The Norfolk Trotter is a historical

horse breed A horse breed is a selectively bred population of domesticated horses, often with pedigrees recorded in a breed registry. However, the term is sometimes used in a broader sense to define landrace animals of a common phenotype located within a lim ...

once native to East Anglia and

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. It was said to be "a large-sized trotting harness horse originating in and around Norfolk". In 1542,

King Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disag ...

required the wealthy to keep a specified number of trotting-horse stallions. The breed was well established in Norfolk, and later became known as the Norfolk Trotter. The most influential sire in its history is the half-bred stallion Shales (foaled 1755), also known as "Old Shales". Shales' Thoroughbred sire, Blaze (foaled 1733), was a son of the great racehorse

Flying Childers Flying Childers (1715–1741) was a famous undefeated 18th-century thoroughbred racehorse, foaled in 1714 at Carr House, Warmsworth, Doncaster, and is sometimes considered as the first truly great racehorse in the history of thoroughbreds and the ...

(a descendant of the

Darley Arabian The Darley Arabian (foaled c. 1700) was one of three dominant foundation sires of modern Thoroughbred horse racing bloodstock. The other two founders were the Godolphin Arabian and the Byerley Turk. This bay Arabian horse was bought in Aleppo, ...

, one of the three foundation sires of the Thoroughbred). The Norfolk Trotter became the all-around travel horse in England at this time. In Yorkshire, the same breed was known as the Yorkshire Trotter. Both breeds were also known as roadsters. The term Norfolk/Yorkshire Roadster/Trotter is seen commonly in breed-history books; regardless of the name, all are the same breed of horse. They were used under saddle as the quickest means of travel in areas with no established roads. The breed was known for its ability to carry a heavy man for great distances at speeds up to 17 mph. Trotting races (usually under saddle), were very popular in the early part of the 19th century, and Norfolk Trotters excelled in them. A Norfolk Trotter stallion, Bellfounder, was imported to America in 1822, and proved a major influence in the founding of the

Standardbred The Standardbred is an American horse breed best known for its ability in harness racing, where members of the breed compete at either a trot or pace. Developed in North America, the Standardbred is recognized worldwide, and the breed can trace i ...

by becoming the dam sire of

Hambletonian 10 Hambletonian 10, or Rysdyk's Hambletonian, (May 5, 1849 – March 27, 1876) was an American trotter and a founding sire of the Standardbred horse breed. The stallion was born in Sugar Loaf, New York, on 5 May 1849. Hambletonian has been induc ...

. Norfolk Trotters also strongly influenced today's modern Hackney horse.
Hackney history. Accessed February 7, 2011.

References

{{British horses Extinct horse breeds Norfolk Horse breeds originating in England Horse breeds