Percheron
calm, attentive, amenable
Origin
Le Perche, France
Withers height
155–185 cm
Draught workDrivingLeisureShow
Traits & strengths
- ✦more elegant than most draft breeds — Arabian blood in the foundation
- ✦almost no feathering, therefore markedly less prone to pastern dermatitis
- ✦very good movement for a draught horse, sought after in driving sport
- ✦distributed worldwide, large breeding base
Breed-typical predispositions
Melanoma in greys
Disease →the grey genotype carries a high melanoma risk with advancing age — regular checks of the dock, anus and throat
PSSM1 (GYS1)
Disease →widespread in draft lines; low-starch ration and daily movement
Musculoskeletal load through size
Disease →high body mass loads joints and hooves disproportionately — farriery on a fixed schedule
Latest findings
Grey and melanoma (STX17)
2008A duplication in the STX17 gene causes greying and is at the same time linked to the high melanoma risk of grey horses — genetically these are one and the same trait.
Source · Rosengren Pielberg et al. — Nature Genetics