French Trotter
Encyclopedia
The French Trotter is a horse breed
from Normandy
, France, developed in the 19th century from Norman horses with the addition of some English Thoroughbred
and Norfolk Trotter
blood.
The early Trotters were rather heavier and coarser than they are now, bearing a greater resemblance to their Normandy ancestors, but infusions of Thoroughbred blood have greatly refined the. Early significant influences on the development of the breed were by the stallion Young Rattler, foaled in 1811, who was by the Thoroughbred, Rattler, out of a mare with a high percentage of Norfolk Roadster blood.
Eventually five impressive Trotting lines were established and these were due to the stallions Conquerant, Lavater, Normand, Phaeton, and Fuchsia. Although there have been infusions of American Standardbred blood, the French Trotter has retained its unusual habit of trotting on the diagonal, rather than adopting the lateral pacing of the Standardbred.
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.
and weighs 500 to 650 kg (1,102.3 to 1,433 lb). It can be any solid color - usually chestnut
, bay or brown
.
The Trotters are bred for functional, not aesthetic purposes and there is quite some variation of physical characteristics within the breed. However, in general terms, they tend to have a slightly heavy and large head, which is plain, but not unattractive.
The neck is of good proportional length, and is well set to shoulders which are becoming increasingly sloped. The withers are usually quite rounded, the back broad and strong, with extremely muscular quarters. The legs are very well conformed, being strong and muscular with good joints, hard, dense bone and very hard hooves.
Horse breed
Horse breed is a broad term with no clear consensus as to definition, but most commonly refers to selectively bred populations of domesticated horses, often with pedigrees recorded in a breed registry. However, the term is sometimes used in a very broad sense to define landrace animals, or...
from Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
, France, developed in the 19th century from Norman horses with the addition of some English Thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
and Norfolk Trotter
Norfolk Trotter
The Norfolk Trotter is an extinct horse breed once native to East Anglia and Norfolk, England. It was said to be "a large-sized trotting harness horse originating in and around Norfolk"....
blood.
History
Horses in France first began to be selectively bred for trotting races in the early to mid-1800s.The French Trotter developed primarily from Norman stock which was crossed with English Thoroughbred and half-bred hunter types, Norfolk Roadster, and some American Standardbred. The French Trotter is sometimes referred to as a Norman Trotter, due to the influence of the Old Norman horse on the breed's development.The early Trotters were rather heavier and coarser than they are now, bearing a greater resemblance to their Normandy ancestors, but infusions of Thoroughbred blood have greatly refined the. Early significant influences on the development of the breed were by the stallion Young Rattler, foaled in 1811, who was by the Thoroughbred, Rattler, out of a mare with a high percentage of Norfolk Roadster blood.
Eventually five impressive Trotting lines were established and these were due to the stallions Conquerant, Lavater, Normand, Phaeton, and Fuchsia. Although there have been infusions of American Standardbred blood, the French Trotter has retained its unusual habit of trotting on the diagonal, rather than adopting the lateral pacing of the Standardbred.
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.
Breed characteristics
There is no breed standard for the French Trotter. It stands from 1.55 metre at the withersWithers
The withers is the ridge between the shoulder blades of a four-legged animal. In many species it is the tallest point of the body, and in horses and dogs it is the standard place to measure the animal's height .-Horses:The withers in horses are formed by the dorsal spinal processes of roughly the...
and weighs 500 to 650 kg (1,102.3 to 1,433 lb). It can be any solid color - usually chestnut
Chestnut (coat)
Chestnut is a hair coat color of horses consisting of a reddish-to-brown coat with a mane and tail the same or lighter in color than the coat. Genetically and visually, chestnut is characterized by the absolute absence of true black hairs...
, bay or brown
Seal brown
Seal brown is a rich dark brown color, resembling the color of the dyed fur from the fur seal.-Usage:The specifications for the U.S. Army Air Corps Type A-2 jacket , adopted in 1931 and the most familiar among all leather flight jackets, stated that it should be made of horsehide tanned to seal brown...
.
The Trotters are bred for functional, not aesthetic purposes and there is quite some variation of physical characteristics within the breed. However, in general terms, they tend to have a slightly heavy and large head, which is plain, but not unattractive.
The neck is of good proportional length, and is well set to shoulders which are becoming increasingly sloped. The withers are usually quite rounded, the back broad and strong, with extremely muscular quarters. The legs are very well conformed, being strong and muscular with good joints, hard, dense bone and very hard hooves.