Canadian horse

The Canadian horse is the equine Race " nationale" Canada and the equine race of the " farm Holdings " Quebec.

Origin and history

The horse was non-existent on the American Continent at the time of the arrival of the first Européens. The Spanish then unloaded horses with the Mexico (Cortez) in Florida (of Soto), the English in several places of the 13 colonies of origin, the Dutch with New York and the French with Port-Royal (the acadian horse) and with Quebec (the Canadian horse). There will be no contacts between the various quotas before strong a long time.

News-France which will become much later Canada, was then a Province of France, like the Normandy or the Champagne. It is at this time that Louis XIV orders to create a royal Haras in each one of its provinces. In News-France, the situation is more complex because of complete absence of horses on the territory. Starting from 1665, one thus sends Cavale S and standard S for establishing there.

Approximately 82 horses would have been sent in News-France between 1665 and 1671. They would come from the stud farms of the King, which like already known as, set up a stud farm by French province, but we do not have any documentary evidence of this source. The only certainty that we have, it is that all these horses sent by Louis XIV came from France.

The first horses are allotted to Communauté S nuns (Ursuline S…) and gentlemen (Mister of Saint-Bear, Mister de Sorel,…). A Contrat was then established between the recipient and the Fonctionnaire S of Jean Talon, the Intendant of then. This contract required that the person takes care of the animal, makes it reproduce and that in the 3 years a kid gives to the administration. The kids were in their turn redistributed according to the same methods and requirements.

This system had a strong success and quickly exploded the population of horses in News-France. Of the 82 horses imported between 1665 and 1671, there was 13 around of it; 000 in 1763.

One can say whereas a Race was born. Indeed, the equine population developed in isolation during nearly 100 years. The horse was the pride of the inhabitants of this time of News-France. The horse was so popular that the administration had to try to limit the number of horses. During many years, there was approximately a horse by five inhabitants. The horses were used for all work, that it is for the ploughing, or to go to the church of the village Sunday morning. The mass of Sunday was often an occasion to improvise races to know which was the most valiant horse of the village. This behavior brought the first speed limits in the cities.

It is approximately starting from 1830 only that the English, obeying their Instinct of Trading, will try to anglicize the Canadian horse by the Importation individuals of the British races or Scottish. During the years 1850 and following, the Canadian race faces problems of Discrimination. English says to want to improve the race in the crossing with horses of English races. Roof of misfortune, at the same time, the the United States import many horses for their warlike needs. At the end of the 19th century, the population of Canadian horses is very low and the race is in way of extinction.

In 1895, at the instigation of Edouard Barnard, the superintendent of the Department of agriculture of Quebec, Dr. J.A. Couture m.v founds the Société of the stockbreeder S of Canadian horses , opens a genealogical book after a methodical inspection of horses candidates to the statute of horse of Canadian race . In 1908, the Parlement of Canada also is interested him in the file, makes take again the inspection and allows the opening of the herd book which one could describe as modern.

The 20th century will be divided in tops and bottom. The Competition with the horse power , initially from the Automobile then Tracteur will come almost to end from the small horse from Fer . There remain only approximately 400 about it about the years 1970. The Canadian-French are proud. They then decide to save their horse. It is the countryside of Sourdine, in fact the speech of the Responsabilité and the Fierté has course.

The number of births recorded to the SECC was rather stable opening of the register to the beginning of the year 1900 until 1980. The recordings are the order from 25 to 50 foalta per year. In 1981, the provincial farm decides to carry out the complete dispersion of the herd Gorgendière in Deschambault. Starting from this date, the number of foalta recorded per year started to climb to reach a top in 1999-2000 with approximately 500 foalta. In less than twenty years, the number of births of recorded horses multiplied by ten. Since the year 2000, the births were stabilized between 450-500 foalta recorded per year.

The history of the Canadian horse is also the history of the French colonists who became Canadian-French to become the inhabitants of Quebec. At the beginning, the horses exported in News-France were intended for the higher social classes. It should be known that in Europe, the use of the horses was almost exclusively reserved for the noble ones. The peasants did not have access to the horses and were to be satisfied with bovines for the animal haulage. In News-France, the population of horses enlarged in a so fast way that all the layers of the company could have access to the horse. There was to be on average a horse by family with a calculated ratio of a horse for five inhabitants. When rich person European visitors came to visit News-France, they were scandalized to see that the peasants had horses, and worse, the peasants dared to exceed the carriole the noble ones. The administration tried well to control the population of horses, to encourage people to raise more cattle and less horses, but nothing made there, the horse was too popular.

During the English mode, there were many attempts to assimilate the French-speaking people. Sight that the horses were a great pride of the French-speaking people, the anglophone administration made the promotion of the crossing of the Canadian horses with standards of English and foreign races like the Percheron. The French-speaking people fell into the lowest social class and their horses too. With the result that the population of the Canadian horses was put at fallen. The creation of the SECC made it possible to save the race. But even with the beginnings of the year 1900, the French-speaking farmers were not rich and well little have the means of making recorded their Canadian horses. With the arrival of the car, the higher classes of the company of the time quickly replaced the horses by the cars. It was the same thing in the fields. The richest farmers quickly replaced the horse by the tractor. While the horse loses is " statute social" , that population is decreasing. During the Fifties and Sixties, those which still use the horses with the farm are rather often poorest or of unconditional of the horses, but which lives them-also very modestly. The horse passed from a symbol of social valorization to a symbol of social delay and even sometimes of poverty. During the Seventies, the horse took again its noble letters gently, but reserved with an elite making of the equestrian sport. The Quebec government by its farm with Deschambault had worked to make the horse Canadian more attractive for the equestrian competitions. As the Canadian horse takes again its noble letters, its population begins again into force.

Gradually, the race is rectified. The Canadian politicians take again conscience of his importance. The National Assembly of Quebec vote in 1999 a unanimous Law declaring the races equine and Bovine E Canadian as well as the race of Poultry S Chantecler: Races of farm holdings of Quebec.

In the same way, the Parlement of Canada will declare in 2002, the " horse canadien" : national race of Canada.

In 2007, the race of the " horse canadien" count approximately 7 000 alive subjects.

Standard

The Canadian horse has a height from 14 to 16 hands. It is a Horse draft light, of horsemanship, very general-purpose, it is used in several equestrian disciplines.

Its Dress or the most widespread color is black, but there are also many subjects of color bay, brown and alezane. For a few years, subjects of white color or cream have appeared.

See too

External bonds

Company of the stockbreeders of Canadian horses
http://www.chevalcanadien.org/
http://www2.publicationsduquebec.gouv.qc.ca/dynamicSearch/telecharge.php?type=2&file=/R_0_01/R0_01.html
http://www.canlii.org/ca/loi/n-10.7/partie253185.html

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