Canadian horse

The Canadian Horse

The Canadian Horse is a breed of horse developed in Canada. Although previously relatively unknown due to its rarity, the Canadian Horse has influenced many other North American breeds, including the Morgan, American Saddlebred, and Standardbred. Although there have been several times when the breed almost went extinct, now the Canadian Horse has many enthusiasts within and outside of Canada.

The Canadian Horse gave rise to the Canadian Pacer, which has had a profound impact on many of the gaited breeds of today.

Breed characteristics

The old-style Canadian Horse resembles the Morgan. It is very muscular, compact and stout, with a cresty neck and naturally animated gaits. Also like the Morgan, they are known for having a heavy and wavy mane and tail, good bone and excellent quality feet. The breed is known for soundness, hardiness and endurance. They are willing horses and easy keepers.

Most Canadian Horses are black, with bay, chestnut or brown (a type of dark bay) being less common. Their height ranges on average from 14 to 16 hands. [1]

History

A Canadian Horse

The Canadian Horse descended from the French stock Louis XIV sent to Canada in the late 17th century. His goal was to develop a breeding program in the colony, only 2 stallions and 12 mares were sent in 1665. Louis sent more shipments until 1671, bringing the total number of horses to around 82. The exact origins of all the horses are unknown, with many believing most of the horses were Breton or Norman in breeding, but some included Andalusian blood, but the only certainty was they all came from France's population.

The horses were leased to farmers for money or in exchange for a foal (although they remained the property of the king for three years). In 1679, there were 145 horses. In 1696, the number of horses in the colony had tripled. In 1763, there were around 13 000 horses in New-France. The horses thrived despite low comfort, hard work, and bad roads, and eventually developed the nicknames "the little iron horse" and "the horse of steel".

During the 1800s, breeders bred different types of Canadian crosses such as the Canadian Pacer, an amalgamation with the Narragansett Pacers, the "Frencher", a TB cross with hotter blood used as saddle horses or roadsters, and the "St. Lawrence", a much heavier draft type, in order to meet a variety of needs.

In the early 19th century, thousands of horses were exported to United-States of America, for both the Civil War and also to use as breeding stock to create roadsters and stock for the growing stagecoach lines. Others were exported to the West Indies for use on the sugar plantations. Unfortunately, mass exports lead to a precipitous drop in the breed population in Canada in the 1870s, and the stud book was opened in 1886 to preserve the breed and prevent possible extinction. The Canadian Horse Breeders' Association was formed in 1895.

In 1913, the Canadian government began a breeding center in Cap Rouge, Quebec. In 1919, this facility was outgrown so the breeding program was transferred to St. Joachim, QC, where it was operated jointly by the Canadian and QC provincial governments. In 1940, World War II brought an end to the federal breeding program at St. Joachim. At that time, the Quebec government purchased several of the horses and created their own provincial breeding program at Deschambault. In the 60's, they worked to breed a taller, more refined horse, who would be suitable as a hunter or jumper. During this time, other private breeders worked to preserve the original type, the Henryville line being an example of this.

Eventually the Deschambault herd was sold at auction in 1981. The breed was in danger of disappearing for a second time, with less than 400 horses in the breed register, and fewer than 50 new registrations being recorded per year. However, dedicated breeders rescued the Canadian Horse. The new registrations were around 50 per year in 1980 and then were over 500 new registrations per year in 1999-2000. Since 2000, the new registrations are stable to 450-500 per year. There are now more than 6000 horses registered.

Uses of the Canadian Horse

Today, many Canadian Horses are bred for driving, at which they excel. They are also good all-rounders, competing in dressage, jumping, ranch work, and long-distance riding.

On April 30, 2002, a bill was passed into law by the Canadian Government making the Canadian Horse an official animal symbol of Canada [2][3]. In addition to the Beaver, the Canadian Horse is commonly seen as an animal symbol representing Canada especially in connection with images of red-coated Mounties.

External links

• Canadian Horse Breeders Association
• Canadien Horse Breeders of Ontario
• Canadian Horse Heritage and Preservation Society