DEBOLT, Alta. – When other farmers were looking at elk and buffalo as ways to diversify, Everett Morrison looked to the Canadian horse.
There was something about the rare breed that caught the northern Alberta cattle rancher’s eye.
“It was something I knew I could work with,” said Morrison, who became intrigued when he saw an advertisement for the horse.
“When I first saw the advertisement, I didn’t know what they were and had to go have a look.”
Morrison was impressed with the sturdy dual-purpose horse used as a draft animal and for riding.
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“I thought we should get into the purebred business,” said Morrison, who farms with his wife, Joy, and daughter, Shelley.
Like bison and elk, the Canadian horse was a pricey investment 10 years ago. Morrison bought 14 yearlings for $3,600 each. At the same time, bred mares were selling for $6,000.
The Canadian horse was named Canada’s national horse in 2002 and has been part of Quebec’s history since horses were shipped from France in the late 1600s.
The tough horse was often called the little iron horse because of its ability to pull heavy loads. A pictorial history book of the Canadian horse shows them pulling heavy loads of lumber, driving carts and used in equestrian events.
Morrison mainly trains the horses and sells them as started draft teams for people looking for a Canadian horse team.
The growing interest in the heritage horse has helped save it from the endangered list. Today, they number about 6,000 compared to about 400 in the 1970s.
“They’re very friendly horses. They love people,” said Morrison,who mostly uses this team of horses for wagon tours with other families during summer.
Because of lower horse prices this year, Morrison bred only three of his mares to reduce the workload on his 175 head cattle herd.
One year the family trained 18 foals, but have since cut back.
“That’s a full-time job. That’s too many.”
Last year, two mares were bred to a donkey to produce the mules Rufus and Rastus. Morrison hopes the cross will produce a tough animal ideal for pack trips in the mountains.
“I wanted a little iron horse. The donkey and Canadian cross would be the ultimate in toughness and surefootedness in the mountains.”
