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OTTAWA - Canada Post today issued two domestic-rate stamps
honouring the Canadian Horse and the Newfoundland Pony. Canada's
first settlers faced a rugged landscape and extreme weather
conditions.
Nonetheless, they went and conquered the land, in large part
thanks to the help they received from these fine members of the
equine family.
"Both of these animals were valued for their strength, endurance
and intelligence, as well as their agreeable and social
disposition" said Robert Waite, Chairman of the Stamp Advisory
Committee and Senior-vice president of Corporate Social
Responsibility at Canada Post. "The stamps highlight the beauty
of their faces, their friendly nature, their strength and their
contribution to Canada."
Because of its resilience to the harsh Canadian weather, the
Canadian Horse outworked and outlived larger breeds of horses, a
feat that earned it the nickname "The Little Iron Horse". A
descendent of a mix of several stocks of horses that were
imported to the colony of New France in the 17th century, the
Parliament of Canada honoured the Little Iron Horse's legacy by
declaring it the national horse of Canada in 2002.
The Newfoundland Pony, historically considered the all-purpose
pony, was brought over to its island namesake in the 17th and
18th centuries by English settlers. The settlers brought at
least seven breeds of ponies that merged into a common breed,
recognized as the Newfoundland Pony. To protect this historic
creature, the Newfoundland Government declared it a Heritage
Animal in 1997.
One stamp features a Canadian Horse peering from the left,
overlooking a gold-coloured silhouette of a horse-drawn carriage
and a sepia-coloured landscape representing its origins,
Quebec's colourful autumn meadows. The other in the se-tenant
pair features a pony, trotting from the right onto a
snow-covered landscape showing an emerging lighthouse in the
background as well as a gold-coloured silhouette of a pony
pulling a heavy load in the snow. When placed side by side, the
carriage and the plough meet on the stamps, blending into one
image. The faint and subtle backgrounds suggest the origins of
the two creatures, and the two different seasons remind us that
these horses and ponies were relied on year round.
The 54-cent stamps measure 39.75 mm x 32.25 mm (horizontal) with
simulated perforations. The self-adhesive stamps were printed
using lithography in 5 colours on Tullis Russell paper.
Lowe-Martin printed 4 million stamps which will be sold in
booklets of 10. The stamps are general tagged on 3 sides. The
Official First Day Cover for the Canadian Horse stamp will be
cancelled in CAP-ROUGE QC while the one for the Newfoundland
Pony will be cancelled in CHANGE ISLANDS NF.
Additional information about Canadian stamps, as well as photos
of the new stamps on the Canadian Horse and the Newfoundland
Pony, can be found in the News section of Canada Post's website.
Stamps and other products will be available at participating
post offices, or can be ordered online by following the links at
Canada Post's website www.canadapost.ca/collection, or by mail
order from the National Philatelic Centre. From Canada and the
USA, call toll-free: 1 800 565-4362, and from other countries,
call: 902 863-6550.
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