Flying Childers
In 1542, King Henry VIII required the wealthy to keep a specified number of trotting-horse stallions. The breed was well established in Norfolk, and later became known as the Norfolk Trotter. The most influential sire in its history is the half-bred stallion Shales (foaled 1755), also known as "Old Shales". Shales' Thoroughbred sire, Blaze (foaled 1733), was a son of the great racehorse Flying Childers (a descendant of the Darley Arabian, one of the three foundation sires of the Thoroughbred).