How Do I Groom a Percheron?

Percherons used to be the most popular breed of draft horse in the United States until the early 1930s when tractors were invented. They were used for farming and travel because of their calm nature and durability. The Percheron originated in France, but the true roots of the breed are not clearly known. Originally, Percherons were predominately gray, but now many are black in color. The Percheron is still used by Amish to farm.

Things You'll Need

  • Horse brushes
  • Clippers
  • Shoe polish
  • Pulling comb
  • Polish spray (Show Sheen or Pepi Spray)
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Instructions

    • 1

      Brush your Percheron every day. Curry its coat first to lift dead skin and dust. Use a hard brush to knock off thick, stubborn dirt from its coats. Polish the coat with a soft brush.

    • 2

      Comb the Percheron mane and tail. Comb the mane to the right side and keep it 5 to 6 inches long. If the mane gets longer, pull it in very small sections. Grab the longer strands of hair and push up the short hair. Wrap the longer strands around the pulling comb and pull down quickly to remove the longer hair. Comb out the tail only once or twice a week.

    • 3

      Clip your Percheron's muzzle, ear hairs and a bridle path that is about three fingers wide. Clean up any long hairs around the jaw with the clippers as well.

    • 4

      Trim your Percheron's feathers according to his conformation and the skin around his heels. If your Percheron has long pasterns, show them off by completely clipping his feathers. If he has slight thickness through the pastern or fetlock, leave some feathers to distract from the swelling. If your Percheron has a tendency to get scratches, a fungus from the dew, clip all of his hair along his heels, pastern and fetlock to prevent moisture from collecting.

    • 5

      Keep your Percheron's chestnuts soft and peeled down. Use baby oil to keep them soft. Dye the chestnuts black with shoe polish for shows.

    • 6

      Have your Percheron shod every five to six weeks. Look into heavier shoes if you are going to be doing extensive showing. Keep lighter shoes on the horse if you are just going to have fun with him; this way, you will not have to worry about turnout and soundness issues.

    • 7

      Bathe your horse a few times heading up to show to remove the dust and the dead hair that even brushing will not get. After you are done bathing him, spray your horse with a polishing spray, such as Show Sheen or Pepi Spray, to make his coat shine.

    • 8

      Have a professional bun your Percheron's tail at a show. If you have a colt or gelding, you will also need seven rolls and stand ups put into their mane for a show. Fillies and mares just need their manes properly pulled and combed. There are people who professionally do these tasks for a living, and they are easily accessible at shows.