Niger

Niger (born in 1869 at the Rouges-Terres stud farm, owned by Constant Forcinal) was a trotter horse originated from a lineage of the now-extinct French Trotter breed. A son of The Norfolk Phœnomenon, he was a grandson or great-grandson of the English stallion The Norfolk Phenomenon. His dam, Miss Bell, was a half-blood mare of English or American origin, reputed to have served Napoleon III. Strongly influenced by the Norfolk Trotter, Niger, a small black stallion with a muscular, rounded body, is described as common-looking, with a large, bushy head. He bequeathed his brilliant gaits to his descendants, particularly at the trot, but also a hereditary respiratory ailment known as cornage. As such, although he is recognized as one of the breed leaders of the French Trotter, Niger became a controversial stallion. His male lineage disappeared at the beginning of the 20th century, but Niger remained the ancestor of the Narquois and Juvigny stallions, in the maternal lineages. History Niger was born in 1869 at Constant Forcinal's famous Rouges-Terres stud farm in Saint-Léonard-des-Parcs, Orne. Forcinal took over the old stallion The Norfolk Phœnomenon, which the Haras Nationaux administration wanted to have slaughtered because of his great age: 22, 23 or 24. Niger is one of the stallion's last descendants. His dam, Miss Bell, of unknown origin but probably English or American, was likely also old at the time of foaling. She is said to have come from the personal stables of Napoleon III, where she was assigned to pull the imperial phaeton.