Horses Breeds

The Canadian Horse, as you can guess, is a horse from Canada. Although previously relatively unknown due to its rarity, the Canadian Horse has influenced many other North American breeds, including the Morgan, American Saddlebred, and Standardbred. Although there have been several times when the breed almost went extinct, now the Canadian Horse has many enthusiasts within and outside of Canada.

The Canadian Horse gave rise to the Canadian Pacer, which has had a profound impact on many of the gaited breeds of today.

The old-style Canadian Horse somewhat resembles the foundation-style Morgan, having large and expressive eyes, a well- structured head and small, delicate ears. Their build is very muscular, compact and stout, with a cresty neck and naturally animated gaits. They are known for having a heavy and wavy mane and tail, good bone and good feet. They are considered to have soundness, hardiness and endurance. They are willing horses and easy keepers.

Most Canadian Horses are black, with bay, chestnut or brown (a type of dark bay) being less common. There are a very few individuals that carry the cream gene and are called "ash white." Their height ranges on average from 14 to 16 hands and they can weigh between 1000–1400 lbs.

Unlike most breeds, there is a set naming system that is used to identify individuals. First comes the prefix, the farm or breeding establishment of which the foal was born into, followed by the sire's name, and lastly the given name for the foal. However, each year a different letter is assigned, and it is by the year's letter that the foal is named. Some older horses do not fall under this naming strategy, but it is now mandatory in naming registered offspring coming from purebred Canadian lines.

The Canadian Horse descended from the French stock Louis XIV sent to Canada in the late 17th century. His goal was to develop a breeding program in the colony, and two stallions and 12 mares were sent in 1665. More shipments arrived until 1671, bringing the total number of horses to around 82. The exact origins of all the horses are unknown, with many believing most of the horses were of Breton and Norman descent, as well Andalusian and Arabian. The horses were leased to farmers for money or in exchange for a foal (although they remained the property of the king for three years). By 1679, there were 145 horses. In 1696, the number of horses in the colony had tripled. By 1763, there were around 13,000 horses in New France. The horses thrived despite low comfort, hard work, and bad roads, and eventually developed the nicknames "the little iron horse" and "the horse of steel".

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 and stock for the growing stage coach lines. Others were exported to the West Indies for use on the sugar plantations. However, mass exports lead to a precipitous 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. The Canadian Horse Breeders' Association was formed in 1895.

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 QC provincial 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, who would be suitable as a hunter or jumper. During this time, other private breeders worked to preserve the original type, the Henryville line being an example of this.

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. Since 2000, the new registrations are stable at 450-500 per year. There are now more than 6,000 horses registered.

Today, many Canadian Horses are bred for driving. However, they also compete in a wide range of riding disciplines, and some are still used as work horses for farming. The generally good temperament displayed by the Canadian horse also makes them useful as all-round family horses.

In addition to the Beaver, the Canadian Horse is commonly seen as an animal symbol representing Canada, especially in connection with images of the Mounties. On April 30, 2002, a bill was passed into law by the Canadian Government making the Canadian Horse an official symbol of Canada.

A Curly is a typical type of horse. Curlies, also known as Bashkir Curlies, American Bashkir Curlies, and North American Curly Horses, come in all sizes, colors, and body types but all carry a gene for a unique curly coat of hair.

The unique gene that gives Curlies their curly hair (which is most obvious with their winter coat) can be expressed Minimally (horse exhibits curly hair inside ears, at fetlocks, and a kinky mane and tail), Maximally (horse exhibits curl all over body, has extremely dreadlocked mane, and has curly eyelashes and guard hairs), Extreme (very tight, extreme curls, but when they shed out for summer can shed entirely bald) or any variation in between. Because the trait can be carried heterozygously, some purebred Curlies exhibit no curl at all. (Called "smooth coat" curlies).

Curlies have split manes and are not braided or clipped when shown. Curlies are most commonly chestnut colored, but can be found in every color from standard bays, blacks, and greys, to appaloosa markings; from pinto patterns to dilute colors such as buckskin, roan, grulla, and cremello.

Curlies are acclaimed to be the only hypoallergenic horse breed; most people allergic to horses can handle Curly Horses without suffering any allergic reaction. Research indicates a protein is missing from the fur of Curlies which may be what causes allergic reactions to horses in allergy suffers, but the study was never officially published. Members of the Curly Community are working towards funding more research on this.

The Curly has a characteristic long stride & bold movement. They have tough hooves and exceptional endurance. Most Curlies stand between 14 and 16 hands, though they can range from Miniature horses to Draft horses (Only allowed in two registries).

The origin of the Curly Horse is a mystery. It is highly debated in the Curly community, but research is mostly still in progress. Disagreements of the Curly horse's history result in confusion of what the breed is, and what it should be called. ABCR members prefer "Bashkir Curly" while CSI & ICHO members lean towards "North American Curly". The addition or removal of 'Bashkir' to the breed name is highly debated.

It's said Curly horses were documented in Asian artwork as early as 161 AD. Charles Darwin documented curly horses in South America in the early 1800s and the early Sioux Indians regarded curly horses as sacred mounts for chiefs and medicine men. Native American artwork shows Curlies carrying warriors in the Battle of Little Bighorn.

Another theory is that the origin of the breed is Iberian.

Curly Sporthorse International (CSI) began in early 2003 to help Curly owners and breeders, enjoy, promote, market and selectively breed Curly Sporthorses, which are one of the more popular types of Curlies. CSI was created to support Curly owners & breeders in improvement of breeding stock, promotion, & marketing. The registry also sponsors Horse of the Year awards and USDF All Breed Awards for performance. CSI advocates evaluation of breeding stock & their offspring to ensure the quality of horses produced. Over one third of all registered horses have been inspected to date.

The American Bashkir Curly Registry (ABCR) opened in 1971 with only 21 horses; as of May 2005 there were just over 4,000 Bashkir Curlies in the world, primarily in North America. They are the original standing Curly Registry, and have a closed stud book.

The International Curly Horse Organization (ICHO) began in 2000 and now has over 800 horses registered in its North American Curly Horse Registry (as of Oct. 2006). Horses within this registry are not referred to as "Bashkir Curlies". They assert that the Bashkir Horse is an entirely different breed, and that the "American Curly" is a range horse from the North American west. They base their breed standards on this, and felt it imperative to continue registration of the wild curly horses still found today on the western ranges.

Canadian Curly Horse Association (CCHA) formed in 1993. This group is focused on community events in the Curly world, and spreading knowledge of the Curly horse.