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User Login Email: Password:    » Forgot Password?  » New Member Sign Up Visitors Online: Today's Visits: Yesterday's Visits: Horses Menu Home Horses For Sale Welcome to French Trotter ! You are here: Terrific-Horses.com > Horse Breeds > French Trotter Book Search: French Trotter Description The French Trotter was developed in Normandy, France. In 1815, after the continental trading blockade was lifted, the Normandy breeders began to breed horses using the all-purpose Norman stock of horses as a foundation. These horses were going to be used for military use in light draft work and riding. The Normandy breeders began importing the English Thoroughbreds and some trotting horses such as the Norfolk Roadster, English half-Thoroughbred or hunter stallions. A stallion named Young Rattler, foaled in 1811 by the Thoroughbred Rattler and a mare with Norfolk Roadster background, became an important link at improving the Norman mare stock. The Young Rattler helped the Norman mare stock to improve conformation, movement, and scope. The Norman mare stock was then bred with the English Thoroughbreds extensively.After thirty years of breeding, five distinct bloodlines had evolved. Through Young Rattler were the bloodlines Conquerant and Normand. The Lavater bloodline came through a Norfolk Roadster sire and the Phaeton and Fuchsia came from half-breds. Fuchsia alone sired over 400 trotters. Over 100 of his sons were sires of winners. Later to give the French Trotter more speed the influence of the Standardbred was added. The addition of this breed did not influence the French Trotter’s unique trot, which is a conventional diagonal trot. The French Trotter Stud Book was closed in 1937 to protect the qualities of this breed to non-French-bred horses, which were now world-class harness racers. However recently the studbook was partly opened to allow a few French and Standardbred crosses. In 1806 the first ridden trotting races for the French Trotter were held in Paris, France at Champs de Mars. In the 1830s a proper raceway was built at Cherbourg. Of the trotting races held in France today, 10 percent are still ridden trotting races. The premier ridden race is called the Prix de Cornulier and is raced at the Hippodrome de Vincennes racetrack. The winner of the Prix de Cornulier race receives FF700,000. The premier harness race is the Prix d’Amerique. There have been only four exceptional horses that have won both races. The French Trotter is a strong horse with powerful, sloping quarters. The French Trotter is much like the Thoroughbred in appearance with long, raking action and good shoulders. The average height of the breed is 16.2 hh and the best-ridden trotters are the bigger horses. The French Trotter is hard animal with lots of stamina. The national studs are the main breeding centers of Le Pin and Saint Lo. Also known as: Trotteur francais, Anglo-Norman Trotter, Norman Trotter Google Ads

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