BREEDS OF HORSES AND THEIR CHARACTERISTICS, 145 



XVIII. The Shire. 



The Shire horse traces his history to the days of the Roman conquest 

 — one of the oldest of the well defined breeds of unbroken lineage. He 

 was used in the early periods as a war horse because of his size and ability 

 to bear heavy burdens when armor was worn. He was in general use 

 for this purpose in the 16th century. Paintings dating back to the 15th 

 century represent him in the perfection of form. 



The special home of the Shire horse is in England, especially in the 

 east central part in the counties of Norwich, Derby, Leicester, Notting- 

 ham, Northampton, Huntington, Lincoln and Cambridge. He is found, 

 of course, in other sections of England, including the low-lying lands. 

 He is mentioned in English history as the Great Horse, the War Horse, 

 the Cart Horse, the old English Black Horse, the Lincolnshire Giant, 

 as well as the Shire. Some of these names were current at the period 

 of Oliver Cromwell. 



Like every other standard breed he has improved by the infusion of 

 blood, notably the north German and Flanders blood, which is represented 

 in the best samples of the English horse. Like the other standard 

 animals, he is today in his perfection the result of more or less mixed 

 breeding. 



In the latter part of the 18th century Robert Bakewell greatly im- 

 proved the Shire under the name of the Leicestershire Cart Horse. This 

 improvement was made by systematic crossing with English stallions. 

 He pursued a careful course of selection and added greatly to the value 

 of the breed. It was during the 18th century that this horse came into 

 special use for draft and farming puiposes, as the coat of armor had 

 become obsolete and, hence, the demand for Roman war less imperative. 

 As a draft horse he came into special demand with the improvements 

 of roads and the use of coaches. In a most interesting historical work 

 Gilbey gives illustrations of Shire horses which are copies of paintings 

 by distinguished artists of a period dating as far back as 1792. There 

 are many of these well known paintings which established the existence 

 and the popularity of the Shire horse at that period. The old-fashioned 

 type of Shire horse was, however, coarse and slow, with big heads, coarse 

 ears, thick lips with long hairs on them. The pasterns were straight, 

 the legs hairy and the shoulders heavy. They were mild of tempera- 

 ment but sluggish in action. The pictures would indicate great excess 

 of hair, which does not exist. The modern English Shire, while retain- 

 ing these characteristics, they are modified, but, as at present, his body 

 was massive, compact and round, his limbs strong, his chest notably 

 broad and his neck and back short. The present characteristics of thick 

 mane, hairy legs below the knee and down to the heels have always per- 

 tained to him. As a draft horse for heavy weight, h<? is admirable and 



