 From the 1830s to the interwar period ( 1919 – 1939 ) , the Anglo @-@ Norman was one of the main horses used by the French cavalry . Although author Alfred <unk> stated that it was a good breed for this use , many opposing scholars argued that this was not the case . Military requirements conflicted with Norman breeders , as the carriage horses preferred by the breeders were very different from the style sought by the military , which required fast horses with stamina and agility . According to military equestrian Denis Bogros , the economic weight of the Norman horse breeders was such as they negatively influenced the effectiveness of the French army until the early 20th century , producing only large , overweight trotters that became fatigued more easily than Barbs or Arabians . Bogros states that breeders of Norman horses managed to deceive the French government , through powerful lobbying groups , by selling the military rejects from the breeding programs . The Anglo @-@ Norman was a commercial success as carriage horses , but proved worthless for the cavalry . This led to the creation of the Société du cheval de guerre ( Society of the War Horse ) , which in 1906 severely criticized the use of the Anglo @-@ Norman . Bogros considered the Anglo @-@ Arabians bred near Tarbes to be much more useful for the military . 
