 Intended for the luxury carriage trade, Contentin horses were larger and slower than trotting horses bred for racing.Standing , the type was almost always black in color, allowing drivers to easily form matched teams.Until 1775, Cotentin horses were unrivaled in popularity in France and some other parts of Europe as carriage horses, and remained one of the most popular carriage horse breeds in the world until the early 19th century, when they disappeared due to unchecked crossbreeding.