National Horse of Canada ActS.C. 2002, c. 11
Assented to 2002-04-30 An Act to provide for the recognition of the Canadian horse as the national horse of Canada Preamble WHEREAS the Canadian horse was introduced into Canada in 1665, when the King of France sent horses from his own stables to the people of his North American colony; WHEREAS the Canadian horse increased in number during the ensuing century to become an invaluable ally to the settlers in their efforts to survive and prosper in their new home; WHEREAS all Canadians who have known the Canadian horse have made clear their high esteem for the qualities of great strength and endurance, resilience, intelligence and good temper that distinguish the breed; WHEREAS the Canadian horse was at one time in danger of being lost through interbreeding or as a casualty of war, but has survived these perils; WHEREAS, since 1885 and all during the present century, widespread and increasingly successful efforts have been made to re-establish and preserve the Canadian horse; AND WHEREAS the Government of Canada wishes to recognize the unique place of the Canadian horse in the history of Canada; Her Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate and House of Commons of Canada, enacts as follows: Short Title 1 This Act may be cited as the National Horse of Canada Act. The National Horse 2 The horse known as the Canadian horse is hereby recognized and declared to be the national horse of Canada. |
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Breed History
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The Canadian horse was first introduced to New France in 1663. The first load of twelve horses was sent via ship by King Louis XIV. There is no record of the breed or region of France from hence they came; some writings mentioned the Royal Stud Farm, and it is believed that most of the horses came from similar ancestries as the Belgian, Percheron, Breton and Dales Pony. What is known for certain is that shipments arrived on a regular basis.
The first ones were given to religious orders and to gentlemen who had an avid interest in agriculture (although they remained the property of the king for three years). A notarized contract obliged the new owners to breed the animals, maintain them, and return a foal after three years to the Attendant. This foal was then entrusted to someone else who was then bound by the same conditions of care and reproduction. In case of breach of contract, there were provisions for fines of one hundred pounds. This much regimented breeding system allowed for their rapid development in the French colony. The horses thrived despite low comfort, hard work, bad roads. From 1665 to 1793, the horse population in New France grew from 12 animals to 14,000 animals. To the end of the French regime in 1760, the horses sent from France are the only ones to be developed in the colony. Contact with the English to the South was forbidden because England and France were at war. The topography of the Appalachian Mountains was also a formidable obstacle to outside communication. At that time there were no roads and the only means of long distance travel was by foot or by canoe. For almost one hundred years, these horses multiplied in a closed environment without the benefit of other bloodlines. Their common source, lack of cross breeding, and their rapid reproduction created a particular genetic group giving rise to a unique breed: the Canadian Horse. During the 19th century, breeders bred different types of Canadian crosses such as the Canadian Pacer, an amalgamation with the Narragansett Pacer, the “Frencher”, a Thoroughbred 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. Later, thousands of horses were exported to the United States for both the Civil War and also to use as breeding stock to create roadsters leading to new breeds such as the Saddlebred, Standardbred, Missouri Fox Trotter, and the Morgan. These mass exports lead to a huge 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. In 1895, veterinarian Dr. J.A. Couture set breeding standards for the Canadian Horse and founded the Canadian Horse Breeders Association which still operates today. 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, Quebec, where it was operated jointly by the Canadian and Quebec 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 1960s, they worked to breed a taller, more refined horse, which would be suitable for English disciplines. During this time, other private breeders worked to preserve the original breed type/build. 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. New registrations were around 50 per year in 1980 and rose to over 500 new registrations per year in 1999–2000. Today, Canadian Horses can be found in just about every discipline. Be it English, Western, or Driven; Competition, Leisure, or Working; there is a Canadian Horse for everyone. On April 30, 2002, a bill was passed into law by the Canadian Government making the Canadian Horse an official symbol of Canada. As the Canadian Horse is also “closely associated with the historical origins and the agricultural traditions of Québec”, a similar law was passed by the provincial legislature in November 2010, recognizing the breed as a “heritage breed of Quebec”. Why Canadian? Because in 1867, the year of Canada’s confederation, the generic term ‘Canadien’ solely referred to French speaking. At that time, it was natural for the horse, being originally from France and having started its spread through the French colonial area of the St. Lawrence Valley, to be named ‘Canadian’. Breed CharacteristicsMystery and intrigue surrounds the question of what horse breed was sent from King Louis XIV’s Royal Stables to New France. There is, however, no question that pioneer conditions in New France foraged an entirely new breed of horse. Jean Baptiste Colbert (King Louis XIV’s Minister of Finance) knew that any horse sent to New France would have to be the most hardy and noble beasts from the Royal Stables. They would not only have to survive the three to five week voyage and subsist in the harshest environment, but also display enough grace and grandeur to sway the seigneurs and habitants to remain in and settle this new colony of France.
The Canadian Horse came to epitomize the character, will power and endurance of all who came to forage a Nation out of the vast, untamed wilderness of what is today known as Canada. By early 19th century, railroads were pushing west on the continent and the Great Plains Indian nations saw for the first time the life changing force brought about by the steam locomotive and those that ventured to ride west. In terms they could relate to their life experiences, the First Nations referred to this industrial invention as the Iron Horse. Borrowing from this descriptive name, Le Cheval Canadien was often referred to by the nickname, “Le pitit cheval de fer” or “The Little Iron Horse.” The simile in character is striking: built solid, displaying phenomenal power, forging ahead with determination and unsurpassed endurance. The classic Canadian Horse leg action leaves the rider with the sensation of sitting on a cushioned, passenger railcar seat and the rhythmic “clickety-clack” of the wheels on the track. Catholic Priest and early Quebec historian, Etieńne Faillon (1799 – 1870) described Le Cheval Canadien as ” . . . 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.” DID YOU KNOW? It is said that the Canadian Horse is capable of generating “more power per hundred pounds of body weight than any other horse breed.” What's in a Name?You can tell a lot about a Canadian Horse just from its name. Each name contains three parts which must be included in the following order – the herd name, the sire’s name and the horse’s given name.
1. The Herd Name Canadian Horse breeders register a herd name with the Canadian Horse Breeders Association to use when naming all foals born to mares they own or lease. This herd name must be unique as it identifies your breeding program from all other breeders of Canadian horses. This herd name may be your farm name, your last name or any unique name that has not already been registered. This name can also be a compound name. The same herd name in two horse’s name does not necessarily mean that both horses are related to each other, for example: “Maple Lane Thomy Ellie” and “Maple Lane Duc Athena” are not related at all, but “Maple Lane” (herd name) means that both mares were owned or leased by the same individual/farm at the time they were bred. 2. The Common Sire’s Name The sire’s name is the second portion of the horse’s full registered name. For example: “Maple Lane Rebel Windsor” and “Maple Lane Rebel Sally” were both sired by the same stallion “Maple Lane Duc Rebel”. 3. The Horse’s Given Name The horses’ given name forms the last part of its full registered name. For example: “Maple Lane Thunder Legacy” where “Legacy” is the given name. Assignment of Letters A different letter of the alphabet is assigned to each year and foal’s name must start with the assigned letter of the year the foal is born. For example, the letter ‘B’ was assigned for 2014, the letter ‘C’ for 2015 and the letter ‘D’ for 2016. The next letter in the alphabet is used the following year. There are some letters that are not assigned, they are: I, O, Q and V. These unassigned letters were thought to cause confusion with other existing alphabetical letters when tattooing a horse. Tattooing is no longer used and has been replaced with microchip technology. This naming procedure has been enforced in recent years, but that has not always been the case. Many older horses do not have names beginning with the letter assigned to the year of their birth. Conditions and Restrictions At the time of registration the herd name must be the one of the owner or leaser of the mare at the time the breeding took place. All stallions’ given name must be unique. This is to ensure that when looking at a horses name there will be no confusion on who sired the horse in question. Multiple geldings and /or mares can have the same given name as long as the combination of herd name and stallion name is different for every identical given name. This is possible as their names are not used in future genealogical reference to any offspring. Once the year letter comes around again and an owner wishes to register a stallion with a given name that has already been used, said name must be followed by a 2nd, 3rd, etc… The subject must be: for a stallion, the only one registered with said name and for a mare or gelding, the only one registered with said complete name. There is also a length limitation for the full registered name of a horse. It cannot exceed 30 characters including spaces. Care must be taken not to choose too lengthy a herd or stallion name given the 30 character limit which includes the allotted number of available characters for the new given name of a foal. Future Letter Assignments Year Letter 2016 D 2017 E 2018 F 2019 G 2020 H |
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