What is a Canadian Horse ?

For the first time, the Canadian Horse is now a resident of the state of Georgia. This is the perfect horse for baby-boomers (or any other age group) who are tired of getting tossed off and jerked around by the nervous Thoroughbred types. The Canadians are big and beautiful and have a disposition to relax even the most cautious rider.  They are as calm as the quietest Percheron/Thoroughbred cross that inherited the best traits of both breeds, but Canadians have a beautifully molded head and a sportier body.

"Hocks of steel, thick mane floating in the wind, bright and lively eyes, pricking its sensitive ears at the least noise, going along day and night with the same courage, wide awake beneath its harness; spirited, good, gentle, affectionate, following his road with the finest instinct to come surely home to his own stable. Such were the horses of our fathers." - Taillon, historian

The ancestors of the breed were shipped directly from the stables of King Louis XIV to “New France” in Quebec, Canada for use as horses in battle against the British in the 1600’s.  The Canadian Horse had very royal beginnings when the bloodlines of the Friesian, the Barb, the Arab and the Andalusian were crossed to produce the king’s horses.  The result is a lovely sport horse that moves nicely and is lovely to watch.  They make excellent jumpers, hunters and combined training horses.  Many people in western Canada ride them to work cattle on farms and show in western classes.  All over Canada, they are the favorite horse to pull sleighs and carts.  With their Friesian background, they make an absolutely gorgeous driving team.

For hundreds of years, the horses bred with little influence from outside breeds.  They eventually developed into their own distinct breed .  Because they evolved under the adverse conditions of harsh weather, scarce food, and hard work, the Canadian Horse remains the sturdiest and most acclimatized horse in Canada today.  They are tough, strong horses, tolerant of inclement weather conditions, and are extremely “easy keepers”.  Because of these traits, the Canadian Horse is often referred to as “The Little Iron Horse”.  The breed is gaining in popularity, and currently numbers just over 4000 horses in existence.  The Canadian Horse is still classified as “critical” on the American Livestock Conservancy list.

You say you’ve never heard of the Canadian Horse?    The reason these horses are just now becoming known in the U.S. is that the breed nearly became extinct in the 1970’s.  The Canadian government made a fantastic and successful effort to save the breed and, in so doing, actually bred for a taller, sportier horse than the breed had been previously.

While the purebred Canadian Horse is new to the Southeastern United States, its gene pool is not.  The Canadian Horse was instrumental in developing the American Quarter Horse, the Morgan, the Standardbred, the Saddlebred and the Tennessee Walker.

In January, 2001 we went to Quebec to buy a Canadian Horse broodmare in foal.  We fell so in love with the breed that we now have imported/bred 32 Canadians to date, giving us the largest herd of Canadian Horses in the U. S. at Jordan Lake Farms in Newnan, Georgia.  We are so excited because we have finally found a breed of horses that will keep us riding until age 80 if we are granted that long of a life!  These Canadians go all day and never get tired, eat minimal amounts of feed and stay muscled, have rock-hard feet, can jump whatever is in our way and don’t have to be crossed with hot-bloods to get a quiet, great-moving, fabulous riding horse!  They are, also, marvelous driving horses – we’ve never seen anything to equal them except a team of Friesians.  These horses are so kind and love people so much that we have no need for a dog – we never knew a horse could be man’s best friend, but these Canadians surely are!  We run our farm with these horses and a humane mouse trap.  We don’t need a cat or dog or burro or llama around here.  Woe unto the coyote or wildcat that enters our Canadian Horses’ pastures!  A breeder in Canada told us they often had grizzly bear tracks in their fields but had never had a foal even scratched!

From the very beginning in Quebec, breeders appreciated the qualities of strength, willingness, and small food requirements. The breed is long lived and still useful at an advanced age. The mares are extraordinarily fertile, and reproduce regularly until the age of 20 or older. 

The Canadian Horses imported to Jordan Lake Farms in Newnan, Georgia are the tall (16 to 16.1 hands) sport horse type.  They are all ages from 4 months to 20 years old.  They are all purebred and registered. They are all black  (though many of them brown out during the summer if allowed out to pasture in the daytime).   Some have a white star and/or white sock. (The breed has a recessive chestnut gene and breeding for a chestnut or bay is not difficult, if desired.)  If you're looking for a calm, good-looking horse that will carry you anywhere and make you proud performing anything you ask, contact us.  If we don't have the age or size you want "in stock", we will be happy to import your horse for you according to your specifications.