Canadian Horses, originally called the French Canadian
Horse, was introduced to Canada in July 1665 by King Louis XIV of France.
Initially, King Louis XIV sent 12 of his best horses to reward the men who had
gone to settle "New France". France continued to import these horses,
and by 1763, their number was close to 13,000. However, as exporting the horse
continuously increased for the Boer war in Africa, plantations in the West
Indies, and to the United States for stage lines and the Civil War, by the
1860s and 1870s, there were fewer than 400 Canadian Horses with fewer than 20
registrations per year. To preserve the remaining of the breed and keep the
horse from going extinct, a stud book was produced in 1886. The decrease of
horses slowed down, but it wasn't until 1895 that the Canadian Horse Breeders
Association was formed. In 1907, the Federal Government livestock commissioner
started a new stud book with improved standards.
Canadian mares are very fertile. They can reproduce
regularly until the age of 20 or older.
Many Canadian Horses are bred for driving. They are also
used for riding, jumping, hunting, farming, and light draft. Because of their
endurance and calmness, they are considered to be a general purpose horse. They
have endurance and a calm, docile, good natured disposition.
Canadian Horses have a very muscular build with a long body,
strong arched neck, well structured head, large and widely spaced expressive
eyes, small ears, a fine muzzle, strong legs, a heavy and wavy mane, and a
heavy and high set tail. Canadian Horses are usually black or dark brown, but they
also come in chestnut and bay. They stand between 14.3 and 16.2 hands high, and
can weigh between 1000 and 1400 pounds. They are believed by some to be the
strongest horse breed for it's size.
New registrations of the Canadian Horse have been stable
since 2000 at 450 to 500 annually. There are now more than 6,000 horses
registered.
About Canadian Horses
