64 



Shire Horse will be found in a report issued 

 some few years ago by the Canadian Govern- 

 ment. It Includes portion of a letter from 

 Mr. R. S. Reynolds, M.R.C.V.S., Veterinary 

 Inspector to the Corporation of Liverpool, 

 and a well-known judge of and writer on 

 Draught Horses. Mr. Reynolds, after 

 writing fully on draught horses generally, 

 concludes his remarks as follows :^ — " My 

 judgment Is entirely In favour of the Shire, 

 as the one best calculated to procreate a 

 breed — suited for the purposes of heavy 

 draught — from smaller and lighter mares." 

 He asslo^ns as his reason the fact that the 

 size and bone of the average Shire are 

 superior to those of any other description of 

 horse ; and further because there Is presump- 

 tive evidence that the Increased frame and 

 bone of the other draught breecis are due 

 to the infusion of Shire horse blood. Mr. 

 Reynolds also strongly asserts his belief 

 that, the original type of every other draught 

 breed beino- of much llofhter build than the 

 existing race, there will be marked tendency 

 in the progeny of such breeds to revert to 

 the original form. Not only when these 

 interbreed will this tendency appear, but 

 when crossed with mares of other blood 

 deficient in bone, degeneration will be still 

 more rapid. 



