Hidden Meadow Farm
History Of The Canadian Horse

    In the mid 1600's, the "habitants" were finding life in Lower Canada quite different from what they were used to in France. Many of the landowners were nobility and knights accustomed to traveling in fine carriages. But in New France, the few roads were impassable with mud for much of the year and the only transportation was the lowly ox-cart. To ease the unrest, Louis XIV selected horses from his own stables and sent them to Lower Canada between 1665 and 1670. The King of France took great pride in the quality of horses he had in his stables which included Andalusian, Normandy and Brittany bloodlines.

Life in Lower Canada was no easier for these horses than it was for the settlers. Not enough hay was cured for all the livestock, so horses were often turned loose to fend for themselves in the bush, only being brought in when needed for work. Over the years, the heavy work and poor conditions, along with the harsh Canadian winters, led to a natural selection in favor of the hardiest animals. The Canadian Horse became smaller and tougher, until they became known as "the little iron horse."

The Canadian Horse bred in isolation for the next 150 years. Whatever the job was - the Canadians did it. Whether it was supplementing the oxen in front of the plows, moving goods, taking the family to church or racing afterwards, the Canadian Horse performed his duties with eagerness and stamina. Trade between the French settlements in Canada and the English settlements further south were almost non existent during this time because England and France were often at war.

By the 1800's, the Canadian had a reputation for their pluck and vigor. Large numbers of horses were sent to the United States for use in the Civil War and the Canadian was the preferred horse on many U.S. stage coach lines. Many of these horses were entered into the stud books of the Morgan, Standardbred, American Saddlebred and Tennessee Walkers. The Canadian Horse also served in the Boer War and was shipped to the West Indies to work on the sugar plantations. These drains on the population, along with the importation of other breeds meant that by the second half of the 1800's, the Canadian Horse was in danger of disappearing.

A few admirers of the "little iron horse" realized the importance of saving the breed and undertook a campaign to do just that. In 1886, they opened the first stud book for the Canadian Horse. In 1895, the Canadian Horse Breeders Association officially came into being. In 1913 a breeding center was opened on the Federal Experimental Farm at Cap Rouge in Quebec, and later moved to St. Joachim. When the federal government, occupied with the war, closed down the operation in 1940, the Quebec provincial Department of Agriculture reestablished the stud at Deschambault, Quebec. When this operation closed in 1979, the Canadian was once again threatened with extinction.

Thanks to the efforts of a handful of committed breeders, the breed has recovered from a low of 400 registered animals in the 1960's and 1970's to a population today of just less than 4000. Once again the Canadian Horses' strength and versatility has made it popular in both the show ring and back yard.

In April of 2002, the Parliament of Canada passed a bill establishing the Canadian Horse as Canada's National Horse, recognizing the breed's fine attributes and contribution to Canadian history. The bill received Royal Assent, officially becoming law, on April 30, 2002.

Brenda and Geoff Pantling Hidden Meadow Farm RR#1 Orton, Ontario, Canada L0N 1N0 Telephone: 519-855-6498 Email: