DO YOU KNOW THE SHIRE HORSE ?

WHERE IT COMES FROM AND WHY IT WAS CREATED ?

Story of shire breed

The Shire horse is a breed of English draft horse. It is one of the oldest horse breeds.  

The first written records found on the Shires are more than 2000 years old, when they were called "Equus Magnus" by the Romans. 

In the Middle Ages, the Shire was used as a saddle horse because it was powerful enough to carry knights in armour.

To give them power and size, the Shire was then crossed with Flemish and Dutch horses. it will be called "Great Horse".

After the Renaissance and until the 16th century, the Shire was no longer crossed with other breeds and their size was maintained.

Following the arrival of war artillery, the Shire became a draft horse. It is used for transporting coal and barrels for English breweries.

In 1876, the breed's stud-book was opened.

With the advent of motorisation, the Shire declined, as did many other draft horse breeds.

Nowadays, the Shires are used in harness for agricultural work and skidding. More rarely, they can also be seen in dressage trials.

Characteristics of the Shire

The Shire is the tallest horse breed in the world. It grows to between 1.65m and more than 2m at the withers. The average height is 1m80.

It has a long, rather slender head with a convex or even bushy profile. The neckline is long but remains proportional to the rest of the body.  The back is short, muscular and strong.

Headers and balzanes are very frequent. The coat is black, bay or grey, with ample dewlap. The hair is fine and carried long.

His character earns him the nickname of "gentle giant" because he is a horse of cold blood, courageous, gentle and patient. They have a heart bigger than they are.