Historic – England – at Risk

140 141 ShIRE HISTORIc – ENGLANd – AT RISK height and the barrel well-sprung. and Friesians were all bred with local stock, and over 16.3–18 h.h. Hindquarters are long and time a classic type of heavy horse began to emerge, appearance muscular, with the tail set high. characteristically black with feathering on its legs. The An attractive head, large, kind color eyes, and well-formed, alert Black, bay, brown, gray, or roan, horses were solidly built, strong animals and became ears. A well-set and arched often with white leg markings. known as the Old English Black in the seventeenth century. aptitude neck of good length leads to By the eighteenth century, as breeding became more defined withers and a short, Heavy draft, agricultural muscular back. Chest is wide work, riding, showing, cavalry focused, two types of black horse emerged. The first was called the Bakewell Black after the agriculturalist Robert the majestic shire horse is an iconic part of British Bakewell (1725–95), who made great advancements in heritage. Like all of the draft horse breeds of western selective breeding of farm animals. Bakewell used Flanders Europe, the Shire’s roots are in the great horses of Belgium Horses to improve his stock, which was noted for its and France—the Brabant (Flanders Horse or Flemish Horse) elegance and endurance. The second was the Lincolnshire and Ardennais—which in turn trace their development to Black—heavier, stronger, and larger than the Bakewell, with the prehistoric Forest Horse of northern Europe. Strong- greater feathering. These increasingly massive horses went bodied horses from Europe, particularly Friesians, were from being predominantly warhorses to being versatile taken into Britain during the Roman occupation (43–410 agricultural and industrial tools. Their great strength and c.e.), and during the Norman Conquest of 1066 there was placid nature made them ideal for anything from working again a substantial influx of large, weight-carrying horses. the land to transporting goods and pulling canal barges. The demand for the heavy horses that developed into the The term Shire is thought to have first been used to Shire originated with their use in a military capacity. There describe these equine powerhouses during the seventeenth was a concerted effort to increase the size of British horses century, but the foundation sire of the breed is generally to make them more suitable for use in heavy cavalry, as well recognized as the Packington Blind Horse, a black horse as to breed a horse that could remain calm on the battlefield. from Leicestershire active during the mid-eighteenth This breeding for size continued through the Middle Ages century who seems to have stamped much of his extensive and led to the emergence of what would now be termed progeny with his characteristics. The English Cart Horse a heavy cob type, called the Great Horse—later to be the Society, established in 1876, published its first studbook Shire. These horses were substantial and proud in bearing in 1878 and became the Shire Horse Society in 1884. The but were still relatively small compared with the modern Shires, as they were thus officially known, were extremely draft horse. During the sixteenth century, there was another popular. They also earned a growing respect in the United influx of Friesians brought over with Dutch engineers States, where a breed society formed in 1885. Numbers during the reclamation of the fens in the eastern counties began to fall after World War I and decreased sharply of Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire. Friesians undoubtedly after World War II as they were largely replaced by had a positive effect on the Great Horse, adding refinement vehicles. More recently there has been a revived interest and freedom of movement, as well as contributing their in the Shire, leading to renewed efforts to preserve this black coloring, which was predominant in the early Shire. important breed. They are still used on a small scale on The Shire truly developed in the cold, wet, marshy some farms, but they are perhaps best known for their landscape of the fens. Flanders Horses, German drafts, use as dray horses by the large brewing companies. sublime power.

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