Canadian Horse Descends From True Equine Royalty
The "Little Iron Horse" Has Survived For Nearly 350 Years
Mar 17, 2009
Once on the brink of extinction, Canada’s National Horse is still rare, but more people are discovering just how versatile “le petit cheval Canadien” really is.
Canadian Horses have been used for centuries for farming, logging, pulling carriages and sleighs, racing, riding and even as ranch horses in Canada’s west.
But the breed nearly died out after World War II, and even today there are still people who have never heard of Canada’s equine treasure.
Royal Beginnings for the Cheval Canadien
The breed began on July 16, 1665, when some of the finest horses from the stable of King Louis IV of France arrived in New France (southern Quebec). These horses included mostly Barbs, Arabs, Turks and Spanish horses. Only the best were sent. Additional horses arrived in 1667 and 1670.
With no other horses in New France, these royal horses were interbred for the next 150 years. The selected mix of types in the original shipments ensured genetic diversity, and hard work and harsh winters eliminated the weak and reduced the size.
By the late 1700s, Canadian Horses were well established. They were 14 to 15 hands, weighed about 900 to 1,100 pounds, had thick, wavy manes and tails and lightly feathered fetlocks. Their heads were refined with tiny curved ears, large dark eyes, wide foreheads and slightly dished profiles. They came in every colour except pinto, but most were dark.
These Canadians were tough. They would work hard and stay in great condition even under poor conditions. Their strength was astonishing, with many out-pulling much larger teammates, hence the nickname Little Iron Horse. They were smart and spirited, but gentle and sensible.
It wasn’t long before the little horses had spread west to Alberta and south to the Caribbean. They were immortalized in paintings by Cornelius Kreighoff (1815-1872).
Canadian Horses in American Pedigrees
Canadians had great endurance and were fast at the trot and pace. Several became renowned race horses.
Three Canadian stallions named Copper Bottom, Old Pilot and Tom Hall were bought by Americans and became the ancestors of many of today’s pacing Standardbreds, according to the United States Trotting Association. Even today, some Canadians are natural pacers.
If you think this Little Iron Horse sounds a lot like a Morgan, you’re right. There are numerous Canadian Horse mares in early Morgan pedigrees. Some people believe the foundation stallion, Figure, was a Canadian. The parents of Justin Morgan, Figure’s owner, lived in Quebec, where he often visited. Once Morgans became popular, many a Quebecer drove teams of Canadians over the border and sold them as Morgans, making a nice profit.
Canadians are found in the pedigrees of many gaited American breeds, most notably the Missouri Fox Trotter, Tennessee Walker and Saddlebred. America’s famous Conestoga Horses no longer exist and their history is unknown, but the only remaining drawing of one shows a remarkable resemblance to the French-Canadian horses.
So how did such a useful breed nearly disappear?
Canadian Horses Decimated by War and Mechanization
Canadians made excellent cavalry mounts. Hundreds were sold to the United States during the Civil War and to Africa during the Boer War. Many succumbed to war wounds and disease.
Outside of Quebec, the Canadian was interbred with other breeds and forgotten.
In 1885, nine years before the Morgan registry was created, some worried Quebec breeders formed an official Canadian Horse registry. Many horses were examined. Many were rejected as not being of correct type, having undesirable cross-breeding or for being unsound. Only healthy, "typey" horses were registered.
In 1909, a new stud book was created. Unfortunately, horses outside of southern Quebec did not get examined and were left out of the new book. In the 1950s, that oversight was corrected, and additional purebreds were registered. By coincidence, no greys were included, and now that colour no longer exists in the breed.
In 1909, the breed was designated as Canada’s National Horse, and in 1912 the federal government began a breeding program to help preserve it.
When tractors and farm machinery replaced horses and automobiles took over the roads, Canadian Horses lost their jobs. By 1940, the government program was greatly reduced, but private breeders kept the original breed alive.
Canadian Horses Become Pleasure Horses
Fortunately, increased use of horses for sporting competitions and pleasure created a new niche for the breed.
Frank Prosperine made the horse world take notice of the Canadian when he won the North American Pleasure Driving Championship in 1987 with his two Canadians. Afterward, the breed began increasing in popularity and no longer is on the edge of extinction.
Clearly, the Little Iron Horse is here to stay.
Sources:
Société des Éleveurs de Chevaux Canadiens/Canadian Horse Breeders Association.
Beatty, Gladys Mackey. The Canadian Horse: A Pictorial History. Published by Gladys Mackey Beatty, North Hatley, QC, 1981. Reprinted by Linda Brown, Hinton, Alberta, 1999.
Beatty, Gladys Mackey. “The Canadian Horse is Our Very Own”, Canadian Geographic, October/November 1982.
Dutson, Judith. Storey's Illustrated Guide to 96 Horse Breeds of North America. Storey Publishing,North Adams, MA, 2005.
Fraser, Andrew F. Founding Horses. Creative Publishers. St. Johns, Newfoundland, 1991.
Howard, Robert West. The Horse in America. Follett Publishing Company, Chicago, 1965.
Langelier, Gus. "The French-Canadian Horse." Dominion of Canada, Department of Agriculture, Dominion Experimental Farms, Bulletin No. 95, Kings Printer, Ottawa. April 1920.
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