1922.] 



The Shire Horse. 



501 



The Shire has been especially fortunate in its supporters, 

 King Edward was one of the first to recognise it and maintained a 

 stud at Sandringham and those great mares Dunsmore Gloaming, 

 Solace and Victor's Queen, all bred there, are probably unequalled 

 for a trio of mares bred at one stud. King George has carried 

 on the traditions and his famous Stallion Field Marshal V, twice 

 winner of the coveted liondon Championship, is now proving 

 himself equally successful at the stud. Staunch supporters were 

 Lord Rothschild, Lord Middleton, the Duke of Devonshire, Lord 

 Egerton, Lord Powis, the Duke of Westminster, Sir Walter 

 Gilbey, Sir Albert Muntz, Sir Walpole Greenwell, Lord Wantage 

 and Lord Redesdale, some of whom are still with us. 



Other names are familiar to Shire Horse Breeders — the famous 

 Forshaws, Mr. John Rowell, Mr. Alfred Clark (our late and 

 present honoured Presidents'), Messrs. Edward Green, F. W. 

 Griffin, Jas. Gould, Shaw, Whinnerah, etc. These are known 

 wherever Shire horse breeders congregate, but it would make a 

 lengthy list to name all the men who have given and are giving 

 their best to the furtherance of the interests of the breed. 

 Sufficient has been written to show the place occupied by the 

 breed in the heart of British farmers. 



The Present. — Following years of unprecedented boom we 

 have had an equally unprecedented slump. During and for a 

 year after the late War Shires realised extraordinary prices — 

 prices that could not be justified even if the trade of the country 

 had continued good — then, as with everything else came the 

 slump. 



Everything was against the horse : industrial trade was bad, 

 enormous quantities of Army horses and Amiy lorries were 

 thrown on the market, and tractors were the latest novelty. Prices 

 for horses fell all round, croakers said the heavy horse was 

 doomed, and oven amongst Shire horse breeders some were 

 doubters, although the wise old hands and the tenant farmers, 

 the backbone of the breed, stood firm and never lost faith in their 

 breed. In the spring of this year the bottom was reached and 

 since then a very slow but steady improvement has to be noted 

 in the horse trade, which is reflected in the demand for Shires. 



In addition to the bad times which have fallen to the lot of 

 all horse breeders, the Shire has had to face strong, and in most 

 cases healthy, competition. The Suffolks, a much improved 

 breed with an active and enterprising Society which neglects no 

 useful propacfanda has made great strides during the last few 

 3^ears. The Clydesdale which is all-powerful in Scotland 



