The vision is to take the “Athletic” traits of the Le Canadien and cross them with the “performance” traits of the Missouri Foxtrotter thus improving both breeds while evolving through careful selection these traits we find most desirable.
The foot of Le Canadien, for instance, is much larger, sometimes wearing #3’s in front and #2’s behind, and with much greater thickness to the horn wall itself which constitutes stronger, healthier feet and the less likelihood of injury or cracking. Many pure bred Canadiens wear no shoe at all. Their forearms are noticeably heavier giving more strength to the lower body. Their chest area is wider and deeper giving this superior athlete a bigger motor. Make no mistake about it, on uphill pulls Le Canadien breathes deeper and fewer times than does the ordinary horse. Le Canadiens hindquarters are not much heavier than the average quarter horse and quite frankly slimmer than many. But, as any horseman knows, it is all about the front end when it comes to pulling or carrying a load.
This horse is not exceptionally fast but he is quick on his feet. It is the wrong time to find out your horse has a slow reaction time when the trail is giving away under you. Le Canadien is almost cat-like when it comes to recovery time. Level-headedness is probably the one most important trait the Canadien brings to the table. I don’t know if it is because of his warhorse background or his incredibly clean breeding features, but he is unshakable on the trail. We are breeding for brains and bones. If a horse is quick to rattle he will get you hurt eventually. It may just be a matter of time. And if a horse breaks down along the side of the road, what good is he? I personally, have been in virtually every conceivable predicament out on the trail and I constantly marvel at how unshakable his disposition is with every circumstance.
These are the main things I was looking for when I set out to improve upon the Missouri Foxtrotter-better feet, more muscle, deeper/broader chest and unshakable attitude.
The Missouri Foxtrotters we had been raising since 1976 were wonderfully well coordinated, brisk walking, fun to ride animals on moderate terrain. Their ability to use their head and neck as a fulcrum to set up a very rhythmic diagonal beat is especially comfortable to the rider. They seemed to be reasonably well mannered and capable of holding their gait for long distances. They too were very quick on their feet, more straight forwardness to their movement and less side-to-side motion. But, the Appalachian Mountain trails where we did most of our trail riding while living in North Carolina proved to be no match for the Rocky Mountain backcountry. It was this move west in 1999 that caused me to start thinking about ways to improve upon the Missouri Foxtrotters we had grow to love and respect over the years.
And then it happened.
We had attended the Calgary Stampede that year and I was immediately drawn to this one particularly beautiful black stallion as he stood so nobly over the crowds of people with his rider impressively dressed in his bright red tunic and black trousers with gold stripes, highly polished brown boots and gloves and hat to match. Yes, a real live Canadian Mountie, but what kind of horse. I remember asking,” What kind of horse”? Upon his reply of a “Canadien”, I ask, “A Canadian what”? He said simply a Canadien. Upon returning home I immediately began my research and quickly found out I didn’t know as much as I thought I did about horses. But, I knew one thing; I had finally found the perfect match for the core group of Missouri Foxtrotter mares we had brought with us from North Carolina. Soon the search began for the perfect stallion. Our search took us over most of Canada. Almost a year had past and there he was running in about a 100-acre wood lot with one other mare. I knew that instant I had finally found him. A Mr. Carter who had since sold all his horses out to a Mr. Marvin Abbott of Marvell Farms in Winfield, Alberta had brought him to Alberta from his birthplace at Beckett’s Creek Farm in Ontario.
We had finally found what we believed would fill in all the missing links to the perfect trail riding horse. As we enter our 5th season I am happy to report that the 2 remaining 4-year-olds and the 2-year-old crop that we just started in February 2007 are very impressive. The name of the new breed displaying the physical trait of their Canadien father and the performance trail of their Missouri Foxtrotter mother will be called the Montana Mountain Horse and will carry their own registered brand.  |
