SHIRE HORSES A FORGOTTEN BREED

Shire Horses were widespread across the country. They worked pulling drays and ploughs but as mechanism was spreading they became less in demand.

It is thought there were as many as a million in England a 100 years ago up to the first World War.

Ed McDowell works as a coachman in London's last surviving stable of seven Shire Horses. He said: "And now worldwide, there are fewer than 1,500.

As a matter of fact they are rarer then the Giant Panda of which are 1,800 in the world. The UK Rare Breeds Surviving Trust see them "at risk".

At the turn of the last century there were 40,000 shire horses in London. Now there only those seven magnificent gentle giants. To save the breed they still cutting the grass in Hyde Parks and pulling the passenger tram at Hampton Court and Richmond Park.

Original they were bred there to carry the knights with their heavy armours. Henry VIII demanded a strong horse to carry the knights into battle. They were also used for mowing and logging. It was Henry VIII who started the breed.

Later when gun powder was invented it brought already a decline for military use to these big horses and became more used to pull drays and ploughing the land.

Oliver Cromwell used lighter and faster horses for his cavalry.

The Shire Horse stands 15 hands high (5ft 4in) at the withers. It has an enormous strength for pulling and were a very popular sight for pulling the brewery drays delivering ale.

The famous Yorkshire brewery Tetley stopped using the powerful horses when it was taken over by the Danish brewery Carlsberg. They found the upkeep too expensive. No doubt they eat a lot being so big and strong but surely Carlsberg could have afforded it.

We must not forget that these horses are the back of the Industrial Revolution. It was them working in the docks bringing all the heavy goods and raw materials from the ships.


For that reason alone they deserve to be kept on.