleau stock is to
this day the best in Perche. The Count Roger, of Bellesmer, imported
both Arabian and Spanish horses, as did Goroze, the lord of Saint
Cerney, Courville, and Courseroult; these are historical facts which
have their importance. Like chronicles, it is true, exist for other
provinces—for Limousin, for Navarre, for Auvergne (the land of noble
horses), also for Brittany and Maine; but in the latter not the least
sign of Eastern blood is perceptible. The fact is, the crusaders from
all the French provinces naturally brought back with them more or
less of the Eastern blood, which they had learned to appreciate on
the plains of Palestine—but the truth is, it has not been preserved
elsewhere; and that we in La Perche, after so many centuries, should be
so fortunate as to be able to show the traces of it, should stimulate
us to its careful preservation.
From the time of the Roman domination, the horse in his oriental forms
was not only valued by the Gauls, but was particularly prized in
Perche. In 1861 a subterranean vault was discovered in the middle of a
field, near Jargeau (Loiret), upon the borders of Perche. It contained
a statue of Bacchus, surrounded by bacchanals, with which were found
a horse, a stag, a boar, some fish, a grape vine, and other native
products of the country; but the horse was indubitably of the Arab
form, which goes to prove, either that at that remote period there were
Arabians in the country, or that the native local race from which the
portrait was taken resembled the Arabian.
These historical data, these inductions, incomplete as they may be,
lead to the belief that for antiquity the Percheron yields to no
other of our French races, and that the soil which has nourished and
preserved it, must be one of the best in France for horse breeding.
Under the feudal rule and inhabited by tenants ever at war, Perche
must always have been an equestrian country, and the horse must have
been there in every age the companion of man. He must have been really
a first class necessity. In those times of continued war and hostile
surprises, what property was more movable and so easily taken to a
place of safety? How glorious the possession of such noble coursers,
and like the Rotrous, to own more than could be counted, as was proudly
shown by the heraldic chevrons upon their broad banners, displayed from
the towers of Mortagne and Nogent!
But had the Percheron then, as a race, the characteristics it now
possesses? This is not probable; it must have been lighter, but still
possessing within itself the character which it now presents. The
essential point is to prove that there was, at that period, a native
race; and if the extraordinary life formerly led there—if the aspect
of the country, which must have been always fertile—if the historical
inductions do not prove it—the universal tradition of the whole country
should not leave us in any doubt in respect to the fact.
Let us, then, take no account of the silence of historians. This
silence is no proof of the non-existence of the Percheron. Most of
these writers were gentlemen of the equestrian order; they prized the
saddle-horse, while they ignored the equally useful breeds of all work.
[Illustration: Decoration]
CHAPTER IV.
MODIFICATIONS OF THE PERCHERON RACE.
The Percheron race comes from the Arab; but it is useful to know the
causes which have separated it from the primitive type. How has it
been modified? How has it lost the Arabian character, in which it
must have been at first clothed? A large number of the French races
have been even more profoundly modified, and have become abject,
miserable, puny, and misshapen. All equine races have been changed by
the effects of climate, by the extinction of the feudal system, and by
the inauguration of peaceful habits which have made an agricultural and
draft-horse of the horse primitively used for the saddle and for war.
The Percherons must have been especially modified by contact with the
breed of Brittany, where their striking characteristics are now met
with in a large number of individuals.
However, it has been vigorously attempted to offset the intrusion of
the heavy horse by the continued use of the Arabian horse. Indeed, we
see, towards 1760, under the administration of the Marquis of Brigges,
manager of the stud-stables of Pin, all the large number of fine
Arabian, Barb, and eastern stallions, that this establishment owned,
were put at the disposition of the Count of Mallart for use at his
mare-stables of Cóèsme, near Bellesme. The arrival of the Danish and
English stallions at the stud-stables of Pin put an unfortunate end to
the influence of the Arab horse in Perche, and it will now be many a
long year before the eastern blood will be seen as before. It is only
towards 1820, still at the same chateau of Cóèsme, with the grandsons
of those old admirers of the Arabians, that we find again two Arab
horses from the stud-stables of Pin, _Godolphin_ and _Gallipoli_. These
two valuable stock-getters, both gray, again gave tone and ardor to the
Percheron race, and transformed definitely into gray horses the stock
of the entire country, which had, it was said, become less uniform, and
of all colors.
The Brittany horses have been strongly attracted towards Perche by the
immense outlet offered by the public service, since the increase of the
roads, to the Percherons. Mixtures between the two races must have been
frequent. And when a good Brittany horse was there met with, he must
have been made use of, and the old native type has gradually tended to
disappear, and its traces become more and more rare. This mixture of
Percheron and Brittany blood, too well marked to be questioned, arises
from several causes, which we will take up successively in review.
[Illustration: Decoration]
CHAPTER V.
THE FIRST MODIFICATION, DUE TO CONTACT WITH THE BRITTANY RACE.
Perche is bounded, in its whole length, by the immense plains of
Beauce. On account of this position, it was always traversed by the
post-coaches for Paris, and by all the supplies that came from the West.
Being the intermediate point between the principal home of the Brittany
draft-horse and the immense markets which Beauce and Paris offered,
its territory was the necessary stopping-place of everything that came
from the West. It has been for many years the rendezvous of the draft
races of the whole West.
Now, see in what an exceptional position this country is placed. First
and foremost, I do not hesitate to say that there exists no French
race which could have multiplied and preserved its original type under
such unhappy influences. We can but deplore the slight care taken in
preserving it pure and intact, and the want of judgment in the delicate
operation of crossing.
There has been no uniform and logical plan for improving as well as
increasing it. To make the greatest possible profit out of this hen
with the golden eggs has been the only aim.
When the post-coaches, wagon transportation, and the public conveyances
were organized and generalized; when every thing requiring the use of
the horse had undergone excessive development; when the improvements of
our roads, the multiplicity of business transactions, and the enormous
internal traffic, required increased and rapid locomotion, all eyes
were turned towards Perche, and it became necessary for her to satisfy
the increased demand.
Let us see in what condition was the Percheron breeder to satisfy all
these demands. As for race, he possessed the best. Strong, yet quick,
it was that, of all others, which contained the most blood. It owed
this to the soil and climate. It was the best to feed, the easiest to
raise, and the most favorably situated to be cheaply multiplied. And
with all this, it had at its door the best of known markets.
Wagons, diligences, and post-coaches, required horses such as the
Percheron cultivator loved to breed for himself. Hence that sympathetic
understanding which developed itself more and more between the
Percheron producer and the consumer occupied in public transportation.
And the anxiety to meet the demand was one of the most active causes
of degeneration and of the drafts made upon this and the neighboring
breeds.
[Illustration: ALENE.—MARE.]
CHAPTER VI.
CONDITIONS UNDER WHICH THEY ARE BRED.
We know how the sexes are divided in Perche; one section of the
province produces, while another raises what the other has produced. No
matter what may be the class to which she belongs, light or heavy, or
partaking of both, the mare is expected to breed every year. If barren,
she is sold, and this fault continuing, she passes into public use.
During her gestation she works constantly. A few days of rest, before
and after foaling, is the only time lost. The remainder of the time her
work pays abundantly for her keep and the interest on her cost.
At the age of five or six months, the colt is abruptly weaned and sold.
Its price varies from five to six hundred francs—sometimes more, but
this is the exception—and so far it has cost nothing.
Led into the interior upon the fertile meadows of Mauves, Pin,
Regmalard, Corbon, Lougny, Reveillon, Courgeon, Saint-Langis, Villiers,
Courgeoust, etc., etc., it remains one year unproductive. In winter it
is fed upon hay, in the stable, and during the fine season turned into
the fields to graze. To sum up, it is rather poorly nourished on bran,
grass, and hay.
The reason is, it is as yet unproductive to its master, and it feels
the effects. Wait a little; its hardest time has gone by, and work will
soon soften its lot. It reaches, in this manner, the age of 15 or 18
months. What has it cost for keeping? Very little. Estimate, about 80
or 100 francs. At this age it is put to work. Naturally docile and in
the hands of a man always patient and mild, its training is generally
easy. Assigned to farm labor, it plows or draws a wagon. Harnessed with
four or five colts of its own age, together they pull what would be an
easy load for two good horses. Put before two oxen, or joined to three
of its companions, it plows and is never overworked.
Now, it is better fed, and taken a great deal better care of. Its
“_morale_” improves, and its master seems to delight in contemplating
the progress and the development of its qualities. Thus, in traveling
through Perche, one involuntarily stops in the midst of the fields to
see it work, never tired of admiring the vigor it displays, and the
gentleness with which it is treated.
The bait is there. At the age of three the Beauce farmer buys it to
work his soft and light soil. For him, it must be preserved intact, its
development uninjured, nay encouraged.
Master, servants, large and small, all deeply imbued with the love of
the horse, unite in this work with admirable skill.
It has thus worked during one year, abundantly fed, but receiving
little or no grain. Doing enough light work to pay for its keep, the
master has received, besides its manure, a heavy interest on the cost,
as we will presently see.
This premature work, which would have been injurious under a careless
management, is, on the contrary, beneficial when it is in the hands of
a good master. This is so much the general case, that the contrary is
the exception. The animal grows and becomes better developed in size
and strength.
Now, as we before observed, the Beauce farmer comes to buy. He lives
in a country of proverbial richness. The work there is abundant, but
the nature of the soil renders it extremely easy. The fields, very much
divided, and distant one from another, make a rapid gait indispensable.
In Beauce, the horse cannot be replaced as a beast of burden; no matter
how dear his keeping, his use is indispensable; the ox cannot be his
competitor. But it is a fact of the greatest importance to state, that
it is to the ox that the Percheron horse owes a part of his celebrity.
As is well known, Beauce is the exceptional country for cereals; the
horse and sheep are pretty much the only animals which there produce
a manure required by such husbandry. Add to this the breadth of land
under tillage, and the extreme fertility of the soil, and the large
number of horses kept by the Beauce farmer will be accounted for.
At three years old, the Percheron dealer sells his horse for 900 or
1,000 francs, and sometimes more, according to his merit. But he does
this only in order to buy other colts; and the profit has been, in
fact, sufficiently large to warrant him in this. He has had against him
only the chances of mortality. These are small; the race is tough and
hardy. Accidents are more to be dreaded, and these sometimes occur.
Living in the open air, in the company of other animals, the young colt
is a little exposed to the influences of chance. But the fields are
enclosed, the master’s eye is upon it, and, to sum up all, the large
profit covers every thing.
Reaching Beauce at three years old, he is subjected to hard work. The
work is easy enough, but there is much of it. He must be quick, the
breadth of land is very extensive, and the work must be done. Sowing
and harvesting—these two words sum up the Beauceron agriculture.
Otherwise expressed—plowing and hauling. As regards the horse, all must
be done promptly and quickly.
But if he be hard worked, on the other hand, nothing is denied him.
He eats as much grain and hay as he pleases. What difference does
this make to the farmer? Do not his labor and his manure pay for his
nourishment? And, moreover, how act otherwise? As we have seen, nothing
can supply his place. Necessity has no law.
He lives in this way a year, with abundant food. Sometimes he succumbs;
the mortality is quite large in this region. But the stock which
remains after such a training offers many guaranties to the dealer
who buys it to transfer, if they suit, to the express and omnibus
companies; or if they belong to the draft race, to the contractors,
wagoners, and builders, of Paris. At five, he is bought by the
horse-dealer at the annual horse fair on St. Andrew’s Day in the town
of Chartres. There he is delivered, the farmer leading his horse upon
the ground. The prices vary from 1,000 to 1,400 francs. The profit
is small, sometimes nothing, the greatest gain being his work, which
cannot be dispensed with. The feeble have perished; the survivors owe
their lives only to their robust constitutions.
Before dedication to his final use, he has thus passed through four
hands; all these have shared the risks of his rearing. The most serious
have been for the last owner; but he was also the wealthiest, and to
him also has he been the most useful.
Thus, we see, the foal costs almost nothing, and his work pays for his
keep. Perfectly well fed, and exercised from his tenderest age, the
Percheron has always been the first draft-horse in the world, and he
would have constantly improved, if his admirable qualities themselves
had not led to his degeneration.
[Illustration: Decoration]
CHAPTER VII.
CAUSES OF THE DEGENERACY OF THE PERCHERON HORSE.
The breeding of the Percheron horse has been so much the more
stimulated, in consequence of his situation, his well-known qualities,
and the favorable economical circumstances in which he is placed.
Was not everything in his favor? Sure and increasing sales and great
facility in raising?
In a word, Perche is not large; the number of horses that it can
produce is limited, and not being able to answer all the demands made
upon it, competition stepped in.
At first, the finest types, the males especially, were sold. Then,
little by little, the traffic increasing, the finest females, in their
turn, commenced to appear upon the market.
The interior of France and foreign countries, Prussia especially, were
anxious to possess them, the latter country, in order to form a race
of draft-horses, which it absolutely needed, in consequence its own
becoming too light.
It is the only race which has been accused of no faults,—simply because
it has satisfied a real want and has been able to satisfy it fully.
The sale of colts becoming greater and greater, and all the farmers
being interested in buying them to raise, Brittany sent hers upon the
markets. They made their appearance in Perche and in the fairs of
Mortagne, Courtalain, etc., etc., taking their place there alongside
the colts of the country.
The breeding-mares being sought after, and in consequence sold, it
became necessary to replace them. Their offspring sold too well not to
think of increasing their number. Hence the introduction, at first, of
a large number of Brittany mares, and afterwards of mares from Caux,
Picardy, etc., etc., approaching nearest, both as to height and coat,
to the race of the country.
If there had been among them only the Brittany mares, I would but half
complain: these are well bred; and moreover, has not Perche contributed
to the improvement of the Brittany race by sending into their country
such famous stallions as _Pomme_, _Bijou_, and _Tancrede_? But the
mares from Picardy, from Caux and from Boulogne—the scrofulous races of
the North! What can be said for them?
This introduction is not of yesterday; it is already of long date. But
it may be boldly advanced that it is only since 1830 that it has been
effected upon a very large scale. 1830 was the era of the systematic
infusion of the English pure-blood into our French half-blood races.
Having become, by this fact, less fit for service, they commenced to
lose their credit in the eyes of thinking men. The rich ran after
the English, while others wanted the German horse, and this made the
latter’s fortune. The majority addressed themselves to Perche, and thus
obliged her to multiply anew a stock already become insufficient.
In Upper Perche, that is to say, towards the Norman part, in the
district of Mortagne, the introduction, (we are ignorant of its
cause,—perhaps from the presence of some good stallions,) was not
so great; but it did, nevertheless, take place, and its traces
are discovered at every step. It would be very difficult, if not
impossible, to find there at the present moment, a Percheron completely
free from mixture of foreign blood.
[Illustration: Decoration]
CHAPTER VIII.
STARTING POINT OF THIS DEGENERATION.
As long as the post-coaches were flourishing and the diligences
crossing France in every direction, it was especially a horse fit for
their uses that Perche devoted itself to produce. But since these
modes of transportation have been modified, the race, with them, has
undergone a complete transformation. As this country only possessed, as
an outlet for the light part of its stock, the expresses, omnibuses,
and post-office services in the interior of Paris, and later the
private post teams, etc., etc., which only employ quick-gaited
horses, it became necessary to think of rendering the race heavier,
in order to replace the monopoly of the mail stages and diligences by
another monopoly. Had it not before it the necessity of satisfying
the commercial wants—that is to say, the express cartage, the heavy
work of the contractors and builders of Paris, and in the provinces,
the services of the large towns, and the express and other business
connected with all railroads? The fear of losing this important market
offered to his qualities of speed, strength, and honesty, tempted the
breeder to infuse too suddenly the blood of the heavy draft-horse. He
might have accomplished this more slowly and gradually, by means of a
rational coupling with the heaviest bodied native types; but our age,
eager to enjoy, did not leave him the time. To answer to these new
wants, Perche opened wide its doors to all the heavy mares that it
could meet with. Many came from Brittany, others from Picardy and Caux,
and some from Boulogne. During this time the ancient stallion of the
country, eagerly sought after by all those who wished to create fine
draft studs, passed into the interior and even into foreign countries.
The success of the Percheron race was very great. All the departments
wished to acclimate it. The prices of these stallions had increased
so rapidly in a few years, that they had tripled and quadrupled.
Accordingly, the possessors sold them. The administrative authorities,
aided by the élite of the proprietors, endeavored, however, to hinder
this emigration. They formed a stud-stable at Bonneval; but this
establishment was not composed of types that were homogeneous and
adapted to assure a regular and continuous improvement. Prizes were
given at Mortagne, Nogent-le-Rotrou, Illiers, and Vendôme. But an end
was arrived at contrary to what was desired. The prizes served as
signs to the dealers. Perche was visited to buy first-class horses.
What surer guaranty than the prize? And then, how could the breeders
resist the prices of 3,000 and 4,000 francs, and even more, offered the
proprietor of a stallion?
It will be objected that these stallions, before disappearing, had
already served; I know this. But how served? They had served at two or
three years, before their complete development, and it was at the age
at which they would have been most useful, that they were withdrawn
from their district, and the same thing was true with the best mares.
Several departments carried off great numbers; they were sent
everywhere. A great many proprietors bought them. Thus disappeared,
gradually, the flower of the breeding-mares. The race was cut off in
its prime. Perche stretched its sails to the winds of the present
without thinking of the future!
Stallions of all kinds now came forward; stallions from Brittany,
Picardy, Caux, and Boulogne. The heaviest were preferred. The change
was so rapid, that, to-day, in many places, there does not remain the
slightest trace of genuine Percheron blood. It is a mixture which
betrays itself to the eye by coarse forms, foreign to the original
type, and in the _morale_ by a sensible loss of that generous spirit,
and of that indescribable something that we so much admired. Perche
would formerly have disowned stock lacking the eastern character;
still, their presence is not without instruction. It gives the measure
of the great climatic qualities of this province, and proves what it
could have done with well-chosen animals.
Such is its force of assimilation, that after nourishing some
generations upon its soil, it is able to reform them, and impart that
sacred fire, and that build, which can only come from the nourishment
of its hills.
The department authorities, unwearied by the slight success of their
first attempts, renew their efforts, from year to year, to oppose
the progress of this degeneration, and endeavor to combat it by the
strongest measures.
The department of Eure and Loir, undeterred by the costly and
disastrous failure of the Bonneval breeding stud, continues still its
patriotic work, and keeps up its encouragements, in the form of prizes
to stallions and brood-mares—encouragements to which Orne and Loir, and
Cher, appropriate annually considerable sums.
There was formed, some years ago, at Chateaudun, with the most
disinterested and patriotic design, a powerful association of
proprietors, known under the name of “_The Horse Association of
Perche_,” having for its mission the furnishing of good stallions to
the farmers.
Trotting matches at Illiers, Courtalain, Vendôme, Montdoubleau, and
Mortagne, have been established; but, with all this, a success worthy
of such efforts has not yet been obtained, on account of a lack of
uniformity in the movement.
Competition at the fairs gives but too often the spectacle of _size_
being systematically encouraged; while trotting, in consequence of the
speed required, leads to the employment of English cross-breds. Would
this operation were well directed! But even then, would this English
blood be used in right proportions? I doubt it. When it is used, it
is used too much; for, this blood, if it be not employed with extreme
reserve, an extreme parsimony, if I may so speak, results in injuring
the honest traits and the valuable quality of early maturity; it
destroys, in fact, that precocity of the breed, which enables it at an
early age to pay for its feed by its labor. The breeders are almost
invariably small farmers, and they cannot afford to lose the time
necessary to mature fancy horses; they must have quick sales and quick
returns.
PART II.
OF THE MEANS OF REGENERATING THE PERCHERON HORSE.
[Illustration: Decoration]
Perche, in order to retain its best customers, and not drop to a level
with the common herd of horse-breeders, must at once have recourse to
systematic means of improvement. Her breeders have shown a deplorable
alacrity in the downward course, which has brought upon them the
depreciation in the value of their stock, of which they begin to
perceive the effects.
“Facilis descensus Averno;
Sed revocare gradum,
Hoc opus, hic labor est!”
Unanimity of will and unity of means are both necessary to accomplish
the ascent, and regain the position which the breed has lost. Two
measures present themselves as each essential in accomplishing this
result. The first step is to restore the disturbed equilibrium by a
well-planned and uninterrupted series of crosses, effected within
the breed. This would arrest the evil. The second step should be,
subsequently, to breed up by improving crosses, practised with a wise
and circumspect deliberation. This would be making progress.
At the very outset, and continued parallel with this course of
breeding, a _Stud-book_ should be instituted, in order that all thus
subjected to systematic improvement should be brought together, and
thus initiate a general improvement of the breed. The development of
these ideas will furnish matter for the following chapters.
CHAPTER I.
REGENERATION OF THE PERCHERON BREED.
There are two ways of crossing applicable to any breed, both of which
have had their earnest partisans. So much clamor has been made about
them, I think, only because they have been simultaneously used and
often mingled, and the results have been deranged by their use. This
might have been avoided by commencing with the simplest and continuing
with the best.
The first may be called the renewal of a breed within itself, or
interbreeding; the second, improving by foreign blood. We will pass
them rapidly in review, trying to reach in the results the solid basis
of truth.
[Illustration: Decoration]