Canada's official horse (so designated by Order of Parliament on April 30, 2002) is originally descended from Louis IV's horses sent from his royal stables to New France in 1665, in an effort to support settlement of the Canadian colony. Known as " the little iron horse," or "the horse of steel, " these horses were strong workers who soon acquired an international reputation. They serviced Canada's Acadians, and were exported to the United States, as well as the West Indies. Their bloodstock played a critical role in the establishment of the Morgan horse, the American Saddlebred, and the Standardbred. Some Canadian horses even ended up on Sable Island.
Although the estimated population of Canadian horses in 1849 was 150,000, by 1880, they had become almost extinct…a situation which exists to this day.
Most Canadians do not even know about the existence of these strong, little critters (62 to 64 inches high, weighing between 1200 to 1550 pounds, but they have played a critical role in the success of Canada as a nation.
Still endangered (there are less than 2500 of them worldwide), the Canadian horse's 350th anniversary in Canada was celebrated by a commemorative stamp, and an honorary coin in 2015.