Almost everyone who owns a Canadian Horse knows Helene as the dam of Albert de Cap Rouge. Helene, a beautiful, animated little black mare standing just over 14.2 hands, was purchased for the government experimental farm at Cap Rouge, Quebec by superintendent Langelier in the late summer of 1912. She was already in foal to a promising young three year old black stallion named Wilfrid. Albert, the resulting foal of this mating, would become the premier foundation sire of the Canadian breed. He was shown 28 times at the large Quebec Exhibitions, winning 15 championships, 24 firsts and 4 second place prizes. Albert stood at stud at the Cap Rouge farm for nineteen years and is represented in the pedigree of almost every living Canadian Horse today.

Less commonly known, but no less important, is the legacy that Helene left to the Canadian breed through her outstanding daughter, Kate de Cap Rouge. Helene was 20 years old when she foaled Kate on April 11th, 1923 at the Cap Rouge experimental farm. Kate’s sire was Daniel de Cap Rouge, who had been shown to 2 first places and a championship at the Royal Winter Fair in Ontario. Daniel was a son of Albert and Helene’s long-time workmate, Sebastienne, making Kate both a half- sister, and a granddaughter to Albert. ( Photo of mares from La Société historique du Cap-Rouge)

At an early age, it was plain to see that the pretty little black filly with two hind socks would grow up to become a very special mare. She was shown as a yearling at the Quebec Exhibition, where she took first place. Kate inherited refinement from her dam, weighing in at maturity at just 100 pounds more than Helene. At the age of three years, Kate was bred to Gilbert de Cap Rouge, a son of Albert, and foaled her first filly, named Octavie in March, 1927. In the next decade, Kate would have at least eight more foals, including her three well-known daughters Tassette, Zola, and Sarcelle. These three would have a dramatic and lasting influence on the breed.

Kate’s daughter Sarcelle, a solid black filly foaled April 8th, 1931, was sired by Keller de Cap Rouge, a stylish son of Albert and Clara. Keller also held a successful show record with 16 exhibitions and 8 firsts, 5 seconds and 3 thirds to his credit. Sarcelle was taken to the Royal Winter Fair as a weanling, where she placed first in her class.  She too joined the broodmare band at Cap Rouge.  When the farm outgrew the size of the breeding operation there, she was moved to the experimental farm at St. Joachim.

One of Sarcelle’s daughters, Decelle de Cap Rouge, a bay mare sired by Tom, foaled in 1940 at St. Joachim, was Reserve Grand Champion mare at the Quebec Exhibition in 1942 and 1943. Tom, a brown “nez jaune” (yellow-muzzle) stallion of very old lineage, was bred by long-time breeder Edmond Perrier, Laprairie. In 1930, Tom was purchased by Gilbert Arnold, Arnoldwold Farms, Grenville, QC and shown to several successful first place wins and championships including 1st place in the prestigious get of sire class at the Provincial Exhibition. Gilbert Arnold leased Tom to the government breeding farm at St. Joachim, where he proved to be an excellent broodmare sire, noted for the uniformity of his get. Decelle would later become one of fifteen Canadian horses selected for the Deschambault farm. Unfortunately, she did not breed on into today’s pedigrees.   Following the outbreak of WWII, and the closure of St. Joachim in December 1940, Sarcelle appears to be one of the group of seven mares and one stallion transferred to the federally co-sponsored working farm at St Anne de la Pocatiere - her next foals were bred there.   When purchased privately in 1943 by Jean Baptiste Gagnon, Viger, QC,  Sarcelle was in foal to Thomas, a typey son of Prince III (#2217). The pairing of Thomas and Sarcelle proved to be so excellent, that she was bred back each year to Thomas, and in 1947 produced Thomas de Viger, a bay colt with two hind socks. This colt would become one of the most popular and prolific of the eight line sires.

After Sarcelle’s birth, Kate was bred back to Keller and on March 13th, 1932 foaled a black filly with a white blaze, named Tassette. Tassette was a well-conformed mare, but much heavier at maturity than her dam, weighing in at over 1400 pounds. Exhibited as a three year old, she won first place honours, then joined the broodmare band. In 1936, Tassette produced a filly, in 1937, a colt, and then in 1938, by Vimy, she produced Beauport de Cap Rouge, (Photo Right) a stallion who sired many excellent quality foals and was often said to have been the best of his time.

Among others, he sired one of the eight line sires, La Gorgendiere Royal, and Prince Black, who in turn, sired yet another line sire, Henryville Prince. At the closure of St. Joachim, Tassette was moved to the Deschambault (La Gorgendiere prefix) demonstration farm to continue the Quebec government breeding program.    Not to be left without mention is Kates daughter, Zola de Cap Rouge a black filly foaled April 30th, 1936, also sired by Tom. Although Zola does not seem to have left a surviving recorded maternal line, she produced St. Anne Hisola, the dam of line sire St. Anne Marquis de Becancour.

The Becancour direct sire line is diminished in descendants today, but a seven generation pedigree study on Canadian Horses born since 1990 shows that more living Canadian Horses now trace back in some way to St. Anne Marquis de Becancour than any other of the eight designated line sires.   While Sarcelle’s, and Zola’s direct female lines were lost, Tassette, who had also been bred to Tom in 1940, continues on through La Gorgendiere Vassette. Vassette produced several good foals, and it is through her and her daughter, La Gorgendiere Doucette, that all female line descendants of Kate trace today. Doucette was a prolific mare who had seven colts and five fillies over the next thirteen years, so it seemed by the mid 1960s that Kate’s maternal line would have a secure and growing future in the breed. Unfortunately, it was not to be. Operations at Deschambault scaled down, stock was sold off and the final auction sale of the last 44 remaining horses took place on November 21st, 1981.Today only the female descendants of Doucette’s two daughters from Deschambault, La Gorgendiere Jolie and La Gorgendiere Doucine, both by Beauport, remain in maternal pedigrees to perpetuate the female line of Kate, and her dam, Helene.

( Left) Gimlet Duke Jewel #8435, from LG Jolie mare line, owned by T & K Anderson, Rumsey, Alberta LG Jolie’s female descendants, once diminished to one purebred reproducing mare, have made quite a remarkable recovery with approximately 40 females of reproductive age, by a variety of stallions, now found in the breed. Direct female descendants are well-dispersed across the country, and can be found in Quebec, Ontario, Alberta and BC.

While she is well-represented in today’s pedigrees through her son, La Gorgendiere Docte, Doucine’s female line is still endangered. Her daughter La Gorgendiere Prince Altesse, by Henryville Prince, left only two reproducing daughters, Opto Romano Yanina foaled in 1989 (reported deceased) and Voligny Romano Calina, foaled in 1993. Calina has produced one foal, a filly in 1998.   Yanina leaves only two daughters, Cosyland Wilfrid Just-A-Rose in Arizona, and Cosyland Bandit Kiwi (pictured right), owned by Lunn and Sherry Lyons, Port Alberni, BC. Sources: The French Canadian Horse, G Langelier 1927 Canadian Horse Genealogy Record The Canadian Horse: A Pictorial History, Gladys Beattie Arnoldwold Farm Sale Catalogue,  1938 Variete – David Campbell Back to Top Back to Mare Lines