102 ANIMALS USED IN WAR. 



Shire Horses. 



Without question the Shire Horse as bred in England is 

 the finest Heavy Draught Horse in the world. His merit is 

 his size and strength, and if bred to proper type he is perfect 

 in form. He commands a commercial value unequalled by any 

 other Draught animal, and it is this commercial advantage which 

 will ever commend his production to the agriculturist and 

 breeder, and secure for him the premier place in England. It 

 pays the ordinary farmer to breed him, to use him first for 

 farm work, for which he is most suitable, and when nearing 

 maturity to sell him to Eailway Companies, Milling and 

 Lumber Companies, etc., for heavy haulage work. With legs 

 and feet specially formed and adapted to get a good purchase 

 on the ground, and with his muscular power and weight so 

 perfectly distributed and balanced, the heavy haulage loads 

 which he is capable of moving are astounding. I do not 

 think he has his equal in this respect. 



I remember on one occasion at a well-known railhead in 

 Northern France necessity arose to place some trucks for 

 unloading. A Mobile Veterinary unit near by chanced to 

 have a big Shire whose appearance indicated an association 

 with British railways, and his services were enlisted for 

 movement of the trucks. The old familiar way in which he 

 turned to them, the quiet steady pull, and the stop at the word 

 of command were most entertaining. He was back to his old 

 job, and his metier having been discovered, he was in constant 

 request, and performed very useful work at that railhead. 



All animals are creatures of environment. The climate and 

 environment of England suits the Shire Horse, and his breed is 

 therefore well established in that country. In other words he is 

 good because he is born in England, just as the Clydesdale is 

 best in his home in Scotland, and the Percheron excellent in 

 France. But in the breeding of any of these classes outside their 

 own particular habitat, say in a foreign country, the result is not 

 altogether satisfactory. Type is lost, nondescripts are apt to 

 be produced, and financially there is no gain. On this account 

 it is extremely doubtful if the Percheron as a pure breed will 

 ever make much headway in England, to which country he has 

 recently been introduced by interested communities. Also 



