Shire Horse
A draught horse originating in Britain, the Shire is one of the largest horse breeds.
Kingdom - Animalia
Phylum - Chordata
Class - Mammalia
Order - Perissodactyla
Family - Equidae
Genus - Equus
Species & Subspecies – E. ferus caballus
Common Names – Shire Horse
Shire horses have an easygoing nature, and are not easy to spook. Their calm nature even in the face of potential threats is believed to trace back to their roots as war horses used in battle.
Shire horses are known for their immense size and strength. They are often even larger than Clydesdales. Shire horses frequently measure over six feet tall at the shoulders, and the largest ever recorded was over seven feet tall at the shoulders.
Shires can be black, brown, bay or gray in coloration. They often have white markings on the forehead, muzzle and lower legs, which feature feathering (similar to Clydesdales).
The predecessor to the Shire horse is believed to be the British Great Horse, which was frequently used to carry soldiers into battle. Heavy, large war horses eventually fell out of favor when gunpowder became more commonly used in wars, which led to the need for horses in battle to be lighter and faster.
The horses that would eventually become the Shire were then used as draught horses. Their size and strength made them well suited for pulling heavy loads.
The first use of the term Shire horse to describe the breed dates back to the mid-1600s. The name comes from a word to describe a rural area of land in Great Britain and other English-speaking countries at the time.
Though draught horses are less necessary than they once were, Shire horses are still used for pulling carriages and other vehicles. Small farms still sometimes use them instead of tractors as a more environmentally friendly option.
Like Clydesdales, they were often used to pull beer wagons, and still find some use doing so in modern times.