Seems the French settlers hadn't bargained for the fact that getting around Canada was somewhat more complex and time-consuming than a stroll on La Rive Gauche, so sent word to King Louis XIV (this was the 17th century, you understand) that some help with transport was required.
I quote now from an article I wrote a few years ago: (leader dots are where I've edited out boring bits)
"... and in June 1647, the first shipment was unloaded on Canadian soil. They came directly from the King’s own stables, and the finest was presented to the Governor. Rumour has it that soon afterwards this particular horse became a slap-up dinner for some local Indians who thought it was a moose. However others were not so unlucky, despite being a previously unseen rarity – we can assume the Spanish horses had not yet strayed that far north.
No-one knows for certain how the original horses imported into Canada had been bred, although looking at 17th century France itself leads us to some reasonable, educated guesses. There, the solid, weight-carrying brickwork of earlier warhorses was no longer needed and the trend of the time was to cross those types, usually Norman and Breton breeds, with Arabs and Barbs to create a lighter, smaller horse that offered greater speed while retaining substance and strength.
Over the next 20 years or so three further shipments of horses were despatched from France, although many didn’t survive what in those days must have been a terrible journey ... up to 5 weeks. ...The horses already in Canada were bred quite extensively, evolving over time to cope with the harsh Canadian climate, and were used for all kinds of activities from ploughing farms and hauling logs to pulling carriages and working under saddle."
(Moi with a Canadien friend in Québec, 2008 ---->)
The poor old Canadien certainly earned its keep all over North America, especially in the 19th century:
"Numerous Canadian Horses were exported to the USA and experts over there say that they contributed to the early bloodlines of Morgans, Tennessee Walking Horses, Standardbreds, and Saddlebreds. Many of these horses also went to the military forces to fight in a variety of conflicts including the American Civil War, and as the 19th century wore on numbers of Canadian Horses were dwindling fast."
After nearly vanishing altogether Le Canadien has been preserved and its numbers in Canada now run into thousands. Possibly to make the breed attractive as a riding horse for our rapidly enlarging citizens, Canadiens now can be anything up to 17hh (if you're not into horses, that's pretty big, OK?) and have enough strength to power a good chunk of the National Grid.
One time I was invited to have a ride on a beautiful 16.2hh stallion called Charbon who I met while he was chained up in the cross ties, stamping all four feet and blowing flames out of his nostrils. I chickened out as my days of asking hormonal stallions to go nicely are well over, but click on the link and have a look at him. He's gorgeous.
One day when I'm rich and famous I will import a Canadien or two to Britland as of course no-one in the UK has heard of them. They not pushovers by any means and take some riding, but at least they're sturdy enough to carry me.
And they're Canadian. 'Nuff said.
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