Ojibwe Spirit Horses © Courtesy of Mādahòkì Farm
By Allie Murray
Deep in the COVID-19 lockdown, while trying to find a way to pivot her Indigenous tourism experiences in Ottawa, Ont., Trina Mather-Simard discovered her Trojan horse: the Ojibwe Spirit Horse, quietly carrying a powerful new direction.
As the pandemic forced her Indigenous tourism business—Indigenous Experiences—to temporarily shut, she began to realize that the tourism industry would be forever changed. After 19 years of successful operations, Mather-Simard and her team strategized how to move forward in a changed world.
“During this process, while I was at home with my family during one of the COVID lockdowns, I heard an interesting story of the Ojibwe Spirit Horse by an artist and knowledge keeper, Rhonda Snow,” Mather-Simard explained. “I was instantly connected to them and inspired by their shared story of losing their connection to their traditional lands, but a positive story of resilience—they are still here! Just as our communities are still here! I knew they needed to join our team as four-legged ambassadors and be part of our story we shared.”
The Ojibwe Spirit Horses are the only horse breed native to Canada—they stand out against the rest because of their smaller stature and hairy ears equipped for the Canadian winters. The breed almost went extinct in the 1970s after they became victim to hunters who viewed the horses as a nuisance for eating their crops and ruining their fields. Then, some members of the Lac La Croix First Nation captured the four remaining wild mares, took them to Minnesota, and started to bring the breed back to life. Their efforts proved successful, with more than 180 Ojibwe Spirit Horses registered today.
When Mather-Simard heard the tale from Snow, she felt an immediate connection to the breed. When lockdowns were lifted in Ontario, she and her daughters made the trip from Ottawa to Chatham, Ont. to visit a farm that housed some of the ponies—and it was love at first sight.
“As soon as I met the ponies, I knew that the Ojibwe Spirit Horses were different from any other horse I had encountered,” she explained. “I also knew that if I wasn’t aware of their existence and their connection to our community, then most of our community—and in fact, all Canadians—were not aware and it was an important story to share.”
When it was safe to reopen, Mather-Simard rebranded the former Indigenous Experiences to Mādahòkì Farm, which means “to share the land” in Anishinaabe. With a new name and new experiences to share, Mādahòkì Farm also brought new land. Mather-Simard approached the National Capital Commission, noting that they were searching for new land. They were presented with 164 acres of land in the greenbelt to expand the farm.
In addition to sharing the story of the horses, Mādahòkì Farm offers an Indigenous marketplace and Indigenous experiences, including their annual Summer Solstice Indigenous Festival.
“Mādahòkì Farm welcomes visitors to share the land with us and experience all of the rich Indigenous culture and traditions that are connected to these traditional lands of the Anishinaabe,” Mather-Simard noted. “We are open year round for visitors and to engage all of our visitors on this path to understanding and reconciliation through experiences of art, dance, food, stories and of course, ponies.”
Looking forward to 2025, Mādahòkì Farm plans to expand their programming to offer immersive guided walks with the ponies, a crafting workshop, and cooking bannock over the fire. They are also fundraising for two new large investments—Canada’s first large-scale biodiverse on-water Indigenous cultural attraction and a project to expand their existing pavilion on the farm, allowing them to host larger events, community gatherings, and more.
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