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The Canadian - Little Horse of Iron
A Winter
Sleighride - Canadream Farm |
France has a
long history of breeding exceptional horses which dates back
to antiquity. Cave paintings throughout France show that
horses have been a part of everyday life since prehistoric
times. Julius Caesar wrote in 58 B.C.E. about the elegant,
well-bred horses of Gaul. The small Asturcone breed from
the Pyrenees Mountains was highly prized throughout Europe
and was exported to the British Isles where they contributed
greatly to the founding of the Galloway Pony. The medieval
Norman Horse was crossed with the Arabian & Barb playing a
role in the development of the Percheron. In the 1500s, the
English army obtained over 10,000 horses from the
Netherlands for use in the Thirty Years War against France
and her allies. The Dutch horses were prized for their
ability to outwork the English horses three to one.
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During the
17th century, Flemmish horses known for their
strength were brought to Poitou to work in draining the
marshes. The Cotentin and the Breton horses were renowned
for their smooth, active gaits and their ability to thrive
under the harshest conditions. The Canadian Horse exhibits
qualities of these early horses along with the Breton, the
Friesian, the Merens & the Murgese breeds.
Louis XIV
founded the Equestrian School of Versailles & the Haras
Nationaux, the National Stud Farm in France in 1665. Using
imported Iberian stallions of impeccable breeding, Louis XIV
bred his finest French mares to produce elegant & durable
mounts for the cavalry, his Maison Royale & for the
equestrian arts. When completed, his stables at the Palace
of Versailles housed over six-hundred royal horses. It was
from these stables that Louis XIV selected horses to send to
New France.
In May of 1665, King Louis XIV sent a shipment of royal
horses to New France for officers of the Carignan-Salieres
regiment. Over the next six years further shipments were
sent carrying royal stallions & mares totalling eighty-one
horses. |
"Kelbeck" - Legacy Canadians
"Duc" - Demi Farm
"Cactus" - Willow View |
"Cactus" - Willow View
"Tonnerre"
-
Ferme
Franchère
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These horses
flourished in their new environment. By 1698, their numbers
were close to seven-hundred. They adapted to long hours of
hard work & were indispensable to the colonists. In addition
to providing transportation, the horses hauled wood, were
used for ploughing, worked the harvests & toiled in the
grist mills. In the winter months when the rivers were
frozen, it was not uncommon for these horses to draw a
sleigh over the ice for more than ninety miles in a single
day. They endured many hardships, from bitterly cold winters
to hoards of voracious black flies & mosquitoes in summer
months. Often working long hours with little or no rest,
subsisting on poor & meagre feed, these horses survived &
multiplied. Gaining a reputation for their hardiness &
stamina they soon were in high demand by the British
settlers who wished to cross-breed them with their own
horses. Described as being easy to keep, long lived &
capable of great endurance their solid reputation was well
deserved. The horses that were taken to the western
settlements at Detroit & in the Illinois area were furnished
by New France. |
These
Canadians, as they became known, were allowed to run free in
large herds & were only brought in for work. Many of these
Canadians were known to have escaped to run with the
Mustangs of the American Plains. There is no doubt these
sturdy horses have had an impact on the Mustang we know
today.
The horses that came from France were
both trotters & pacers. It is sometimes suggested that
pacing Canadians were descended from the Narragansett
Pacers. This is not the case. Although due to the varied
breeding practices of the time, the Canadian Horse exhibited
several types, but there was no other blood infused in to
the breed for almost one-hundred & fifty years. The pure
breed that existed in 1850 was scarcely altered from its
prototype of one-hundred years before. It is also incorrect
to attribute all the credit for the American trotters to the
horses of England. The French horses enjoyed a reputation as
trotters for generations & much Canadian blood is
responsible for the trotters of today.
The Canadian Pacer contributed greatly to the development of
the American Saddlebred & many purebred French Canadian
horses were entered into the early studbooks of the American
Saddlebred, the Morgan, & the Standardbred. The Missouri
Foxtrotter & the Tennessee Walking-Horse can also claim
Canadian ancestry. |
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"Kelbeck" - Legacy Canadians
Foal -
Ferme Franchère |
During the
Civil War vast numbers of Canadian Horses were imported into
America. At this same time draft horses were brought into
Canada for farm work. Although the Canadian was easily
worked hard, it was not thought of as a work horse. It was
never considered a light breed but was more of a medium
frame like the Morgan & as such were often sold as Morgans
in the United States. Some breeders practiced docking the
tails of their Canadians, weighting their feet and then
selling them as Hackneys. Hundreds were sent to Africa as
cavalry mounts where they adapted well to the different
climate & survived diseases that killed off many European
horses. None of these Canadians ever returned home to
Canadian soil.
The popularity of the Canada’s “Little Horse of Iron” almost
led to their demise. By the end of the nineteenth century,
the breed was in danger of extinction. A handful of
concerned admirers lead by Dr. J. A. Couture, DVM, & Edouard
A. Barnard made a gallant attempt to preserve what remained
of the breed in Canada. Their efforts culminated in the
creation of the first stud book in 1886. However, it was not
until 1895 that the Canadian Horse Breeders Association was
formed & expansion began to take place. The first registered
Canadian Horse was Edouard’s stallion, “Lion of Canada”. In
1907 Dr. J. G. Rutherford, the Federal Government Livestock
Commissioner, started a new stud book with improved
standards. In 1913 the Federal Ministry of Agriculture
established a breeding program at Cap Rouge, Quebec where
“Albert de Cap Rouge” one of the foundation studs was bred.
The breeding facility was later moved east of Quebec City to
St. Joachim where it remained until it was closed in 1940.
The Quebec Government re-established the stud under the
Provincial Department of Agriculture in Deschambault,
Quebec, but in 1979, the Deschambault herd was sold at
auction & the Canadian Horse numbered less than 400
registered horses. Today the breed still struggles.
Fortunately due to the efforts of dedicated breeders the
Canadian Horse now numbers at over 2,500 registered horses. |
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Today’s Canadian is making a solid comeback. It has
become renowned as an ideal all purpose mount. The
Canadian shows strength as a natural jumper & is
merit as a trotter is not easily dismissed.
Endurance as well as hardiness, intelligence &
physical strength are qualities of the Canadian
which is drawing the interest of horsemen & women
across Canada & the United States. The Canadian
excels in many disciplines & can be seen in the
Hunter/Jumper arena, in Endurance Riding, Dressage,
Driving & many Western events as well as being the
ideal family horse.
Proving to be as tough as their ancestors, two
purebred Canadian Horses, Prunelle, a nine year old
mare & Valentin, a three year old gelding, spent 8
weeks in the frozen Arctic when they accompanied the
1990 Polarlys Expedition to Cornwallis Island in the
Northwest Territories.
In April 2002 the federal
government of Canada enacted the long overdue
“National Horse of Canada
Act
” to promote and protect
this spirited breed.
The
Canadian Horse is primarily black, but colours can
range from bay to light chestnut. Stallions weigh
from 1050 to 1350 pounds & mares from 1000 to 1250
pounds. The desired height is 14 to 16 hands. The
Canadian shows a well proportioned body & good
strong feet. The forearm & gaskin are especially
well muscled. The mane & tail is long, thick &
usually wavy. The head shows intelligence & spirit.
The breed is easily handled & is not nervous.
Featured Breeders |
"Jospatriote" - Canadream Farm
Foal - Willow View |
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To learn more
about the Canadian Horse, visit our featured breeder's
websites. Each site contains further information on this
remarkable horse, a true Canadian treasure. |
"Snow" - Willow View |
Canadream Farm - Ontario
Willow View Canadians - Alberta
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Demi Farms - Ontario
Legacy Canadians - British Columbia |
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Ferme Franchère - Quebec
"Herc"
- Demi Farm |
Quotes on the Canadian
“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
and night with the same courage, wide awake beneath its
harness, spirited, good, gentle, affectionate, following his
road with the finest instinct to come surely to his own
stable.” French Historian, Etienne Faillon
“The French Canadian pony, and the
Morgan, for all practical purposes, are the best horses ever
developed in America.” Western Artist, Frederick
Remington, “Horses of the Plains” (1889) |
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Recommended Reading
The National Horse of Canada Act
Read “Little Horse of Iron” by Lawrence Scanlan – Lawrence
tells his story of his own Canadian gelding, Saroma Dark Fox
Dali. This is truly one of the most enjoyable and endearing
books I have read!
written
by Donna Nearing
Click Here to Access
our Featured Breed Archive
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