The Lac La Croix Indian Pony is a rare breed of horse that is mainly found in Canada.
These horses are known for their endurance, gentle temperament and intelligence.
They are used for many different purposes, such as riding, driving, and packing.
If you’re interested in these special ponies, keep reading to learn more!
Lac La Croix Indian Pony Breed Info
Here are some of the key things you need to know about the Lac La Croix Indian Pony:
| Height (size) | 12.0 – 13.2 hands high |
| Colors | Most commonly bay, black, grulla, or dun, even though all solid colors (except palomino, white, or cream) are allowed. Small white markings on the face and lower legs are common. They also often have the so-called “primitive” markings which include the dorsal stripe, leg and shoulder striping, and light guard hairs along the edges of a darker mane and tail. |
| Country of Origin | Canada |
| Common Uses | General riding, equine therapy, programs promoting indigenous heritage |
Lac La Croix Indian Pony Facts & Information (Breed Profile)
Small horses have been present in northeastern Minnesota and northern Ontario for as long as the region’s indigenous people can recall.
The tale of these hardy little ponies has been passed down orally by the indigenous Ojibwa for at least two hundred years.
The Ojibwa land between Canada and Minnesota in the United States is densely wooded and dotted with hundreds of lakes and streams.
The winters are long and harsh.
The Ojibwa people traditionally made extensive use of ponies throughout the winter months, particularly for pulling logs and packing out traps and pelts across the snow.
Year-round, they were ridden through deep woods, frequently on treacherous footing, in the rain and snow.
Even before the 1800s, the Lac La Croix Indigenous Ponies lived at the Lac La Croix First Nation in Northwestern Ontario and the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa in Northern Minnesota.
Traditional Elders and Knowledge Keepers claim that the Lac La Croix Indigenous Ponies were in this area pre to colonization and believe them to be indigenous to this land.
Although all horses are revered, the Lac La Croix Indigenous Pony have a particularly deep and enduring spiritual connection to the Indigenous peoples of the region.
In many cases, the management of the ponies consisted of just letting them roam free and find their own food.
Before gasoline-powered vehicles took over their work and different outside agencies started to make decisions about their survival, they prospered greatly.
By that time, the horses were semi-feral and lived in harmony and side by side with the people.
They lived in small bands that sometimes ventured into isolated Indian settlements but most of the time they remained practically invisible as they foraged in the dense forests.
Conservation Efforts
Beginning in the 1930s, missionaries and government authorities in the Minnesota reservation community of Vermillion ordered the ponies to be slaughtered.
Numerous horses were also shot by local white people, who then sold them as dog food.
Over time, the ponies in northern Minnesota vanished.
For unclear reasons, Canada’s Ministry of Health ruled that the few surviving ponies were a health hazard and also ordered their elimination.
To prevent the last of the wild horses in the Boise Forte of Ojibwa to be slaughtered, elders from all three villages in Minnesota joined together in 1977 and transported the ponies back to Minnesota.
Initially, just four mares could be located.
After the rescue, the problems persisted, and one of the mares almost died from the commercial grain and hay she was fed.
In a manner somewhat similar to that of deer, the ponies, over the course of many generations, had consumed wild grasses, browsed on buds, and stripped the bark off of poplar trees.
Their intestinal microbes need some time to readjust to the rapid switch to commercial horse feed.
The rescuers decided to cross the rescued mares with a Spanish Mustang since historical studies suggested that the ponies originated from random crossings between Spanish Mustangs and Canadian Horses during the period of the French and Indian War (1754–1763).
Since the breed didn’t have an official name at that time, the name Lac La Croix Indian Pony was given to honor the people who saved them, and commemorate the place of the final rescue.
Rare Breeds Canada (RBC) got interested in the preservation of the breed in 1993 and started bringing the ponies back to Canada.
Since the RBC became involved, record keeping has been improved, and breeding has been managed much better.
Today, there are a few committed breeders in Minnesota, but most of the horses are located in Canada.
DNA research was initiated in 2005 with the goals of providing animal identity and confirmation of parentage, as well as initiating the creation of a herd book for registration reasons.
The results of this study also contributed to establishing the real ancestry of horses.
Initial studies suggested that the animals may have descended from some kind of British pony or at least ‘cold blood’ horse type.
There may be some Iberian heritage as well, according to the data.
Jane Mullen of the Lac La Croix Indian Pony Society explained that the study validated their findings that the Lac La Croix Indian Pony descendent from the cold blooded Canadian Horse, and the Spanish Mustang who has got Iberian ancestry.
If you’re interested in learning more about this fascinating breed, keep reading!
Alternative Names
“Lac La Croix Indigenous pony”, “Ojibwa pony”
Temperament/Personality
They are very calm which makes them especially appropriate for beginner riders and equine-assisted learning and rehabilitation
Physical Characteristics
The head, and the forehead are broad, and tapered to the muzzle.
The eyes are bright, and the ears are small and very hairy.
They have nostril flaps (to help with inclement weather), a thick lion-like forelock and mane, and profusely-haired ears to withstand hard winters, but repel flies during the hot summer months.
The neck is strong, and the withers are low.
The back is straight. The croup is sloped, and the tail is set low and tucked well into the buttocks.
The legs are strong and sometimes have feathering. The hooves are strong, and very hard.
It is a strong, athletic and versatile breed, with great stamina.
Colors
Most commonly bay, black, grulla, or dun, even though all solid colors (except palomino, white, or cream) are allowed.
Small white markings on the face and lower legs are common.
They also often have the so-called “primitive” markings which include the dorsal stripe, leg and shoulder striping, and light guard hairs along the edges of a darker mane and tail.
Height (size)
12.0 – 13.2 hands high
Stallions
12.3 – 13.2 hands high
Mares
12.0 – 12.3 hands high
Weight
n/a
Blood Type
Pony
Common Uses
General riding, equine therapy, programs promoting indigenous heritage
Health
n/a
Popular Traits
Very hardy
Feeding/Diet
n/a
Country of Origin
Canada
Ancestors
Canadian Horse, Spanish Mustang