Make a Donation
Your support makes a difference! Donations to Reflections Nanaandwejgejig Bezhigoogizhiik (Healing Horses) help us continue offering horse-assisted therapy and healing programs to those in need. Every contribution goes directly toward fostering growth, resilience, and healing in our community.
Thank you for your generosity!
History of Ojibwe Spirit Horse
The Ojibwe Spirit Horse, also known as the Lac La Croix Indigenous Pony, is a unique breed of horse in Canada.
Ojibwe Spirit Horses are said to have roamed the traditional lands of Turtle Island (North America) for thousands of years before other horse breeds were introduced by Europeans. Indigenous Peoples have enjoyed a harmonious spiritual and working relationship with Ojibwe Spirit Horses throughout their long-shared history.
In the early 1900s, thousands of Ojibwe Spirit Horses could be found in Indigenous communities across Ontario. However, colonizers viewed the horses as a nuisance for eating their crops and ruining their fields. Ojibwe Spirit Horses were hunted almost to extinction, and by the 1970s, there were just four mares left. These last four horses were deemed a health risk and ordered to be euthanized by the government.
A courageous group of Indigenous men rescued the horses under the cover of darkness and smuggled them over frozen lakes and across the border to a safe reserve in Minnesota. Eventually, they were bred with a Spanish mustang stallion.
Thanks to the efforts of dedicated breeders, the Ojibwe Spirit Horses population has slowly begun to increase, numbering almost 200 today.
At Reflections Nanaandwejgejig Bezhigoogizhiik we have four Ojibwe Spirit Horses, Luci, Thundercloud, Kind Moon Dancer and Three Sisters. We welcome donations that will assist in their daily care as well will support the development and delivery to mental health programming to our community members of Wikwemikoong.