o8i lii'.port 0,1 tJie llovi^f'x Fjxh.Ui'ded ai ]\'iiidi<ur. 
people objected to tlie term "Shire Horse," it was as "Shire 
Horses " that the old Englisli cart-horse, the Great Horse, or 
whatever you like to call him, first figured in the Royal cata- 
logues as a distinct breed. At Preston, in 1885, the prizes were 
for " Shire, or Agricultural Horses not qualified to compete as 
Clydesdales or Suffolks " ; but in 188G, and since, the prizes in 
these classes have been for " Shire Horses" only. 
The Shire Stallions exhibited at Windsor were a strong class, 
and included some good animals. Lord ^Vantage's " Prince 
William," Mr. Buncombe's " Harold," and Mr. Preeman-Mit- 
ford's " Hitchin Conqueror" (placed by the Judges in the above 
order) have met in friendly rivalry before, and if the " poetry of 
motion " can be said to belong to an agricultural horse, these 
three may lay claim to it. There was nothing lumbering in the 
gait of any of them, and none but an expert quick to discern 
the most trival point, and capable of weighing its importance, 
could separate the first two. Possibly it was his action more 
than anything else which gave " Prince William " the first place. 
His record is one of unbroken success, as at two years old — that 
is to say, in 1885 — he gained championship honours at the London 
Show, where he was shown by Mr. J. Howell, and he has pretty 
well carried all before him ever since. Mr. J. Rowell — who, by 
the way, was the owner of the Commended horse " Thumper," 
— gave 250 guineas for " Prince William " as a yearling, and 
subsequently sold him to his present owner. 
Considering what were behind " Prince William,"' it goes 
without saying that Lord Wantage's horse was declared champion, 
by right of which he received the Queen's Medal and the 601. 
given by the Shire Horse Society. The judging for the Champion- 
ship may be mentioned, because it shows with what anxious care 
the Judges weighed the merits of the horses brought before them. 
After "Prince William," Mr. Buncombe's "Harold" was re- 
served, in preference to the winners in the three-year-old and 
younger classes — a decision which suggests a very close contest 
in the aged class in which " Prince William " and " Harold " 
met. 
As compared with the aged horses, the three-j-ear-olds were 
moderate; and even those of less experience than the Judges 
were not long in foretelling the somewhat easy victory of 
Mr. Miller's " Munchausen," a big horse on good legs. The 
chief Islington winners were absentees, possibly because their 
season was scarcely over, and they might have scarcely been up 
to Show form. The two-yeai-olds, on the other hand, were a 
good class, with upwards of thirty entries. Here again the 
winner of the First Prize, Lord Hindlip's " Nailstone Conqueror," 
