This article is about the breed of horse. For the British band, see Shirehorses.
Shire
Shire pulling a carriage
Conservation status
At risk (RBST, 2016)
Country of origin
United Kingdom
Distribution
United Kingdom
Australia
Canada
United States
Use
draught, show
Traits
Weight
stallions 900–1100 kg
geldings 850–1100 kg[1]
Height
stallion 173 cm (17.0 hands) minimum
gelding 168 cm (16.2 h) minimum
mare 163 cm (16.0 h) minimum[1]
Colour
bay, black, brown or grey
Distinguishing features
large size
draught conformation
feathered legs
Breed standards
Shire Horse Society
American Shire Horse Association
Shire Horse Society of Australia
Equus ferus caballus
The Shire is a British breed of draught horse. It is usually black, bay, or grey. It is a tall breed, and Shires have at various times held world records both for the largest horse and for the tallest horse. The Shire has a great capacity for weight-pulling; it was used for farm work, to tow barges at a time when the canal system was the principal means of goods transport, and as a cart-horse for road transport. One traditional use was for pulling brewer's drays for delivery of beer, and some are still used in this way; others are used for forestry, for riding and for commercial promotion.
The Shire breed was established in the mid-eighteenth century, although its origins are much older. A breed society was formed in 1876, and in 1878 the first stud-book was published.[2]: 287 In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, there were large numbers of Shires, and many were exported to the United States. With the progressive mechanisation of agriculture and of transport, the need for draught horses decreased rapidly and by the 1960s numbers had fallen from a million or more to a few thousand.[3] Numbers began to increase again from the 1970s, but the breed is still considered "at risk" by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust.
Outside the United Kingdom, there are stud-books and breed associations in Australia, the United States,[4]: 502 and Canada.[5]
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The Shire is a British breed of draught horse. It is usually black, bay, or grey. It is a tall breed, and Shires have at various times held world records...
A draft horse (US) or draught horse (UK), also known as dray horse, carthorse, work horse or heavy horse, is a large horse bred to be a working animal...
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nineteenth century, Shire blood was introduced.: 50 The first recorded use of the name "Clydesdale" for the breed was in 1826; the horses spread through much...
baronet in 1914. The Great Horse, or The War Horse: from the time of the Roman Invasion till its development into the ShireHorse. (London: Vinton & Co.....
English Black Horse into the Black Horse of Leicestershire, a forerunner of the ShireHorse of the Midlands. The Old English Black Horse heavily influenced...
American automobile manufactured in 1904 Sampson (horse), a shirehorse that is the tallest horse on record Sampson, an American merchant ship involved...
amalgamation of parts of the Shire of Euroa, Shire of Goulburn, Shire of Violet Town, Shire of McIvor and Rural City of Seymour. The Shire is governed and administered...
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Wandsworth town centre and the river is the site of Young & Co's Ram Brewery. Shirehorse-drawn brewery drays were still used to deliver beer to local pubs. Whilst...
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through to shirehorses where he purchased champion shirehorse stallion Tatton Dray King to breed from, and also had his own string of shire stallions...
performed by Major Mustard 48. ShireHorses – 16 March 1992 – John visits Stratford-upon-Avon to visit the Stratford ShireHorse Centre 49. Eggs – 23 March...
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