Canadian's official horse on the verge of extinction?

Image: Library and Archives Canada

Wednesday, May 13, 2015, 6:00 PM - You may be surprised to hear it, but Canada does actually have an "official" horse -- at least, until it goes extinct.

The ancestors of the Canadian horse, or cheval Canadien, were first brought to Canada 350 years ago, and their numbers grew rapidly, but now fewer foals are being born. 

The Livestock Conservancy, an international organization keeping an eye on rare breeds, has downgraded the horse's status to "Critical," and horse enthusiasts sounded the alarm over the species' decline earlier this year.

"The loss of this breed would be a tragedy, as it represents a living link to the past for Canada and all of North America," the Canadian Horse Heritage & Preservation Society said in March.

B.C. horse breeder Roxanne Salinas told the CBC last week the state of the economy and increasing urbanization, as well as a preference for show horses, were factors in the breed's dwindling numbers.

They certainly weren't intended for show. The breed's ancestors, two stallions and 20 mares, were dispatched to Quebec in 1665 by King Louis XIV, to help the colonists endure the dense landscape and difficult winters.

A tall order, but nevertheless, the breed thrived, reaching a population of 14,000 by 1793, and thousands saw service in the U.S. military, with many lost in the Civil War.

By the 1970s, the horse was in crisis, with fewer than 400 individuals left. 

Conservation efforts prompted a bit of a bounce-back, with up to 3,000 by the mid 1990s. The breed was declared Canada's national horse in 2002, and featured on a commemorative stamp in 2009.

SOURCE: CBC | Library and Archives Canada | Le Cheval Canadien | CHHAPS | Livestock Conservancy