The Draft Breeds of Great Britain 101 



promoting' the large shows, of which the London Shire Horse 

 Show is one of the most important. 



Xext to the Belgian the Shire is the heaviest breed, bnt the 

 latter is larger boned and coarser in build. Generally speaking, 

 the Shire is more massive than the other breeds, but less com- 

 pactly made, standing 161/) to 17 hands in height, and averaging 

 from 1,7(H) to 2,200 pounds in weight. In build they are some- 

 what rounder in body than the Belgians, not so deep, and, like 

 tlie Belgians, are of many colors, ranging from black through the 

 different shades of bay, brown and chestnut to roan and gray, 

 with the same liberal white markings as the Clydesdale. White, 

 soft, silky feather is preferred, and the quantity of hair on the 

 legs seems to be of great importance to the Shire breeder. An 

 abundance of long bushy hair on the cannon bone is associated 

 with great strength, in the mind of the English breeder, and he 

 sometimes resorts to artificial means to increase its growth. 



DistrihuiioH and Advantages 

 The distribution of the Shire in this country is more restricted 

 than general. There are some sections in the ^liddle West where 

 they are bred almost exclusively, while in many of the eastern 

 states they are almost unknown. This was not always so. There 

 is little do'ubt that the Shire under various other names was im- 

 ported into the eastern states a very long time ago. Tt is said 

 that a strain of horses called the John Bulls in Pennsylvania w'ere 

 probably descended from English stock. Later this breed found 

 its way to Illinois and adj(.>ining states. 



(characteristics 

 It may be said that the Shire horse has been much improved 

 in quality and action in the past fifty years, and is now more 

 uniform in type. This breed, however, is of a more sluggish 

 temperament, and is not so docile or even in disposition as the 

 other draft breeds. From an American viewpoint it is hard to 

 understand the English tenacity of purpose in carrying out some 

 of their own peculiar fads or fancies in developing the Shire 

 type. Aside from size and bone, in which this breed excels, this 

 type has been established without any regard to the wants or re- 

 (]uirements of the American trade. An enormous amount of hair 



