Persik, born on 1 April 1969 and died on 24 August 2001, was a gray-coated Arabian horse who was the leading sire in the equestrian discipline of endurance from 1975 until his death in 2001.

His eclectic origins include Polish and Russian bloodlines, as well as French and English, in particular the famous Skowronek.

Purchased in 1973 from the Tersk stud farm, Persik was imported to France by Jean Cougul, a breeder from Vigoulet-Auzil, then bought by the Cévennes National Park with the aim of breeding horses suitable for trail riding.

He was the ancestor of many French national and international endurance raid winners, including Melfenik, Arquès Perspex, Flamme d'Avril and Out Law Persik.

[1] The stallion was acquired at an auction in Pyatigorsk, Russia, at the age of 4, in 1973, by Jean Cougul, a French breeder based in Vigoulet-Auzil, Haute-Garonne.

[2] From 1988, the breeders' objectives shifted to the production of purebred Arabian horses for top-level endurance racing.

[6] Persik was stationed for two consecutive seasons at the Picq-Vassas breeding farm, at La Pénarié on the Causse Noir, before the Cévennes National Park (run by Yves Richardier) led his career.

[2] In 1989, an endurance team was created by the national park, exclusively with Persik's offspring born and bred by them.

[3] Out Law Persik, Arquès Perspex and his daughter Flamme d'Avril, dam of Gimini Courthouse, are among his best foals.

[4] His son Melfenik, bred by the Parc National des Cévennes, was runner-up at the 1994 World Equestrian Games with Denis Pesce.

[6] In 2016, out of 113 endurance races run worldwide, 226 horses identified were both descended from Persik and present in the Top Ten.

[18] Persik's presence led to the development of endurance horse breeding and promotion structures in the southern French regions of Lozère, Gard and Hérault, particularly in the Grands Causses and Languedoc garrigues, from 1975 onwards.

[7] He is considered one of France's finest endurance horses, and remains the only one to have won the Florac race two years running.

[21] The project came to fruition in September 2017, with the trunk being carved in three weeks by Willy Niodo, France's champion chainsaw carver.