The Canadian horse might be one of the few officially recognized national animals you didn’t know existed.
Martha Larkin and Mark Groen of Renfrew’s Largro Farms have begun a breeding program to help keep the breed alive in the Ottawa Valley, with their first foal on the way this spring.
They say the breed’s versatility and adaptability made it a popular horse for everything from farming and hunting to sport and racing, from first being gifted to Canada by French King Louie XIV in the 1600’s to the early 1900’s.
However, its toughness would almost lead it to extinction, as the Canadian horse became both a common sight and a casualty on battlefields around the world right up until the 1940’s. Breeders have since been able to save the species, but numbers remain low.
Bringing the Canadian horse back is a personal goal for Martha in particular, who grew up raising and riding her childhood horse, Magik, from the age of 10 until she left home to attend university.
Largro Farms also features another niche breed of animal, the Highland Cow, whose smaller frame and hairy coat keep them resilient to the harsh Canadian winters that more popular types of cows have difficulty with.