Data from: The legend of the Canadian horse: genetic diversity and breed origin

The Canadian breed of horse invokes a fascinating chapter of North
American history and as such it is now a heritage breed and the national
horse of Canada. The aims of this study were to determine the level of
genetic diversity in the Canadian, investigate the possible foundation
breeds and the role it had in the development of the US horse breeds, such
as Morgan Horse. We tested a total of 981 horses by using 15
microsatellite markers. We found that Canadian horses have high values of
genetic diversity indices and show no evidence of a serious loss of
genetic diversity and the inbreeding coefficient was not significantly
different from zero. Belgian, Percheron, Breton and Dales Pony, unlike the
light French horses, may have common ancestries with the Canadian and
could be important founders. However, the Shire and Clydesdale influenced
the Canadian to a lesser extent than French and Belgian draft breeds.
Furthermore, our finding indicated that there was no evidence of a clear
relationship between Canadian and Oriental or Iberian breeds. Also, the
Canadian likely contributed to the early development of the Morgan.
Finally, these findings support the ancient legends of the Canadian Horse
as North America’s first equine breed and the foundation bloodstock to
many American breeds and may help in the management and breeding program
of this outstanding breed in North America.