Canadian Cutting Horse

The Canadian Cutting Horse was developed in Canada and is largely based on the American Quarter Horse, which they resemble in appearance, temperament, and aptitude. They have been selectively bred to be extremely quick, agile, and athletic, as well as being intelligent, calm and willing. These are all qualities that they need to carry out their principal job, working of cows on the ranch.

The breed is largely based on the Spanish Horse, which is renown for their 'cow sense' this is a vital element of both the Canadian Cutting Horse and the American Quarter Horse. Basically the horse naturally out-thinks and out-maneuvers cattle. They are widely for cutting competitions. These competitions involve the horse having to separate a marked cow from the herd with speed and grace Once the cow has been separated, the horse then has to mark the cow by mirroring its movements to keep it from returning to the herd. Once the cow has been cut from the herd, the rider holds onto the saddle horn, and the horse is left to mark the cow on its own. These competitions demonstrate the agility of the horse and also its intelligence and training and the prize money can be extremely large.

In appearance, the Canadian Cutting Horse has a well-proportioned head with a straight or slightly convex profile which is a throwback to its Spanish ancestry. The eyes are intelligent and kind, and the ears are mobile and alert. The neck should be muscular and well set on. The shoulders are nicely sloping and powerful, the chest should be broad and deep, the back straight, and the hindquarters immensely powerful and muscular. The legs are short and strong with hard tendons and good feet. The overall appearance is of a well-proportioned, powerful animal, which appears close the ground, due to the shortness in the leg. They can be chestnut, bay, brown or gray in color, and stand between 15 hh and 16hh.

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