Neighing between snow and ice

 The fascinating and mysterious history of the Ojibwe horse

    The Ojibwe Spirit horse or Lac La Croix Indian pony, is a breed of horse native to the Great Lakes region between the United States and Canada, being the only native horse breed known in Canada, which you probably haven't heard of but which in its existence holds something that could change the natural history of America in addition to a very controversial history, come with me to see it, thanks for reading, let's get started.

origins 

The original Ojibwe horses were described by the natives of that area as small, stout and hardy animals, useful for the work they once, as they lived freely in the boreal forest, these peoples were of great importance to them, since they were used as draft and pack animals to carry large loads of ice and wood on sleds during the winter, being very present in the native reserves of that area.

In winter, these were taken to secluded sites during their breeding season, where they were allowed to be in semi-wild conditions, some even freely crossing the Canadian border with Minnesota, being for centuries an animal respected and raised by the natives, but this would almost cost them their survival.

A cruel fate

   If you know American history and know well what happened to the bison in the Wild West, well, something similar happened to these horses.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the government of the then British Canada prohibited the natives from leaving their reserves without permission in order to appropriate their lands and for This, their horses were confiscated, most of which were turned into glue and meat for consumption.

Likewise, extermination campaigns were carried out, both in the US and Canada, with the herds from the native reserves being eliminated with more reason, since they thought it was inappropriate for native children to see the free spirit of horses, (well here I leave everything to your discretion), leaving the last herd in the territories of Lac La Croix.

In the end, in 1967, the last male of reproductive age was shot, leaving only 4 females, which were on the list to be slaughtered by the government, since these were taken as a public nuisance, one might have thought that the fate of these horses was sealed but something happened...

Rescue and conversation

Before the government acted, conservationists supported by the Ojibwe people loaded the mares into a trailer, taking them across the ice to Minnesota, where they were kept in a safe stable and away from the clutches of the government, since there were no more pure stallions, an alternative had to be found, so they We obtained a Spanish Mustang as a stallion, so little by little foals of this breed were born that, although mixed breeds, contributed to preserving it and saving it from extinction.

It is currently considered endangered, with 150 specimens distributed in Canada and Minnesota, being a conservation effort, Although it is believed that they could have a genetic bottleneck, but the story does not end there, since there has been recent controversy about them.

They were always there

According to indigenous oral histories and spiritual beliefs, horses had always roamed the American continent, long before the arrival of the first Europeans and although this was believed to be a myth, recent research on this breed, although questioned by conventional science, they can support them.

According to the Ojibwe Horse Society, DNA testing has been done a few years ago that shows they are a separate breed from horses brought from Eurasia, In addition, these inherited from the original horses a thick winter coat, clearly adapted to the harsh environments of the north, compact and powerful bodies, thick manes, small, furry ears and additional nostrils, which seem to have evolved to protect them from the cold, although the most curious thing would be the zebra stripes on their legs and a well-pronounced dorsal stingray that runs along its vertebral column.

This, added to stories from the indigenous people of the Ottawa region plus paleontological findings that show the existence of American horses until just 5,000 years ago, gives rise to this theory, Although it is not widely accepted, other more accepted ones are that they are horses escaped from British and Spanish settlers, since genetic matches have been found with them, although also markers with the Iberian horses, a fact that has not been explained but perhaps this is due to the crossing, likewise the original also had the phenotype of the Mongolian horse.

Personally I think that maybe it comes from the Norwegian horses, because if we analyze carefully the area where these horses were originally from, it agrees with the place where the first Viking expeditions to America possibly arrived, and the Vikings may have left some horses behind, giving rise to these, but this is just my theory.

 At the end of the day, the origin of these horses may never be proven, because their original genome was lost, just as in the case of the bison, if it is known that they were here before, it would be an enormous discovery on a biological level and if not, it will still be interesting and exemplifies the struggle and resistance of the Native Americans for centuries against the power and domination of the white man and how those who survive to this day do not plan to submit so easily.

[Reading links]

https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2084434499690

https://www.bbc.com/mundo/vert-tra-64539846.amp

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lac_La_Croix_Indian_Pony

https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20230126-the-return-of-the-spirit-horse-to-canada