The wild Mustangs of the American west are embedded in our imagination. Mustang horses have been the subject of many movies from Spirit: Stallion of Cimarron to The Mustang and dozens in between. Horse lovers of all ages have revelled in the majestic beauty of these wild horses roaming the American plains. But did you know that Canada has its own wild horse?
Known as the Ojibwe Horse, these small horses (breed standards put them between 12 hh to 14.2 hh) were indigenous to Canada long before the Mustang evolved from the Spanish horses. In fact, the Ojibwe Horses were in North America by the thousands prior to European contact. According to the Ojibwe Horse Society, “DNA evidence shows they are different from European-introduced horse breeds in distinctive ways that made them an integral and harmonious part of the North American boreal forest. The testimony of Indigenous elders affirms they have had a spiritual and working relationship with the Ojibwe Horse throughout time.”