CHAPTER VIII 



THE DRAUGHT HORSE 



THE SHIRE-nORSE — THE SUFFOLK CART-HORSE — THE IMPROVED LINCOLNSHIRE DRAZ-HORSE 

 — THE CLYDESDALE-HORSE— OTHER MIXED BREEDS. 



THE SHIRE HORSE 



According to Sir Walter Gilbey, who has done so much for this 

 breed, we have in the class before us the descendants of the old English 

 Great Horse or War-Horse, the oldest form of horse in this island. " A 

 thousand years ago this form was written of as ' the Great Horse,' and 

 nearly a thousand years before that we have evidence which goes to prove 

 that the same stamp of horse then existed in Britain." Those who saw it 

 and recorded their opinions, considered it to be the best of its kind to be 

 found in any country. The most powerful type of horse now in use for 

 agriculture and general draught purposes is, according to the above-named 

 high authority, the direct descendant of the horse which Julius Csesar 

 found here, and attracted his attention for its efficiency as a war-horse in 

 the service of the Ancient Britons. 



Much credit is due to our counti-ymen for their cai'eful and judicious 

 selection of the two types of horse which have been brought to such perfec- 

 tion for their respective purposes. If we have so improved upon the 

 Oriental type that no Arab or Barb can compete upon equal terms with 

 their English descendants, so also have we continued to improve upon the 

 native heavy horse, now known as the Shire. The Great Horse was 

 essentially a war-horse until the middle ages in this country, farm work 

 and general haulage being performed by oxen. Although improved from 

 time to time by the judicious introduction of foreign blood, this type of 

 horse can be traced back for many centuries. Camden's Britannia gives 

 an engra^dng of two British coins of Cassobelin struck in the first century, 

 and depicting the English Great Horse. White animals of large size were 

 highly prized according to the above authority, and only the great ones of 

 the earth were permitted to appear in state so mounted. When John of 

 France was conducted as a prisoner to London, he was given " a white 

 steed to ride, while the Black Prince in meaner attire was carried by his 

 side on a black palfrey." This affectation of humility was intended to 

 make it appear that John was a royal guest. 



According to the Venerable Bede the English did not use saddle-horses 



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