In the early 20th century, the Percheron was one of the four major draft horse breeds, along with the Belgian, the Clydesdale and the Shire.
They were used to improve both the Ardennes and Vladimir Heavy Draft horses, and to create the Spanish-Norman breed, a cross between the Andalusian and the Percheron.
The French Société Hippique Percheronne de France (Percheron Horse Society of France) registered between 750 and 885 horses in each year between 2007 and 2010.
In the mid-19th century in the United States, Percheron stallions were crossed with homebred mares to improve the local stock, resulting in thousands of crossbred horses.
Large numbers of Percherons were imported to the United States beginning in the early 1870s, and they became popular with draft horse breeders and owners.
Between 1880 and 1920, Percheron breeders in France exported horses all over the world, including South Africa, South America, Australia and North America.
The 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s were bad years for the US Percheron population, and breeding was reduced to only a few farms.
In 1906 alone, over 13,000 horses were imported to the United States from France.
The lack of feathering on the Percheron's lower legs made them easier to care for in the mud that they often worked in during wartime.
Early histories of the breed point to two gray Arabian stallions from Le Pin, Godolphin and Gallipoly, as the blood that helped to restart Percheron breeding.
Between 1789 and the early 1800s, the Percheron was in danger of becoming extinct as horse breeding was suppressed during the French Revolution and its aftermath.
Although the first importations of Percherons were less than successful, the remaining stallion, named Diligence, was credited with siring almost 400 foals.
In addition, many existing horses were lost as people were too poor to purchase or care for large draft horses.
British breeders and owners continue to import Percherons from France, and also occasionally from Canada, when not prohibitively expensive.
