The French Trotter is a French breed of trotting horse bred for

racing In sport, racing is a competition of speed, in which competitors try to complete a given task in the shortest amount of time. Typically this involves traversing some distance, but it can be any other task involving speed to reach a specific go ...

both ridden and in harness. It was bred specifically for racing in the nineteenth century, principally in

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

in north-western France.

History

Ridden trotting races in France were first held at the

Champ de Mars The Champ de Mars (; en, Field of Mars) is a large public greenspace in Paris, France, located in the seventh ''arrondissement'', between the Eiffel Tower to the northwest and the École Militaire to the southeast. The park is named after t ...

of Paris in 1806.

Selective breeding Selective breeding (also called artificial selection) is the process by which humans use animal breeding and plant breeding to selectively develop particular phenotypic traits (characteristics) by choosing which typically animal or plant m ...

of trotting racehorses began in Normandy in the latter half of the nineteenth century. Initial breeding of what would become the French Trotter was based on the local Carrossier Normand, a now-extinct forerunner of the Norman Cob; outside influences were from British Hackney,

Norfolk Trotter The Norfolk Trotter is a historical 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". In 1542, King Henry VIII required the wealthy to keep a ...

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. Thoroughbreds are ...

and half-bred hunter stallions, and later from the American Standardbred. A stud-book for the French Trotter was started in 1906; eligibility for registration was determined by performance. The breed received official recognition in 1922. In 1937 the stud-book was closed to horses not bred in France; a small number of registrations of cross-bred horses with Standardbred blood has since been permitted.

Characteristics

There is no breed standard for the French Trotter. It is compact and of medium size – usually between about 154 and at the

withers The withers is the ridge between the shoulder blades of an animal, typically a quadruped. In many species, it is the tallest point of the body. In horses and dogs, it is the standard place to measure the animal's height. In contrast, cattle a ...

– and is most often chestnut or bay. The shoulder is sloped and the

sternum The sternum or breastbone is a long flat bone located in the central part of the chest. It connects to the ribs via cartilage and forms the front of the rib cage, thus helping to protect the heart, lungs, and major blood vessels from injury. Sha ...

prominent. The facial profile is straight. Despite the influence of the American Standardbred, which is predominantly a lateral pacing breed, the French Trotter performs an ordinary diagonal trot. It has greater stamina and endurance than the Standardbred; it reaches maturity more slowly, but may have a longer life as a racer. It can carry considerable weight, and excels in mounted racing at the trot.

Use

Approximately one third of the foals born each year are eventually selected for racing. They may be raced either in harness to sulkies, or ridden; about ninety per cent of races are in harness. The principal French trotting races are the for ridden trotters, and the Prix d'Amérique for sulky racers. A few horses excel in both types of race; by 1995, four horses had won the top prize in both disciplines. The horses not selected as racers may be used for riding, for

trekking Backpacking is the outdoor recreation of carrying gear on one's back, while hiking for more than a day. It is often an extended journey, and may involve camping outdoors. In North America tenting is common, where simple shelters and mountain h ...

, in show-jumping or for mounted hunting.

References

{{Horse breeds of France Horse breeds Horse breeds originating in France Harness racing