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Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Shire Horse

by The Equinest

Intro


Descendant from the English Great Horse of the Middle Ages, the Shire horse is among the largest of the draft breeds .Origins


Appearing in Britan around the end of the 16th century when strong animals were needed to pull heavy wagons and coaches long distances over rough terrain. The Shire derived from blood of forest horses, and Fresian and Flanders horse imports.



The English Great horse is still considered the Shire horse’s principle ancestor, although its bloodlines were slowly reduced in the stock as the influx of Dutch Fresian blood grew stronger.



Modern Shire horses are renowned for their strength, a pair of Shire horses have pulled 16.5 tons of weight on granite paving tiles.



Features

Average height Over 17 hands

Extremely large animals

Incredible pulling strength

One of the biggest horses in the world



Physique

Long neck for a draft horse, with wide shoulders

Legs are clean and muscular, hocks set for maximum leverage

Heavy feathering on back of legs

Big, round hooves



Traditional Colors

black
chestnut
grey
bay



Temperament

Big and gentle, the Shire is a docile giant



Use


General riding

Show horses

Parade horse




Just an example of the lovely Shires that we have for sale at RiceCreekShires.com.




1 comment:

  1. Shire Horse is a breed of draft horse (BRE) or draft horse (AME). The breed has a variety of colors, including black, bay and gray.

    ReplyDelete