Shire horses are truly English taking its name from the Shire- counties where it was bred (Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Lincolnshire and Leicestershire).
Heavy horses image by sammy635
When Oliver Cromwell ruled the kingdom, the breed was called the “English Black”.
In medieval times it was known as “the Great horse” and in 1884 was accorded the name of today.
The foundation stallion of the breed was known as the Packing ton Blind horse who was the first horse to be registered in the studbook in 1878.
They are big horses that stand between 16 – 18hh (1.6 – 1.8m) with some even taller.
The head is long and lean, with large eyes, set on a neck that is slightly arched and long in proportion to the body.
The shoulder is deep and wide, the chest wide, the back muscular and short and the hindquarters long and wide.
With feathering on the legs, and the hair is fine, straight and silky.
The coat colours are black, brown, bay, grey and roan is also found.
A supreme heavy-horse with a massive girth size of up to 8ft.
The breed is extremely powerful pulling up to five times its own weight.
Image by monksboi
It boasts extravagant, heavy but also silky feathers that start just below the knee and hocks to fully cover its hooves.
The breed is an all round workhorse, but sadly today there are not many working horses, but they can still be seen in ploughing matches at agriculture shows and events.
They are often seen in the show ring and the breed is also used for forestry work and leisure riding.
It was originally the staple breed used to draw carts to deliver ale from the brewery to the public houses.
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