More notably, the Shire was the breed of choice for the delivery of ale from the brewer to the public houses – England’s equivalent to North America’s Budweiser Clydesdales. However, mechanization and the evolution of the breed, very early saw the Shire gain prevalence as a cart horse. Like the Belgian Draft horse – and several other heavy breeds – the Shire originated as a war horse. There are still reportedly fewer than 300 registered Shires in all of Canada. In the United States, the Livestock Conservancy lists the breed as “critical” and the Equus Survival Trust calls it “vulnerable”. To this day, however, the Rare Breeds Survival Trust lists the Shire as “at risk” with population numbers estimated to be under 1,500. The introduction of artificial insemination in 1997 further bolstered the breed. Breed societies have been established in the United States, Canada, the Netherlands, France and Germany and the first World Shire Horse Congress was held in Peterborough in 1996. In Canada, the Shire had been extinct for more than 40 years prior to imports that saw its return in the 1980s. In the 1970s, the breed began to be revived through increased public interest. The breed fell to its lowest point during the 1950s and 1960s, with only 25 horses registered in the United States. This, combined with strict regulations on the purchase of livestock feed sadly led to the slaughter of thousands of Shire horses and the closure of several large breeding programs. Around the time of the second world war, increased mechanization rendered draft breeds more and more obsolete. Nearly 4,000 Shires were imported to the United States between 19 and approximately 6,700 Shires were registered with the association between 19 and the breed continued to flourish both in England and North America, for several years following.Īt peak population, the Shire breed numbered over a million. In 1885 the American Shire Horse Association was established as a platform to register and promote the breed domestically. The first exported Shires horses reached America in 1853, with large numbers beginning to arrive in the 1880s. Between 19 approximately 5,000 Shire horses were registered each year with the society. As a result, the English Cart Horse Society was formed in 1878, and only six years later was renamed the Shire Horse Society due to the prevalence of the Shire horses. The famous “Packington Blind Horse” from Leicestershire is commonly recognized as the foundation stallion of the modern-day Shire breed, standing at stud for 15 years – quite a feat in terms of equine life expectancy of that era.ĭuring the nineteenth century, Shire horses were extensively used as cart horses, moving essential goods from the docks, through busy cities and further on to the countryside. The term “Shire Horse” was first referenced in the middle of the seventeenth century with inconsistent records beginning to appear near the end of the eighteenth century. Eventually two different types of black draft horses evolved: the Fen or Lincolnshire type (larger, with more bone and extra hair) and the Midlands or Leicester type (known for their endurance and finer appearance). During this time, a man by the name of Robert Bakewell of Leicestershire, imported six Dutch (or Flanders) mares, resulting in the supposedly superior Bakewell Black horse. It’s believed that the Friesian bloodlines were introduced to domestic draft breeds, influencing what would later become known as the Shire breed.Īt the onset of the seventeenth century this medieval hybrid was called the Old English Black. It was during the sixteenth century that Dutch engineers brought Friesian horses to England to drain the Fenlands – a coastal plain in the east. Oliver Cromwell’s cavalry sought out lighter, faster mounts and the heavier drafts were relegated to draught work instead. More specifically, the Shire is linked to the time of Henry VIII when the increasing role of gunpowder diminished the use of heavy horses in battle. Like that of the Belgian draft horse, historians trace the Shire back to the destriers or the “Great Horse”. The Shire is a British breed of draft horse that was formally established in the mid-eighteenth century, although, like many of the draft breeds we’re profiling, the Shire’s origins are much older. Next up we have another special draft breed, the Shire. So far, we’ve featured the iconic Clydesdale, the majestic Percheron (the horse favoured by medieval knights) and the Belgian. We hope you’ve been following along on our Tally-Ho horse breeds mini-series and enjoying getting to know the unique history and characteristics of some of the world’s most beloved draft horse breeds.
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