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A colt and a filly made their joyful arrivals at Sagehill Stables just outside of Winnipeg this past week.
“It’s been a big community effort to get to this place,” Sagehill Stables owner Gwen Donohoe said.
The two foals are Ojibwe spirit horses, a rare breed that’s native to Northwest Ontario, which were, at one point, nearly extinct.
“In the ’70s, there were only four left. A group of men saved them. They roped them, then took them across the border to the states, where they were bred with a mustang stallion and from there, they’ve rebuilt the population to about 200,” Michelle McConomy, who volunteers with the Ojibwe spirit horse care team at Sagehill Stables, said.
Ojibwe spirit horses are believed to be Canada’s only Indigenous horse breed.
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“They are very sacred and very connected to our community in a unique way,” Trina Simard, Indigenous Experiences founder, said.
The breed is known to be very friendly and easy to train. It’s also identified by its unique characteristics, including a shorter frame, dorsal stripe, fuzzy ears and small feet.
Volunteers across Canada and the United States work together to sustain the breed.
“It’s challenging because there is very small genetic pools, so we have to be very careful about which mare we are matching with which stallion,” Simard said.
The team at Sagehill Stables took in their three mares a few years ago.
“We bought them from Aurora Farms and took over their caretaking so we could help with breeding them,” Donohoe said.
The stable also brought in Chase, a stallion from Seine River First Nation. His owner, Kimberlee Campbell, is thrilled about the birth of his new offspring.
“Every baby for us is a triumph,” Campbell said.
The two foals will be given an Ojibwe name by Chase’s owners at a later date, following an Indigenous ceremony.
“The Creator has already given the name; the name is there. It’s a question for us of finding out what the name is and learning what the name is,” Campbell said.
Until then, these babies will enjoy their youth until it’s their turn to raise the next generation of their majestic and rare breed.
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