The Spirit Horse Project
At Sagehill Stables, the Spirit Horse Project has provided us with an opportunity to learn the history of both horses and Indigenous peoples in North America and actively promote and engage in reconciliation. The main goal of the Spirit Horse Project is to help re-establish this endangered, Indigenous developed horse breed, as there are less than 200 Ojibwe Spirit Horses left in North America. Through this project, we want to work with organizations and individuals to promote reconciliation and to continue to share the history, knowledge and teachings of horses with others using land-based, interactive programming. The Spirit Horse Project is run by a community of volunteers who commit their time to care for the horses, sponsor the horses financially, and fundraise for their vet, farrier and feed costs. The Spirit Horse Project also provides programing using the horses, and monies raised from programming goes back into funds to care for the Spirit Horses at Sagehill or support community activities with the Spirit Horses.
The Spirit Horse Project started in 2023 when we offered to care for an Ojibwe Spirit Horse stallion named Chase from the Grey Raven Ranch (owned by Darcy Whitecrow and Kim Campbell) on Seine River First Nation in Ontario. Bringing a stallion of this rare breed to the area is an important part of the rebreeding effort to help increase the population of this endangered breed. In 2024, Sagehill took on caretaking for an additional three Ojibwe Spirit Horse mares, know as the Three Sisters. The Three Sisters previously lived at Aurora Farm, who were the caretakers who named them and spent much time taming these beautiful girls. In 2025 we hope to start our own breeding program and continue to share the story of the Ojibwe Spirit Horse with the Winnipeg community and surrounding areas by hosting events, offering programming and travelling with the Three Sisters to schools, Indigenous events and communities.
Our Equine Assisted Learning programs offered via the Spirit Horse Program promote education, confidence building and healing through self-discovery, community building and story telling, rather than traditional talk therapy and classroom based learning. These aspects align with many of the traditional Indigenous teachings and beliefs regarding health, nature and community, and have been studied and researched and proven to improve the lives of at risk youth.
The Spirit Horse Project started in 2023 when we offered to care for an Ojibwe Spirit Horse stallion named Chase from the Grey Raven Ranch (owned by Darcy Whitecrow and Kim Campbell) on Seine River First Nation in Ontario. Bringing a stallion of this rare breed to the area is an important part of the rebreeding effort to help increase the population of this endangered breed. In 2024, Sagehill took on caretaking for an additional three Ojibwe Spirit Horse mares, know as the Three Sisters. The Three Sisters previously lived at Aurora Farm, who were the caretakers who named them and spent much time taming these beautiful girls. In 2025 we hope to start our own breeding program and continue to share the story of the Ojibwe Spirit Horse with the Winnipeg community and surrounding areas by hosting events, offering programming and travelling with the Three Sisters to schools, Indigenous events and communities.
Our Equine Assisted Learning programs offered via the Spirit Horse Program promote education, confidence building and healing through self-discovery, community building and story telling, rather than traditional talk therapy and classroom based learning. These aspects align with many of the traditional Indigenous teachings and beliefs regarding health, nature and community, and have been studied and researched and proven to improve the lives of at risk youth.
The Story of the Ojibwe Spirit Horse
The Ojibwe Spirit Horse, also known as the Lac LaCroix Pony, Ojibwe Pony or Indian Pony, is a breed developed by Indigenous people in the Boreal Forest regions of Canada and the northern U.S. It is a spirit animal for Indigenous people and it is listed as a critically endangered breed in Canada.
Elders remember thousands of ponies running through the forests. Their stories tell of the spiritual and working relationship with the Ojibwe horse throughout time, and these stories date back to pre-European settlement. DNA evidence has also demonstrated that the Ojibwe breed is distinctive to European breeds, strengthening these stories and challenging the theory that horses were first introduced to North America by European settlers.
There were only four Ojibwe Spirit Horse mares left in the wild in 1977, when they were rescued from the Lac LaCroix area in a daring rescue attempt. They were later bred to a registered Spanish Mustang and this started the breeding effort that continues today. There are approximately 170 Ojibwe Spirit Horses registered with the Ojibwe Spirit Horse society today.
Ojibwe Spirit Horses are small and strong, and have many characteristics different from our domesticated horses that allowed them to survive in the dense underbrush of the forests. Generally they are around 13 hands, have small, strong hard hooves and short fuzzy ears. They are also known for being kind and willing ponies, and have kind eyes.
Read more about the breed, breeding efforts and history of horses in North America here:
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/lac-la-croix-indigenous-pony
https://ojibwehorse.ca/about-the-breed/
https://ojibwehorse.ca/become-a-caretaker/
Elders remember thousands of ponies running through the forests. Their stories tell of the spiritual and working relationship with the Ojibwe horse throughout time, and these stories date back to pre-European settlement. DNA evidence has also demonstrated that the Ojibwe breed is distinctive to European breeds, strengthening these stories and challenging the theory that horses were first introduced to North America by European settlers.
There were only four Ojibwe Spirit Horse mares left in the wild in 1977, when they were rescued from the Lac LaCroix area in a daring rescue attempt. They were later bred to a registered Spanish Mustang and this started the breeding effort that continues today. There are approximately 170 Ojibwe Spirit Horses registered with the Ojibwe Spirit Horse society today.
Ojibwe Spirit Horses are small and strong, and have many characteristics different from our domesticated horses that allowed them to survive in the dense underbrush of the forests. Generally they are around 13 hands, have small, strong hard hooves and short fuzzy ears. They are also known for being kind and willing ponies, and have kind eyes.
Read more about the breed, breeding efforts and history of horses in North America here:
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/lac-la-croix-indigenous-pony
https://ojibwehorse.ca/about-the-breed/
https://ojibwehorse.ca/become-a-caretaker/
Meet the Ojibwe Spirit Horses at Sagehill
Babaaminizhikawaad
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Mandaamin
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How can you help?
Join our community, sponsor a horse or donate to the Ojibwe Horse Society! Click the link below for more info and to meet our team!
Workshops & Programs
3-Sisters Horse Care Program
This 3-day program teaches essential horse handling care and management skills, focusing on welfare, behaviour, and safety, ideal for those interested in working with horses or starting an equine-related business. Once the course is completed students also have the opportunity to bring the 3-Sisters to their home communities to teach others about the story of the Ojibwe Spirit Horse
Confidence Building & Leadership Development
This program uses horses, including the 3 Sisters, in half- and full-day workshops or weekly sessions to help individuals and teams develop leadership, confidence, and collaboration skills. We can include communication style analysis for the group, strategic planning and exercises to help plan for the future of your organization.
