This Shire Horse Is Over 18 Hands
by Constantine Gregory
Title
This Shire Horse Is Over 18 Hands
Artist
Constantine Gregory
Medium
Photograph - Photograph
Description
This Shire Horse Is Over 18 Hands
Though originally bred as a war horse to carry knights in their heavy armor, the Shire horse has since developed in to a formidable draft horse.
"The Shire horse is the purest survival of an early type which was spoken of by medieval writers as the 'Great Horse.' If this horse did not originate in England, this country at a very early date acquired a widespread reputation for producing it. Indeed, the English 'Great Horse' seems to have been a native development of that British 'War Horse' whose strength, courage and aptitude for discipline are spoken of in high terms by the -chroniclers of the Roman legions at their first landing upon these shores. "
Sir Walter Gilbey
Shire horse numbers fell from well over a million to just a few thousand by the 1960s and the breed was in serious trouble. A small group of dedicated breeders came to rescue though and the Shire is seeing a resurgence in popularity both as a working animal and a riding horse.
Uploaded
August 12th, 2014
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