The Canadian Pacer is a horse breed that is developed in Canada in the late 18th and the early 19th centuries. In some opinions they are now extinct, and in others they still live but in small numbers in the North Canadian Provinces. The true origin of the breed is not known for certainty, but is thought that they are developed from the French stock, because the first equine arrivals in Canada were from Europe.
Generally the Canadian horse was an easy keeper, known for its endurance and strength, but it did not have pace in their gaits. So, it was necessary to add bloodlines from other gaited horses and improve this trait. In 1820, French mares were crossed with Dutch Warmblood and English Thoroughbred stock. It is not sure, but probably the Norman French horse was crossed with a strain of pacers, perhaps the Narragansett horse that is now extinct, or some other pacer that were shipped from England.
The result was a small gaited horse that was somewhat larger than the Narragansett horse. This horse had a too long head, compared to the rest of the body, which was fine, lean and bony. The eyes were small and the ears were set well forward or too far apart. The Canadian Pacer had a gait that was described as extremely comfortable and incredibly fast version of walk, also known as Amblers, Single-Footers, Rawal or Indian Shufflers. The gait was characterized with each hoof hitting the ground separately, yet still reaching a speed of over than 20 miles per day.
In the past it was believed that the Palfreys horses from the medieval times had this smooth gait and were pacers. Today horses born with pacing abilities still exist. The word pacer means that a horse is able to perform a gait called the pace. It is mostly used in North America for the Standardbred racer and the Tennessee Walking Horse (TWH).
The Canadian Pacer had great influence on the horse breeds from North America. It is considered to be one of the foundation stocks of the Tennessee Walking Horse, the American Saddlebred and the Standardbred.
Tom Hal is the most famous stallion that had an impact on the abovementioned horse breeds and many stories are told about him, initially founding a breed called Tom Hal Saddler. This blue roan sire was foaled in 1806 in Canada and later was taken to Philadelphia and then to Kentucky. Once he won a bet carrying his owner 80 miles across Kentucky in one day and turned around making the return trip, the next day. Other notable horses were Pacing Pilot, Davy Crockett and Copperbottom, which all established families in Kentucky and Tennessee and made them legendary.
The Canadian Pacer didnít have big success as a breed, possibly due to the development of race horses in the United States and their undesirable too large head and too small eyes. Their physical confirmation resembles to the Morgan horse. They have large head with a broad forehead, small eyes, larger nostrils and short ears. The neck is well angled; the withers are well defined; the back is compact and short; the croup is rounded; and the legs are straight and sound with rounded feet that are in proportion to the size of the horse; being overall described as a slightly muscular animal.
The average height of the Canadian Pacer is approximately 14.3 hands high. Any solid color can appear at the breed but black, grey, bay, chestnut and pinto are the most common.
They are mostly used for ranch work, but also as race horse and for pleasure riding. Solve a wonderful horse puzzle of this highly energetic, willing and intelligent horse breed. Press left mouse button on a piece of the jigsaw and drag it to the right place, where it will match with another piece.