510 Report on the Exhibition of Live-Stock at Newcastle. 
should be classed, like hunters, according to their size or 
" weight ;" for as to the formation of feet, pastern, leg, shoulder, 
&c., and as to the form and quality of bone and action, similar 
if not identical canons of judgment should be applicable to all 
draught horses. But with our separate breeds, as they now 
exist, this is out of the question, and the next best thing one can 
hope for is that, by interchange of ideas, the breeders of the 
various races will by degrees bring their favourite types nearer 
to the one grand pattern which constitutes the perfect or ideal 
draught horse. 
Shire Hoeses. 
Those who wish to see the Shire breed in its full strength, 
must visit the great Show of the Shire Horse Society in London 
in the spring of the year. That is indeed the largest Show of 
the kind held in this country, and its success is worthy of 
mention here. It is in no way antagonistic to the " Royal." 
Every movement which encourages the improvement and ex- 
tension of live-stock breeding must in the end contribute to the 
strength of the " Royal," for successful breeders who would seek 
distinction will always be anxious to let their best animals be 
seen in the Royal yard, if only the Society continue to afford 
them reasonable encouragement to do so. 
On this occasion, considering the situation of the Show, 
there was a very creditable display of Shire Horses. Stallions 
foaled prior to 1884, of which there were eight entries, made 
up a moderate class. Mr. A. C. Duncombe, of Calwich Abbey, 
Ashbourne, won easily with his powerful horse " Harold " 
(3703), which, crowning many other honours, won the Elsenham 
100 Guinea Challenge Cup at the London Shire Horse Show 
last February. Bred by Mr. J. H. Potter, The Hall Farm, 
Spondon, Derby, " Harold " is six years old, was got by that 
well-known sire " Lincolnshire Lad IL" (1365), and out of 
" Flower" by " Champion" (419). " Harold" is a big brown 
horse, with great muscle, good action, massive, weU-formed 
fore-parts, but scarcely so well made behind. He was a popular 
Champion in London, and was again rightly enough declared 
the best Stallion of the breed in the Show. This horse has 
much improved in form since he first came into public notice. 
He is of a wearing kind, with much more of the useful than 
the ornamental about him. 
The placing of the other prize-horses caused a good deal of 
comment ; but the Judges were not quite pleased with either of 
them, and most probably on this account had some little diffi- 
culty in quite pleasing themselves, not to speak of the outside 
public. Mr. A. B. Freeman-Mitford's "Hitchin Conqueror" 
