 With the mechanization of transport and the military in the 20th century , the Anglo @-@ Norman was no longer in demand as a carriage and military horse . In addition , World War II and the German occupation of France caused significant damage to the Norman homeland of the breed as fighting destroyed farms and killed half of the horses at the National Stud at Saint @-@ Lô . Most of the surviving were of the Norman Cob breed , and horses lost their status as animals of luxury and leisure . Many farms were left in ruins , and breeders were left rethinking their breeding aims . Certain provisions of the Marshall Plan convinced them not to focus on breeding draft horses , and that type began to disappear . Instead , emphasis shifted toward producing horses for equestrian sports , and a stud book was created for the Anglo @-@ Norman breed on December 7 , 1950 , at Saint @-@ Lô . In the 1950s and 1960s , the Anglo @-@ Norman became a major force in international equine competition . At the 1964 Summer Olympics , the Anglo @-@ Norman Lutteur B won a gold medal in show jumping . 
