The Canadian Horse and the Newfoundland Pony, a 2009 official First Day Cover from Canada.

 

Though Canada’s rugged landscape was not always kind to the country’s earliest settlers, help in conquering the land came thanks to the labors of the hardy Canadian Horse and Newfoundland Pony. Canada Post issued two commemorative stamps to honor their much-valued contributions to our country’s settlement.

The first stamp features a Canadian Horse—a strong, sturdy creature with royal lineage and a long presence in Canada. In 1665, the King of France sent several shipments of horses to the colony of New France. Straight from the King’s royal stables, these Norman and Breton steeds were of mixed origin and included Arabian, Barb and Andalusian stock. Since they developed in isolation from other breeds, these horses eventually merged into a breed of their own, now recognized as the Canadian Horse. Because of its resilience in the face of harsh weather conditions, the Canadian Horse outworked and outlived larger breeds of horses—a feat that earned it the nickname, “The Little Iron Horse.” Though threatened with extinction in the late 19th century, efforts were made to preserve the breed. In 2002, the Government of Canada honored the Little Iron Horse’s legacy by declaring it the national horse of Canada.

A Newfoundland Pony, historically considered the all-purpose pony, trots onto the second stamp. This pony’s presence in Canada dates pack to the 17th and 18th centuries, when English settlers to New Founde Land brought along many breeds of ponies to help out on the rugged terrain. These hardy creatures adapted to the harsh climate of the North Atlantic, and over time, they interbred and merged into a common breed, now recognized as the Newfoundland Pony. Since the onset of modern technology, which took over the jobs once performed by the ponies, their populations have plummeted drastically. To protect this historic creature, the Newfoundland Government declared it a Heritage Animal in 1997.

 

The commemorative stamps that honor these creatures feature photographs of the horse and pony alongside silhouettes that speak to their labors during Canadian settlement. The cancellation sites are Cap-Rouge, QC and Change Islands, NL. In 1913, to combat the threat of the Canadian Horse’s extinction, the federal government established a breeding center in Cap-Rouge, QC. For its importance to the revival of this beautiful breed, the Canadian Horse stamp was cancelled in Cap-Rouge. The Change Islands Newfoundland Pony Refuge, working closely with the Newfoundland Pony Society, has established a breeding program to raise the population of the critically-endangered Newfoundland Pony. For this reason, Change Islands, NL, was the cancellation site for the Newfoundland Pony stamp.