ORIGINAL: Rotaryphile
In most tractor layouts, the horizontal tail contributes to lift, unless the CG is at or forward of the wing aerodynamic center, although the contribution is not usually more than a few percent, due to the large downwash acting on the horizontal tail.
Sorry, but most conventional layouts have the horizontal tail surface providing DOWN force. This counters the wing's tendency to force the nose down. It also helps pitch stability. As airspeed decreases, the downforce of the stabilizer also decreases, and allows the nose to pitch down. This makes the aircraft increase speed. If airspeed is increased, the downforce is increased, which causes a pitch UP. This causes a reduction in airspeed. Because this is a dynamic process, a well-designed aircraft will be very tenacious in holding the trimmed airspeed, and will quickly return to it after a disturbance. Van's RV-series of homebuild aircraft are examples of aircraft that do a good job of holding their trimmed airspeed. They're very well behaved in pitch.