Canada and the Horse

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how horses played a major role in the development of Canada in the era before Confederation and for some time after that date. It looks at how horses were a major means of transportation in the wild areas of Canada, how they were used to draw various forms of transportation in towns and cities and how they served as well as work animals on farms and in other capacities. It looks at how horses were a commodity and were early part of the trade settlers in Canada conducted with the United States, providing horses to buyers from the south. It also discusses how the horse served as a symbol and became a key part of various Canadian institutions, with the "mounted" section of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police being a key remainder of the importance of the horse in the past and today.

Outline
Introduction
Early Need for Horses
The Re-Introduction of the Horse
The Canadian Horse
Discussion and Conclusion

From the Paper:

"Throughout North America, three staple trades helped open the northern regions to economic activity. Those staples consisted of fish, fur, and timber. Later, agricultural settlement established permanent economic, social, and political life in the new regions. Settlers discovered that what was critical for the earliest European colonies in North America was that they be reasonably self supporting in terms of food production: "Farmers 'put down roots' in ways that fur traders and timber operators did not" ("The Wheat Staple and Early Agriculture"). Agriculture is usually seen as a necessary component for economic development and as the most basic element of all. Observers of the Canadian experience state that the issue is more peculiar in the Canadian case for several reasons."

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