- French Trotter -

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.

The French Trotter excels at both ridden and driven trotting races, and maintains a particularly balanced and level stride. Through interbreeding with the Thoroughbred, the conformation of the Trotter's shoulders has improved and become less upright, allowing for a longer stride. They also have very good stamina. The first trotting races in France took place in the 1830s at Cherbourg and since then the sport has increased rapidly in popularity, which is mirrored by the increasing production of the French Trotter.

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. They tend to be chestnut or bay in color, but can be any solid color, and stand approximately 16.2 hands high.

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