most of the heavy armor disappeared. A lighter, speed¬ 
ier horse became necessary, and back to the farms went 
the sturdy drafters. 
The modern draft horse breeds are the Shire, Bel¬ 
gian, Percheron, Clydesdale, and Suffolk. These are 
all foreign in origin, but they have been imported and 
today are raised in this country as well. 
The Shire, an English breed, is in general the larg¬ 
est of the draft horses. He often stands 17 hands in 
height and weighs 2000 pounds or more. He has a 
wide, deep body and heavy legs with much long hair 
below the knees and hocks. This is called the feather, 
and on this breed it is usually white. The Shire is 
bay, brown, or black in color and is a great horse of 
tremendous power. 
The Belgian ranks next to the Shire in size. He is 
usually sorrel, or light chestnut, in color. The Belgian 
was first imported to this country in 1866 and is sec- 
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