From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Canadian Pacer is a breed of horse which still exists, unlike the comparable Narragansett Pacer, however the breed is small in numbers. In the Canadian Provinces, French mares were crossed with Dutch and English stock. The bloodlines of the Canadian Pacer are not exactly known, but are thought to be descended from the Norman French Horse and a strain of pacers (possible Narragansett or an English pacer, crossed in the 1820s. The Canadian Horse was extremely hardy and possessed much endurance, but did not have the natural pace in their gaits, so it was necessary to import the Narragansett to breed it in.
The resulting Canadian Pacer was small, although larger than the Narragansett. They were described as having heads too large for their fine, lean body, and had small eyes. The Canadian Pacer influenced the Tennessee Walker, the American Saddlebred and the Standardbred. The most notable Canadian Pacer sire was the blue roan Tom Hal, who was foaled in Canada in 1806 and then taken to Kentucky. He had a heavy influence on the above three breeds. Another influential sire was Old Pacer Pilot, foaled in 1826, who was important in the lineages of many gaited horses.
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