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Tuesday, December 13, 2011

A History of Shires in the United States-Warings

by Arlin Waring

We brought a new member to our breeding operation with the importation of Jim’s Chieftain, from England. He was the first Shire imported to the US since the 1930’s. His arrival made international news which began a resurgence of the breed in both the US and England. Numbers increased at a tremendous rate over the next twenty-five years. Jim made a huge impact on the breed in the US, not only in numbers, but even more so as to type and overall appearance. The importation of Jim brought on a whole new endeavor for the Wareing family. Arlin, and sometimes Maxine and other family members, have been to England over sixty times buying and shipping Shires for breeders from coast to coast. We lost track of the numbers brought to this country, years ago. We have estimated that well over four hundred have passed through our hands in one way or another. There are few Shires in the US today whose pedigree does not trace back to some of these horses.


The increased interest in Shire horses created a need for an active and fully funtional registry. In the early 1950’s the American Shire Horse Association (ASHA) had become inactive with many of the records being destroyed. It was revived again in 1965. In 1968, Arlin became a Board member and was appointed Vice President. He was President from 1973-1978, and continued to be a Board member or serving on the committees for nearly twenty years. Todd served on the Board from 1993-1997.



The Wareing’s breed prefix, Dua He Chi, came about in the beginning, and is often questioned as to the meaning. Blackfoot is next to the Shoshone-Bannock Indian Reservation. In the native Shoshone language the name Maxine, which means “Little Great One”, translates, as near as we can tell, to “Dua He Chi”.



The number of horses bred by the Wareing’s is too long to provide a detailed account. However, the records will show the horses registered under the prefix maybe one of the largest in the studbook. However, the number of stallions used is very small, which is a breeding design. As noted, Jim’s Chieftain was our first stallion. We used him for thirteen years before he became related to all the mares in our breeding area. We gelded him at age 15 and he spent the rest of his life on the farm. He was followed by Ryton Majestic, who was imported in 1976. He was used alongside Due He Chi’s J.R., a son of Jim, born in 1980. I believe he has sired more registered foals than any other stallion in the US. He served mares until his death at age 23. Providence Jake was imported as a yearling in 1996, but failed to become a good producer. He spent most of his life on the wheel of our hitch. Hillmoor Double Diamond was imported as a foal in 2000 and continues his duties as of this writing. Each one of these stallions has been awarded Grand Champion Shire Stallion at the National Shire Show one or more times. I can only think of three mares we have ever bred to an outside stallion. We pride ourselves in our effort to follow a long term program.


Interested in purchasing a Shire? Please contact RiceCreekShires.com.

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