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The Stallion Rodeur

Advertisement that appeared in the newspaper L’Avenir du Nord of May 10, 1906. The ad touts the stud services of an Ardennais stallion named Rodeur, imported from Belgium by the Quebec government. To the right is a drawing of a spirited stallion and a handler pulling on a bridle in an effort to control it.

Date: 1906
Source: L’Avenir du Nord, May 10th, 1906

Developments in farming techniques and agricultural machinery were not the only avenues explored in an effort to increase Quebec farm yields. It was becoming essential for producers to improve their breeds of cattle, horses, pigs, sheep, and poultry. Labelle was constantly on the lookout for opportunities to improve Canadian livestock. On his first trip to Europe he learned about Percheron draft horses. In a letter to Dr. Jules-Édouard Prévost, he wrote: “You know that Percherons are the best horses in France. They are strong and spirited, with huge, powerful necks. They’re just as good work horses as they are road horses. They’re the horses we need and we’ll benefit even more than we did with the Esternay cows and the Berkshire pigs. In Saint-Jérôme, 50 of us could get together and each chip in 10 dollars to buy a yearling!” As the advertisement for the stallion Rodeur shows, efforts to improve horse breeds continued long after Labelle’s death.