My husband Marty and I have owned other breeds of horses for most of our lives, but like many others, we were unaware that Canada had its own unique heritage breed until we were first introduced to the Canadian Horse in 1999. Then it was love at first sight - we were instantly captivated by the breed’s beauty, intelligence and resilience, and intrigued by their history.

Since that time our small farm has become home to four purebred Canadian Horses and one part-bred. Our summers have been spent enjoying our horses, helping with organizing Canadian Horse events, and attending shows; our winters hunting down old books, articles, drawings and photographs – anything and everything to help unravel and share the history of this unique breed. We were very excited to have been part of the celebration of our breed’s long overdue acknowledgment for its role in the development of our country. In April, 2002, almost 350 years after arriving on our shores, the Canadian Horse was officially recognized by law as the National Horse of Canada.

The story of the Canadian Horse begins in May, 1665, when the French sun king, Louis XIV sent the first horses to New France to be distributed among the military officers, government officials and religious communities of the colony. After nine perilous and stormy weeks at sea, two stallions and twelve mares set hoof on the shores of New France at Tadoussac on July 16, 1665. This first shipment was followed by fourteen horses in 1667 and a final shipment of another stallion and eleven mares in 1670.

While no one yet knows the lineage of these royal stallions and mares, we know that in that era, France was enjoying a renaissance of horse breeding and the equestrian arts. The classical riding School of Versailles had been established, and Louis XIV’s minister, Jean Colbert, had just created the Haras Nationaux (national stud) to encourage the breeding of good French mares to the best stallions. Iberian, Oriental and Netherlands stallions were imported to cross with native French mares – Norman, Breton, Areigois, Cotentin, Limousin - to produce elegant, durable mounts for the Royal Guard, the cavalry, and the equestrian arts.

Luckily, records and artwork from the past survive to tell us what the king’s horses looked like. New World missionary, Louis Nicholas, saw one of the first stallions to arrive in New France and recorded in his diary that this stallion was one of the most beautiful he had ever seen. A century later, Dutch-Canadian artist, Cornelius Krieghoff, painted the descendants of the kings’ horses on his canvas, and French historian, Etienne Faillon, captured the essence of the breed with his pen: “small but robust, hocks of steel, thick mane floating in the wind, bright and lively eyes, pricking sensitive ears at the least noise, going along day or night with the same courage, wide awake beneath its harness, spirited, good, gentle, affectionate, following his road with finest instinct to come surely to his own stable.”

Northern French territory in those times included not only Quebec but what is now Vermont, New York, Michigan and Illinois. French horses found their way to the seigneuries, to French settlements at Chimney Point and Crown Point on the shores of Lake Champlain, and to the Jesuit mission farms near Detroit and on the shores of the Illinois River.

Of all the domestic animals of New France, it was the horses that thrived in their new austere environment above all others, and became most valuable to the colonists. In spite of ongoing battles in the New World between competing European powers, the tough French horses from Canada earned the admiration of the colonists and were sought after for their thriftiness and endurance. Their surefootedness made them the favorite packers of the Dutch traders, and of the surveyors who mapped the great North American wilderness. By 1760, horse traders from the south, including Benedict Arnold, were coming to Montreal in the winter and driving large numbers of Canadian Horses over the ice of Lake Champlain to New York. Some were sold in the American colonies, others shipped off to work on the sugar plantations of the West Indies. In Quebec, the horse’s hauled wood, brought in the harvest and maple sugar, worked in the grinding mills, and provided much needed transportation over the ice of frozen rivers during the long cold winter months. It was near Montreal, in sleigh races across the ice, that the North American sport of harnessing racing began.

Ironically, the popularity of the Canadian Horse almost caused its demise as a distinct breed. Throughout the 1800s, increasing numbers of Canadian Horses, including the best stallions, were sold to the United States and found their way into the foundation stock of other breeds such as the Morgan, Tennessee Walker, American Saddlebred and Standardbred. Two of the most famous Canadian stallions to leave Canada were Old Pilot (1829), and St. Lawrence (1846). With the outbreak of the U.S. Civil War in 1861, even more horses were sold south to supply the Union Army. By the end of the war in 1865, at least 30,000 Canadian Horses had been exported for army service.

Slowly but surely, Canadian breeders began to realize the impact of losing their best stock. Successive generations of export and out-crossing with other kinds of horses had taken their toll, and few representatives of the horse that Faillon described could be found. Concerned individuals, led by distinguished Quebec agronomist, Edouard Barnard, took steps to save the Canadian Horse from extinction. While the work progressed slowly, their efforts eventually paid off. In 1886, the first registry was founded, and Edouard’s beloved stallion ‘Lion of Canada’ became #1 - the first registered Canadian Horse.

In 1895, the Canadian Horse Breeders Association (La Société des Eleveurs de Chevaux Canadiens) was formed. Unfortunately, following Edouard’s death in 1898, the registry and association lost direction and horses of non-Canadian ancestry were admitted to the studbooks. Then, with the passing of the federal Livestock Pedigree Act in 1905, all breed associations in Canada were encouraged to incorporate under one umbrella, to standardize registration procedures, and scrutinize their existing herd books. Dr. Couture, a former associate of Edouard, seized the opportunity to obtain support for the preservation of the old Canadian Horse and appealed to Dr. Rutherford, Canada’s first Veterinary Director General and Live Stock Commissioner. Dr. Rutherford agreed. He called for restoring the integrity of the breed by dissolving the existing Canadian Horse stud book, and creating a new book of foundation stock. Only those horses that could pass a strict inspection for conformation and type would be permitted entry.

In 1913, the federal government established a stud farm in Quebec at Cap Rouge, followed by a second at St. Joachim in 1919. Breeding programs to revitalize the Canadian Horse breed were undertaken, but by the end of 1940, Canada was heavily involved in World War II. Tractors and motor vehicles were rapidly replacing the horse in agriculture, transportation and the military. The government lost interest in horse breeding and disbanded the federally sponsored stud farms.

The Quebec Department of Agriculture purchased some stock and continued with a smaller breeding program at Deschambeault research farm. The rest were sold to private breeders who often did not register their stock. With the rise in popularity and publicity of other light horse breeds, national awareness of our own unique Canadian Horse declined. By the late 1970s only about 400 registered individuals remained. In November 1981, the remaining forty-four Canadian Horses at Deschambeault farm were sold at auction.

Once again, the alarm bell sounded for the fate of the Canadian Horse. In order to revive the breed, one measure taken by the association was to temporarily re-open the stud books to mares of known, but unrecorded Canadian ancestry and type. Existing registered purebred stallions would sire future generations. Another set of inspections, conducted by government-appointed inspectors, was set up. A mare, upon passing inspection, was given the status of “souche” or foundation mare, and provided she was bred to a 100% Canadian stallion, her fillies could be registered, but would carry an S prefix to their name. Her colts had to be gelded. After four successive generations of breeding female progeny to purebred Canadian stallions, the S prefix could finally be dropped. For colts one more generation of breeding to a purebred stallion was required before they could be registered as stallions. This program ended in 1984 and the stud books were again closed. Since then, all Canadian Horses registered must come from two registered purebred Canadian parents.

Although still endangered, thanks to the efforts of dedicated breeders, owners and admirers, the Canadian Horse is making a remarkable recovery, and now claims almost 5000 registered individuals. In spite of dwindling to only a few hundred horses and a handful of stallions in the 1970s, a genetic study conducted by researchers at the University of Guelph, Ontario in 2000, shows that the breed still maintains better genetic health than some other major breeds, and is free from any known genetic defects.

Today’s Canadian Horse, while sometimes taller, still remains true to its original type, and closely resembles the spirited horse captured by Faillon’s pen over 150 years ago. A Canadian Horse typically stands 14 to 16 hands high, weighs 1000 to 1300 pounds, and is generally black in color with few, if any, white markings. Bays, chestnut, and occasionally rare champagne colors are also found within the breed. The ideal Canadian has a finely chiseled head, strong arched neck, a long sloping shoulder, short back with well-muscled hindquarters, strong, flat-boned legs and exceptionally hard, strong hooves. The distinctive hallmark of the breed is its long, thick wavy mane and tail. The mane is often so thick that it falls on both sides of the neck and hangs below its shoulder, the tail so long that it touches the ground. Canadian Horses are confident, intelligent, hard working, and sociable, and still have all the endurance and adaptability of their ancestors. In 1990, two purebred Canadian Horses, a nine year old mare, and a three year old gelding, spent eight weeks in the sub-zero temperatures of the Arctic when they accompanied the POLARLYS Expedition to Cornwallis Island.
True to their history, Canadian Horses excel in Combined Driving Events at the international level. The breed can also be found successfully competing or working in all disciplines - from reining, cutting, and endurance riding, to dressage and jumping. Its powerful hindquarters and athletic ability make the Canadian Horse an ideal candidate for ranch work or collected movements. While formerly found in any numbers only in eastern Canada, Canadian Horses can now be found across North America. The national Canadian Horse Breeders Association (CHBA) boasts almost one thousand members, with one tenth of those living in the United States.

The CHBA has done everything possible to ensure that the Canadian Horse never again comes close to extinction. Artificial insemination by either cooled or frozen semen is permitted, as is embryo transplant. This helps to ensure that the rarest bloodlines within the breed will survive and the best stallions can be available to breeders across great distances. This past season, we were able to have the semen of our young stallion, who is one of only three reproducing sons of his deceased sire, successfully frozen, tested, recorded and stored for future use. DNA testing is mandatory and foals must be identified by microchip or tattoo.

For more information on the Canadian Horse, please visit our website at www.legacycanadians.com or the CHBA website at www.chevalcanadien.com. Or if you’re in BC this summer, plan on attending any one of the three or four Canadian Horse breed shows in different areas of the province. Besides regular halter and performance classes, breed specialty classes such as Heritage Costume, and the grueling Iron Horse class, in which horses must pull a stone-boat, trot a mile in harness, and negotiate an obstacle course under saddle, are always fun to watch. See you there!

R Salinas