Canadian

The first shipment, in 1665, was two stallions and twenty mares out of Normandy and Brittany, and only twelve of the mares survived the crossing. More followed in 1667 and 1670, carrying Breton, Norman, Arabian, Andalusian and Barb blood. That small foundation is the whole breed.

By 1800 Americans knew them well. They pulled stagecoaches across New England, and they went into the making of the Morgan, the American Saddlebred and the Standardbred.

Nobody in the US ever set up an association or tried to keep a purebred population here, and the export market did the rest. Thousands went south through the 1800s, many became cavalry horses, and many of those died in the Civil War. By 1880 the breed was close to extinct in Canada itself. A studbook opened in Quebec in 1886, provincial law banned further exports the same year, and the Societe des Eleveurs des Chevaux Canadiens formed in 1895 to keep the book.

Canada made it official twice: Parliament recognized the breed in 1909, and a 2002 act named it the national horse of Canada. The low point came later than you would guess. By 1976 fewer than 400 remained; a preservation push in the 1980s brought the population to 2,500 to 3,000 by the mid 1990s.

A compact, solidly built horse of 14 to 16 hands. On weight the sources disagree: The Livestock Conservancy puts the breed at 900 to 1,000 pounds, while Wikipedia's figures run 1,000 to 1,250 for mares and 1,050 to 1,350 for stallions. Either way it is a lot of horse for the height.

Most are black, bay or brown, with the occasional chestnut carrying a flaxen mane and tail. The look is distinct: a well-arched neck, long sloping shoulders, and a heavy, often wavy mane and tail.

The feet are a working advantage. The hooves are very hard, and many Canadians go unshod. A 2012 study also found the breed among the most genetically diverse in Canada, despite the bottlenecks in its history.

The Conservancy's word is alert, which is not the same as hot. They are strong, well-balanced, sensible horses, and the breed's reputation as a family horse is old and earned.

Novice to intermediate is the Conservancy's experience rating.

Riding and driving, first. They jump well and turn up in nearly every discipline: dressage, trail, light draft and stock work.

History gave them a second job as foundation stock. If you ride a Morgan, a Saddlebred or a Standardbred, you are riding partly a Canadian.

Not much, by horse standards. A century of Quebec winters shaped them, and hardy, easy-keeping horses is the standing description.

The hooves are famously hard, and many go without shoes. That is a real saving, but it is the individual's feet, not the papers, that decide it.

The Livestock Conservancy lists the Canadian as Critical, with a world population of about 2,000. That is the recovered number: there were fewer than 400 in 1976.

Rare Breeds Canada counts the breed at risk as well. The 2002 act naming it Canada's national horse raised the profile, but a national symbol still needs breeders.

Registration runs through the Canadian Horse Breeders Association, whose studbook goes back to 1886 in Quebec. There is no separate US registry, so expect the paperwork to cross the border with the horse.

Ask what the horse has done. The breed's selling point is versatility, and the individual's training, not the breed name, tells you whether this one drives, jumps or packs children around.

Check the feet and ask about shoeing. Hard unshod hooves are a breed trait and a saving when the individual has them.

Recent sale prices on HoofnHorn, where there are any, are further down this page.