French Trotter - Norman Trotter

Trotting or harness harness racing are now well established throughout the US, Europe, Australia and the countries of the former USSR, though nowhere is it so deeply entrenched as it is in France. Within just over 100 years, a superlative trotting horse and a powerful supportive industry have been developed. The French Trotter(also called a Norman Trotter) stems from Normandy, where horse-breeding has been a traditional and almost inherited skill since before the 12th century.

BREEDING
After the continental trading blockade was raised, following the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte at Waterloo in 1815, the market-wise Normandy breeders began to use their common but tough, all-purpose Norman stock as a foundation for breeding horses for general military use, both riding and light draught, and then, increasingly, to produce specialized horses of both types. Supported by the Administration of National Studs, they imported English Thoroughbreds and, just as importantly in the context of the trotting horse, English half-bred or hunter stallions, which were then unknown in France. They also imported the incomparable Norfolk Roadster the greatest trotter under saddle and in harness in the whole of Europe.

Chief among the early imports was the half-bred Young Rattler (foaled 1811), by the Thoroughbred Rattler, out of a mare with Norfolk Roadster connections. He is often called "the French Messenger", as his influence on the French Trotter was close to that of Messenger, the foundation sire of the American Standardized Young Rattler, together with other half-bred stallions and the essential contribution made by the Roadster, the Norfolk Phenomenon, improved the Norman mares in terms of conformation, movement, and scope, and prepared them for subsequent crossing with English Thoroughbreds.
Thirty years after Young

Rattler, Thoroughbreds such as the Heir of Linne and Sir Quid Pigtail were making their mark. Ultimately, five important bloodlines became established: Conquerant and Normand, both sons of Young Rattler; Lavater, a horse by a Norfolk sire; and the half-breds Phaeton and Fuchsia. Fuchsia, foaled in 1883, sired 400 trotters, and over 100 of
his sons were sires of winners. In due course Standardbred blood was added to give the Trotter more speed, but it has had no effect upon the unique character of the French Trotter, which is a conventional diagonal trotter, unlike the Standardbred, which in almost every instance is a lateral pacer.

In 1937, to protect the qualities of the breed, which can now beat world-class harness-racers, the French Trotter Stud Book vas closed to non-French bred horses. Recently, however, it was partly opened to let in a few French/Standardbred crosses.

TROTTING RACES
The first trotting races for ridden horses were staged on the Champs de Mars in Paris, in 1806. The first proper raceway was built at Cherbourg in the 1830s. Today10 per cent of all French trotting races are still for trotters under saddle. These races encourage a  substantially built horse, which is able to carry a relatively heavy weight, and is perfectly balanced and extremely level in its action. These qualities have been of inestimable value in establishing the essential character of the French Trotter. The premier ridden race in France is the Prix de Cornulier. Like the harness equivalent, the Prix d'Amerique, this is staged at the leading raceway, the Hippodrome de Vincennes. Very occasionally, an exceptional horse wins both races, but so far only four trotters have completed thedouble.

CHARACTERISTICS
Formerly the French Trotter was inclined to be raw-boned, rather coarse, and straight-shouldered. Although it is still a strong horse, retaining the powerful, sloping
quarters typical of the trotting breeds, it is now much finer and closer to the Thoroughbred in appearance with good shoulders which give a long, raking action in front. The breed averages 1.68 m (16.2 hh), the bigger horses are the best ones to ride.

Predominant colors are chestnut, bay, and brown. Breeders have always sought to produce hard animals of great stamina, a quality encouraged by a programme of comparatively long-distance races at tracks such as Vincennes, which combines a downhill stretch and a punishing uphill gradient over the last 914 m (1,000 yds).