The first horses in Normandy are thought to be the small Bidet brought in by the Celts. The Romans then cross bred them with larger mares and created the Norman horse. Both breeds are strong and warm blooded; good natured and hard working.
In the centuries that followed Normandy breeders became equestrian alchemists, cross breeding the warm blooded mares with stallions from hot blooded breeds to meet the needs of the day. In the process some breeds were created only to become extinct, not only lost in translation during the breeding process, but also with the rise of mechanisation. To say the matter of Normandy horse bloodlines is complicated is an understatement, even the breeders openly admit there is little they can say is pure.
In 1806 Napoleon opened the national stud at Saint- Lo (48 miles West of Caen ) Around the same time the Kings Stud (the Versailles for horses) dating back to 1715 was revitalised as the Le Pin national stud (30 miles South of Falaise) Today, both are open to the public.