A work or coach horse, the Percheron has origins steeped in oriental blood following the introduction of Arab stallions from the 8th century. It is, therefore, described as an Arabian swollen by the local climate and the rusticity of the work to which it has been employed for centuries. Its original breeding area extends in the south of Normandy between Mortagne in the Orne department and La Ferté-Bernard in the Sarthe department. This region on the borders of the Orne, Eure, Eure-et-Loir, Loir-et-Cher, and Sarthe departments is centered on the Huisne valley that waters the capital of the breed: Nogent-le-Rotrou. The Percheron's breeding has now spread to many regions of France and abroad (United States, Japan, Germany, Argentina, Great Britain, etc).