Shire Horse

Origin: England — Central counties (Shires).

Height: Average 17hh. Can reach, and even exceed, 18hh.

Color: Bay and brown are commonest, always with white markings; blackand gray are not unusual.

Character: A gentle, docile horse, so kind that it can usually be trustedwith a child; active, industrious, adaptable, enduring.

Physique: Medium-sized head of delicate proportion, faintly-convexprofile, kind eye, broad forehead, long, slender ears. Neck long and arched,well-set on powerful, sloping shoulders with a deep front. Body dense androunded; back broad with strong loins; hindquarters full and powerful,often with sloping croup. Excellent legs, long for a heavy horse, with dense bone. Abundant feather, fine and silky. Possesses great strength andstamina and is of sound constitution.

This controversial horse — controversial in the sense that it attracts en-thusiasts, and enthusiasts attract argument — has a grand, although none-too-precise history. It derives from the Old English Black Horse, which inturn stems from the Great Horse of chivalric times. The Great Horse'sancestry is uncertain, but it is likely to have come from northern Europeanstock, especially from the black Friesian horses. The extreme height of theShire may be partly due to Thoroughbred blood, which would also accountfor its aristocratic appearance.

When the demand for war horses ceased and the need for strong agri-cultural animals became apparent, breeders were quick to recognize andimprove the merits of the Shire. Standards of quality were established earlyon, records were kept, and in 1878 the Shire Horse Society was established.

With mechanization, demand for the Shire declined. Its continuedexistence is ensured by its popularity as a team horse to pull brewers'drays (now mainly ornamental) as well as its ability to draw crowds to theshow ring. It is a horse that breeds true, it is a pleasure to work with; andthough its great strength is no longer needed — it can pull five tons — itwill always be welcome. It is the tallest horse in the world.