Description of Historic Place

The Sick Horse Stable is situated at the Fort Battleford National Historic Site of Canada, on the outskirts of the Town of Battleford.The rectangular, timber structure has a gable roof crowned by a lantern. The exterior is finished in rough stucco and features small high windows and a set of large double doors. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

The Sick Horse Stable is a Recognized Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations, and its architectural and environmental values.

Historical Value:
The Sick Horse Stable is one of the best examples of a building associated with law, order and administration in the North West Territories, and particularly with the mounted patrol work of the Northwest Mounted Police. The stable was specifically designed for the care of horses, and is part of the only extant group of pre-1900 Mounted Police buildings from a major divisional post in the West. The building is one of a group of five structures within Fort Battleford National Historic Site of Canada, which was established by the federal government in 1951.

Architectural Value:
The Sick Horse Stable exhibits good aesthetic qualities. Built to accommodate sick horses and the veterinary surgeon, it is a small standard farm, built with a balloon frame. Very good functional design is evidenced in the interior that combines the office with the work area, while the roof lantern that provides both light and ventilation to the interior. Good craftsmanship can be seen in the small high windows and the large double doors.

Environmental Value:
The Sick Horse Stable reinforces the historic character of Fort Battleford National Historic Site of Canada and is a familiar landmark to residents and to visitors.

Sources: James de Jonge, Five Buildings, Fort Battleford National Historic Park, Battleford, Saskatchewan, Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office Report 89-010; Sick Horse Stable, Fort Battleford National Historic Site, Battleford, Saskatchewan, Heritage Character Statement 89-010.

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of the Sick Horse Stable should be respected.

Its good aesthetics, very good functional design and good quality materials and craftsmanship, for example:
- the simple, single-storey massing;
- the gable roof and gable roofed lantern;
- the balloon frame construction and exterior walls covered in a rough stucco finish;
- the large double doors, the small high windows for the horses, and smaller door and larger windows of the office space;
- the interior configuration of central combined driveway and feed alley that serves the single standing stalls and the box stalls.

The manner in which the Sick Horse Stable reinforces the historic character of the fort and is a well-known local landmark, as evidenced by:
- its simple design and materials that harmonize with the other buildings within the historic fort setting;
- its role as an important component of the group of surviving structures from the Fort Battleford National Historic Site of Canada that makes it familiar to locals and visitors.