This is not at all exaggeration. Without the horses, mules, and donkeys that first came to North America, the early colonists would not have been able to survive the harsh climate, the West would not have been settled, farmers in the Midwest would not have been able to survive, and Native Americans would not have developed equestrian-based methods of hunting and warfare without the use of the mighty horse.

The equines of early America were hardy creatures that often had to fend for themselves. The rugged landscape and challenging climates, combined with scarce food and lack of veterinary care, shaped these horses and donkeys into tough, resilient breeds.

Hundreds of years later, the so-called “heritage” equine breeds are under threat.

Competition from the tractor and automobile, along with two World Wars, helped wipe out equine populations around the world early in the 20th century. While a number of them survived the industrial age, some fared better than others. The heritage breeds that remain are some of the rarest and hardiest equines in the world.

Fight to Preserve

In 2006, the United Nations Food & Agriculture Organization estimated that an average of two domestic animal breeds are lost worldwide each week. In the U.S., The Livestock Conservancy is fighting to stem this tide. One of these efforts spawned the creation of the Endangered Equine Alliance, which held its first summit in 2018.

“The Endangered Equine Summit came about in response to a decades-long decline in horse breed registrations, not only for rare breeds, but also for more popular breeds, like Arabians and Saddlebreds,” says Charlene R. Couch, Ph.D., senior program manager for The Livestock Conservancy. “The economic challenges for all equine breeders are significant, but they are even more so for those who breed endangered horses and donkeys.”

According to Couch, ancient breeds such as the Akhal-Teke and Caspian, which have been human partners for thousands of years, are now gravely endangered.

“Even the iconic Cleveland Bay, Clydesdale, and Lipizzan horses are rare,” she says. “And fewer than 100 traditional Morgans—horses whose pedigrees are absent of outcrosses after 1930—were registered in 2016. In our lifetime, we may bear witness to equine breed extinction.”

If the history of these breeds isn’t enough to inspire their preservation, their ability to contribute to modern equine gene pools should be.

“Heritage-breed horses are not just useful and beautiful—they are an irreplaceable reservoir of equine genetic diversity,” Couch says. “These animals offer valuable traits that were developed over centuries, such as stamina, unique gaits, hardiness, sound feet, and good skeletal structure. Many were important in the formation of America’s more popular breeds, like the American Quarter Horse. In many cases, the ancestral sources of these heritage breeds no longer exist, and that breed cannot be recreated. They are a true genetic treasure, and every loss could be significant for the future of the horse industry.”

The Endangered Equine Alliance

Shortly after the 2018 Summit, more than 50 equine breed associations, plus scientists, sporting groups, and horse industry representatives united to form the Endangered Equine Alliance. The Livestock Conservancy facilitates the exchange of information among Alliance members and serves as a central outlet for educational resources that support equine breed conservation.

So far, the Alliance has accomplished some significant goals, according to Couch.

“We have created a germplasm bank for endangered horse breeds,” she says. “The collection is a sort of ‘doomsday’ vault of genetic materials for breed conservation emergencies. Through the Alliance’s network, we facilitated the banking of semen from Newfoundland Ponies, the Marsh Tacky, Akhal-Teke, and Caspian horses so far, with other breed collections on the horizon.”

The Alliance has also worked to provide breeders with discounts from companies for semen and tissue collection of endangered equine breeds; published the Manual of Methods for Preservation of Valuable Equine Genetics, designed to help owners learn more about new reproduction technologies and how to use them to save breeds and bloodlines; hosted webinars and question-and-answer sessions with equine experts on DNA testing, advanced reproduction techniques, and marketing; and developed an Endangered Equine Alliance website for sharing articles and links, and a Rare Equine Breeds Facebook group that now has more than 2,000 followers worldwide.

Help from Grants

“The grant enabled The Livestock Conservancy to bring together representatives of approximately 50 endangered horse breed groups for the first summit,” Couch says. “The delegates to the Summit represented thousands of horse owners, and included participants from the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. The group was tasked with identifying the leading causes of equine breed population declines, and deciding [upon] actions that could be taken to stabilize the loss of breeds.”

Through the support of the USA Equestrian Trust, experts from the greater horse community, including sporting groups, equine-assisted therapy providers, university scientists, and national associations participated in the Summit. Panelists included partners at the American Horse Council, Texas A&M University, Virginia Tech, Uppsala University, the American Endurance Ride Conference, Natural Lifemanship Equine-Assisted Therapy, Rare Breeds Survival Trust/Stallion AI Services (U.K.), the Arabian Horse Association, the National Animal Interest Alliance, and the National Driving Society.

“The vision and support of the USA Equestrian Trust was crucial in bringing together such a wide representation of members of the equine industry,” Couch says. “Together, the participants saw the potential to accomplish great things by uniting in their efforts to conserve endangered equine breeds.”

Ongoing Support

In addition to work by the Endangered Equine Alliance, The Livestock Conservancy conducts an annual census of horse and donkey breeds to monitor their population growth and declines.

“We encourage registration of horses so that their numbers can be counted,” Couch says. “We maintain a large list of breeders and breed associations to help owners and enthusiasts connect with each other, share herd genetics, or collaborate on projects.”

The Conservancy also offers a competitive microgrants program to all heritage livestock and poultry growers, including horse and donkey breeders, to help boost their capacity for breeding, raising, and selling animals. They also assist owners in saving germplasm of valuable, rare bloodlines and individuals from breeds on the Conservation Priority List through discounts, networking, and other resources.

Some current research projects include genetic studies for Suffolk Punch, American Cream Draft horses, and Poitou donkeys, with the goal of uncovering genetic information that will help guide efforts to reduce the risks of inbreeding and support effective conservation.

“The Livestock Conservancy is all about education, research, and networking of owners and breeders so that we can safeguard the future of important breeds,” Couch says. “Together with owners, breeders, and the equine community, we want to move the needle for each breed, and make a meaningful contribution to its long-term survival.”

For more, visit www.livestockconservancy.org/aboutus/endangered-equine-alliance.

This article about saving endangered horse breeds appeared in the March 2022 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Saving Endangered Horse Breeds appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Newfoundland Pony

The English, Scots and Irish who left the British Isles for the Canadian coast in the 1600s brought their beloved ponies with them. The Dartmoor, Exmoor and New Forest—hardy ponies that had learned to survive the cold North Atlantic winters—would be needed on the island that would be called Newfoundland.

Within a few hundred years of living and working on the island, the ponies of Newfoundland had become a distinct breed. Farmers and fishermen used them to plow gardens and fields, haul fishing nets and kelp from the shore, and serve as riding and carriage horses.

As with many working breeds, the Newfoundland was replaced by modern machinery. By the time the Canadian government stepped in to protect the Newfoundland Pony, less than 100 individual ponies survived. The Newfoundland Pony Society and the Newfoundland Pony Conservancy Center are two organizations working to preserve the 400 ponies left of this critically endangered breed, as listed by the Equus Survival Trust, Rare Breeds Canada and the Livestock Conservancy.

Newfoundland Ponies vary in type, from fine-boned to stocky. They stand anywhere from 11 to 14.2 hands, and come in bay, black, brown, chestnut, dun, gray and roan. Their mane and tail are thick, their fetlocks are feathered, and their hooves are hard.

Those who live with this pony value its temperament above all else. Their willingness, connection to humans, and unflappable nature helps them excel at any discipline asked of them: riding, driving, hauling, sleighing and even therapy work.

Canadian Horse

In the early 1600s, the first French settlers in Quebec struggled to farm enough food to get through the winter without the help of horses. They used their hands and primitive agricultural tools to till the soil during the short growing season.

After decades of this harsh existence, King Louis XIV of France sent two small shiploads of horses to the colonists. The horses that arrived carried the blood of the Norman, Breton, Arabian, Barb and Andalusian breeds.

Only the toughest of these horses went on to survive in this rugged land. By the 1700s, a breed perfectly suited to the harsh Canadian terrain had developed. Though small, this new Canadian Horse plowed fields, pulled logs, carried small children and raced for sport.

The fame of the Canadian Horse (known as le Cheval Canadien in the province of Quebec) stretched deep into New England. By the 1800s, Americans were using them to improve their own horses. It also led to a smaller number of purebred Canadian Horses.

By the time machinery began to replace horses in the early 1900s, the Canadian Horse began to decrease even more in numbers. By the 1970s, only around 400 purebred Canadian Horses remained, mostly in the province of Quebec. Through the hard work of breed advocates, the Canadian Horse now numbers around 2,000, according to the Livestock Conservancy, with most horses located in the U.S. and Canada.

The Canadian Horse has maintained much of its original conformation over the centuries. The breed standard calls for a horse with dense bone, strength and noble carriage, and with a short head, a straight neck, and a strong, short back. Standing 14 to 16 hands and weighing 1,000 to 1,400 pounds, they are mostly black, brown, bay and chestnut. A small group of breeders is working to bring back colors that were lost, including cream and palomino. This year, the first double-dilute cream Canadian Horse in over 100 years was born in Canada.

This versatile breed successfully competes in many disciplines, including dressage, hunter/jumpers, driving and western events. Their endurance, hardiness and unflappable temperament also make them great trail horses.

Sable Island Horses

Give feral horses some time and they can learn to withstand the toughest of environments. A perfect example of this adaptability is Canada’s Sable Island Horse.

Brought to the 26-mile crescent-shaped Sable Island in the 1700s, the ancestors of today’s Sable Island Horse learned to endure in this harsh land of sand, salty sea air and sparse vegetation. Located 196 miles off the coast of Nova Scotia, Sable Island has winters that are unforgiving and continuously challenge the horses’ ability to survive.

Standing 13 to 14 hands tall and mostly bay and chestnut in color, Sable Island Horses are believed to have Norman, Andalusian and Spanish Barb ancestry. An average of around 500 horses live on the island at any given time. Researchers allowed to study the islands’ horses for the past two years showed that starvation and internal parasites cause anywhere from 5 to 25 percent mortality in the horses from late winter to early spring.

Now protected by the Canadian government, along with the rest of Sable Island National Park Reserve, Sable Island Horses were regularly rounded up during the 19th and early 20th centuries. As recently as the 1950s, they were sold almost exclusively for dog food, nearly wiping them out.

In 1960, advocates for the horses—including thousands of children who wrote to their legislators—stepped in to save them. Today, Sable Island Horses live only in the wild; the last domesticated horse died in 2019.

Not many people get to see the Sable Island Horse in the flesh. Visitors to the island must register with Parks Canada in advance and arrange for their own transportation by sea or air.

Canadian Warmblood

What happens when you take European Warmbloods, like the Hanoverian, Holsteiner, and Oldenberg, and breed them in Canada? You get a Canadian Warmblood. Add Canada’s unique rearing conditions of wide open spaces and often tough winters and you get a Warmblood produced as nature intended with strong bones and even temperament.

In 1991, The Canadian Warmblood Horse Breeders Association (CWHBA) incorporated under the Animal Pedigree Act. The goal was to unite breeders for the purpose of furthering Warmblood horse breeding in Canada. The association works to unite breeders, owners and friends of Warmblood horses in Canada; to maintain the Stud Book of Canadian Warmblood horses; to maintain a uniform breeding program of Warmblood horses in Canada; to promote breed shows and representation in exhibitions; and to encourage public understanding of the Canadian Warmblood horse.

The CWHBA asks its breeder members to strive for a medium-sized, well-bred Warmblood that has natural talents for the Olympic and related equestrian sports: dressage, jumping, driving, eventing and hunters. Their goal should be a horse with correct conformation for soundness and longevity in one of these sports. Canadian Warmblood breeders should also work toward a horse with an even temperament who will serve as a willing partner for both amateur and professional handlers alike.

Using the bloodlines of the great European Warmblood studbooks combined with the careful work of Canadian breeders, the country is making its mark at the international (FEI) levels. Canadians are seeing the results of this effort. Over the past 20 years, Canadian Warmbloods have become ubiquitous at regional and national shows and made names for themselves at both the Olympics and the FEI World Equestrian Games.

This article about Canadian horse breeds appeared in the October 2020 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Canadian Horse Breeds appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Canadian Horse History

In the late 1600s, King Louis XIV of France brought Breton and Norman horses to the region of North America now known as Canada. They are believed to be the ancestors of the modern Canadian Horse, which still possesses traits similar to the Arabian, Andalusian and Barb bloodlines that the Breton and Norman horses also displayed.

These French horses bred with little interference for hundreds of years, and the resulting breed became known as the Canadian Horse, or Cheval Canadien. Met with harsh weather and sparse food supplies, the this breed became a sturdy animal and remains hardy today.

In the mid-1800s, the these horses could be found in Canada and the United States, and was crossbred to improve the strength of other breeds. The Morgan, Tennessee Walking Horse, Standardbred and American Saddlebred are said to trace back to the breed.

Canadian Horses were exported to southern Africa for the Boer War, to work on sugar plantations in the West Indies, and for the Civil War in America. With this exportation and the introduction of machinery replacing horse power, this breed nearly became extinct.

The first studbook was produced in 1886 by a group of concerned enthusiasts, and the Canadian Horse Breeders Association was formed in 1895. Today, the breed is still listed as critical by the American Livestock Conservancy.

Characteristics

These horses has a beautifully arched neck with a long, flowing mane and tail. Its head is refined with a short forehead and small throatlatch. The chest is deep and the back is short and strong. Long, sloping shoulders and broad hindquarters give way to muscular legs with clean joints and bone structure.

For More Information:

• Le Cheval Canadien/The Canadian Horse

This article about the Canadian Horse originally appeared in Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Canadian Horse appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.