With a reputation as a healthy, gentle, dependable steed, it took doctors on their rounds from morning till night, going all day at a speed of about 12 miles an hour. It cleared and cultivated the soil, harrowed the garden, hauled timber or goods to market, and logs that built houses and wooden ships for hundreds of years. Some of the best qualities of the Canadian are its strength, willingness to work, and its small food requirements, able to thrive on anything or almost nothing, making it ideal for early farmers. At the same time it is long-lived and still useful at an advanced age. Some are known to have attained record ages.
Mares are extraordinarily fertile, having a longer breeding life than other breeds.
A Canadian mare can reproduce regularly until the age of 20 or even older. Foals are comparatively easy to raise. In height Canadians are usually not more than 15 hands high, weighing an average of 1,100 lbs. Described as quiet, easy to train and relaxed, they have wide foreheads, clear intelligent eyes and fine muzzle. Characteristically, the horse displays a strong, well arched neck and a deep wide chest.