214 ROAD, TRACK, AND STABLE. 



travelling more quickly and, comfortably upon his 

 jennet. 



By most of the authorities the war horse of the 

 Middle Ages is identified with the old black cart 

 horse, or shire horse, of England. A recent work by 

 Mr. Walter G-ilbey is entitled " The Old English War 

 Horse or Shire Horse," thus assuming that they were 

 one and the same ; and the late Mr. Walsh was also 

 of this opinion, for he wrote as follows : " From time 

 immemorial this country has possessed a heavy and 

 comparatively misshapen animal, the more active of 

 which [sic] were formerly used as chargers or pack- 

 horses, while the others were devoted to the plough." 

 And he gives the following unflattering account of 

 him: "In color almost invariably black, with a great 

 fiddle-case in place of a head, and feet concealed in 

 long masses of hair depending from misshapen legs, 

 he united flat sides, upright shoulders, mean and nar- 

 row hips, and very drooping quarters." Such was the 

 shire horse, — so called because he was raised almost 

 exclusively in the Shires or Midland counties. 



Shire horses are still bred, but they have been 

 improved by crossing with Flemish stallions. The 

 London dray horses are mainly shire horses, and 

 since the shire horse is the only purely English cart 

 horse, — that is, the only one of English origin and 

 raised on English soil, — it is fashionable in Eng- 

 land to speak of " shire horses," and never of " cart 

 horses." Nevertheless, when a society was formed in 

 that country, some years ago, to improve the breed of 

 agricultural horses "not being Clydesdales or Suf- 

 folks," the name " English Cart Horse Society " was 

 taken. The fact is, that hunters, coachers, and race 



