The Spirit Horse Project: Chase
Sagehill Stables wants to help with the breeding efforts to re-establish this spirit horse for Indigenous peoples.
One of the biggest challenges with growing the breed is the breeding process itself. Many individuals have offered to help re-home and care for Ojibwe horses across Canada. It is much easier to re-home mares than it is stallions, and often young male Ojibwe horses are gelded because it just isn't practical or feasible for their owners to keep stallions or find homes for them. Those that have mares often don't have the financial or physical means to bring in a stallion and have their mares bred. Only recently has the first semen from an Ojibwe stallion been drawn, and artificial insemination is still a costly process that requires special veterinary expertise. On top of these challenges is the challenge with inbreeding. Often stallions in a local area are not compatible to be bred with local mares, so there is the added cost of transporting stallions long distances to avoid inbreeding.
Sagehill Stables has offered to become a caretaker for Chase, a 15 year old black stallion, registration number 150, to help with breeding efforts in Manitoba. Chase is short for Babaaminizhikawaad which means "he chases them around". Chase is owned by Darcy Whitecrow and Kimberlee Campbell who own Grey Raven Ranch located on the Seine River First Nation near Fort Frances Ontario. Bringing Chase to Manitoba has also allowed Grey Raven Ranch to bring home their other stallion, Waaskode. It is challenging enough keeping one stallion on a property with mares, nevermind two. Having Waaskode back on the Grey Raven Ranch gives everyone in the area a stallion from a different genetic line available for breeding, and allows Grey Raven to start outcrossing their own mares to these different genetics.
Chase's sire was a very well known stallion, Sagineshkawa, whose foals were known for their long thick mane, forelock and tail which are very helpful for flies and cold. Chase's Dam was named Nova. Nova had one other offspring, and out of the two of them, Chase is the only one that has reproduced and helped to continue the breed. This is a common challenge with the breed as Ojibwe ponies make great children's horses and riding horses, and often the owners focus is not on breeding, resulting in the breed numbers remaining perilously low.
Chase has a proven track record as a stallion with a wonderful, kind personality. He is 13.2 hands, now in his prime. He has several offspring on the ground, most recently the two foals at Aspen Ojibwe Horse Sanctuary this year! As you see from the pictures of the two new foals, he's not homozygous for black. There are also two geldings in Manitoba and a mare Lucy in Ontario, who has now had many foals herself, that are Chase's offspring.
As a large facility we have the space, community and resources to help. We also have a large reach through social media and are ideally located in Winnipeg, giving us an opportunity to help educate others about the breed. We are hoping to use our community and connections to help with the breeding efforts for these spirit animals as part of our commitment to reconciliation. Welcome Chase!
One of the biggest challenges with growing the breed is the breeding process itself. Many individuals have offered to help re-home and care for Ojibwe horses across Canada. It is much easier to re-home mares than it is stallions, and often young male Ojibwe horses are gelded because it just isn't practical or feasible for their owners to keep stallions or find homes for them. Those that have mares often don't have the financial or physical means to bring in a stallion and have their mares bred. Only recently has the first semen from an Ojibwe stallion been drawn, and artificial insemination is still a costly process that requires special veterinary expertise. On top of these challenges is the challenge with inbreeding. Often stallions in a local area are not compatible to be bred with local mares, so there is the added cost of transporting stallions long distances to avoid inbreeding.
Sagehill Stables has offered to become a caretaker for Chase, a 15 year old black stallion, registration number 150, to help with breeding efforts in Manitoba. Chase is short for Babaaminizhikawaad which means "he chases them around". Chase is owned by Darcy Whitecrow and Kimberlee Campbell who own Grey Raven Ranch located on the Seine River First Nation near Fort Frances Ontario. Bringing Chase to Manitoba has also allowed Grey Raven Ranch to bring home their other stallion, Waaskode. It is challenging enough keeping one stallion on a property with mares, nevermind two. Having Waaskode back on the Grey Raven Ranch gives everyone in the area a stallion from a different genetic line available for breeding, and allows Grey Raven to start outcrossing their own mares to these different genetics.
Chase's sire was a very well known stallion, Sagineshkawa, whose foals were known for their long thick mane, forelock and tail which are very helpful for flies and cold. Chase's Dam was named Nova. Nova had one other offspring, and out of the two of them, Chase is the only one that has reproduced and helped to continue the breed. This is a common challenge with the breed as Ojibwe ponies make great children's horses and riding horses, and often the owners focus is not on breeding, resulting in the breed numbers remaining perilously low.
Chase has a proven track record as a stallion with a wonderful, kind personality. He is 13.2 hands, now in his prime. He has several offspring on the ground, most recently the two foals at Aspen Ojibwe Horse Sanctuary this year! As you see from the pictures of the two new foals, he's not homozygous for black. There are also two geldings in Manitoba and a mare Lucy in Ontario, who has now had many foals herself, that are Chase's offspring.
As a large facility we have the space, community and resources to help. We also have a large reach through social media and are ideally located in Winnipeg, giving us an opportunity to help educate others about the breed. We are hoping to use our community and connections to help with the breeding efforts for these spirit animals as part of our commitment to reconciliation. Welcome Chase!
Help us spread the word about the Ojibwe Pony! If you are interested in monthly sponsorship or volunteering for the Spirit Horse Project, please contact us at [email protected] or phone/txt 204-803-5940.
If you are interested in a one-time sponsorship, you can donate by clicking below.
If you are interested in a one-time sponsorship, you can donate by clicking below.
