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One of my favorite draft breeds is the Shire Horse. A gentle giant, easy to train, wonderfully sociable, and as robust as they come, this breed is an all-around great that I could write about all day! In this guide, you’ll learn why I love this breed so much, and all the fabulous things you need to know about Shire Horses if you’re looking to add one to your field.
I will discuss the history of the Shire horse and its old-English origins, how its persona and strength helped in battle, and some of the traits of Shire horses that every owner should be aware of.
Shire Horse Quick Facts
| Horse Breed | Shire Horse |
| Comparable Breeds | Friesian Horse, Clydesdale Horse |
| Common Names |
|
| Country of Origin | United Kingdom |
| Height |
|
| Weight | 900-1100 kg / 1,800-2,400 lb |
| Color | Bay, Black, Brown, Gray. |
| Coat Quality (curly haired, short, thick) | Silky, fine, and straight. |
| Temperament | Hard working, easy to train, mellow, docile, gentle, calm, and laid-back |
| Lifespan | 25 – 30 years |
| Purpose (racing, work horses, etc.) | Work, pulling heavy loads, leisure riding |
Shire Horse Overview
Like all draft breeds, the Shire Horse dates back to what we call the Great Horse of England. A heavy warhorse, Shires were bred from cold-blooded equines from central Europe and went on to calmly and bravely carry warriors into battle during the 11th century.
Shire Horses are recognizable due to their large and powerful physique and have notable enormous hindquarters. What I find truly unique about this breed is that they’re the absolute epitome of a gentle giant. Shires have a patient, calm and mellow nature which makes them suitable for riders of all experience levels.
This British breed was bred for labor, and they’re eager to please with a keen inclination toward working. I have found Shires to be super intelligent, with an ability to happily follow verbal queues swiftly. The serene nature of this gigantic horse makes them a solid choice for therapy work – at which they thrive.
Today, Shire horses are used more for leisure riding and in forestry than for carrying knights into war. There are many horse shows dedicated to this breed, such as The National Shire Horse Spring Show, which is an annual event – and the largest of its kind – held in the UK.
Shire Horse Lifespan
The typical lifespan of a Shire horse is between 25 and 30 years. Although this breed has never been entered into record books for its lifespan, Shire Horses are generally a healthy breed with few breed-related conditions. Shires also don’t spook easily and have strong hearts.
Shire Horse Appearance and Varieties
The Shire Horse is a strong, tall breed with several distinguishing features that include furred feet, large hooves, and a long mane. I believe the look of this horse is perfect for any medieval setting!
The Shire’s head is long and lean, and the horse’s eyes are big and dolce, while the ears are sharp, long, and slim. The neck of a purebred Shire should be in proportion with the rest of the body and slightly arched. The shoulders should be deep and wide.
Shires’ backs are strong and muscular but short, giving a compact appearance. The hindquarters are also muscular and long and wide, and Shire’s feet are solid and broad.
Shire horses are typically bay, black, brown, or gray. Often you will find white markings on the horse’s face and legs, but excessive markings are not commonly desired when showing this breed. Like Clydesdale horses, Shires also have distinctive feathering on their lower legs.
The most outstanding characteristics of this breed are its extreme strength and imposing height; both traits have been well documented anecdotally and in record books. For example, a pair of Shires were recorded to have pulled a load of over 45 tons in the 1920s!
Shire Horse Human Interactions and Training
If you’re brand new to horse ownership and considering your options, I thoroughly recommend looking further into Shire Horses. This breed is renowned for being calm, laid back, and docile, but more than this, they’re super-easy to train (in spite of their giant size), so they are suitable for all levels of horse trainers, riders, and owners – including brand new beginners.
However, if you’re not particularly tall, their size may feel a little overwhelming initially. One of the reasons that Shire Horses are so popular in so many areas is because they aim to please their handler, and they’re not known for having behavioral problems.
Shires have been bred to work in a range of environments, from the battleground to the inner cities, and they’re not a breed to spook easily. I find the Shire Horse to be one of the most dependable and calmest of all breeds.
How to Care for Shire Horses
Now, this is where the Shire Horse may be less appealing. This breed requires a lot of upkeep, which can be very draining on time and finances over time.
Regular grooming sessions are essential for this breed. Still, because of their feathered ankles, it is equally important to provide a sanitary environment at all times to avoid conditions such as pododermatitis (often termed ‘canker‘).
Because Shire Horses are taller than most, you may need to rely on a step ladder or stool to access all areas of the body.
By using a curry comb, you may find it much easier to remove loose hair and dirt. A dandy brush can be used secondly, while a body finishing brush is perfect to complete the groom. A shedding blade is optional and should be used with caution, but it is a good device to remove excess hair.
Hoof picks are effective in removing dirt and debris from Shire’s large hooves. Some owners choose to use detangling and shine sprays to keep Shire Horses’ feathered ankles looking in tip-top condition.
Shire Horse Diet
I’m going to put it out there now – Shire horses eat a lot, and it can cost a lot to maintain a plentiful diet for these giants!
The quantity of food you give to a Shire Horse will depend on the size of the horse and its work level. With idle horses requiring much less than working horses, who may need supplements and additional vitamins in addition to higher quantities of food.
While Shires are fine to eat a typical equine diet of hay, grasses, grains, and fruit and veggies, because of their large size, this food needs to be in much higher quantities than one would feed to most other breeds. The diet of a Shire Horse is likely to be your biggest upkeep bill.
Some vets recommend putting Shires on high-fat diets to ward off a painful condition called polysaccharide storage myopathy, which leads to spasms, muscle tremors, and lameness in the horse’s legs.
Feeding management is critical to maintaining proper health, but getting this right requires good judgment and often experience.
Shire Horse Breeding
During the sixteenth century, Dutch engineers took Friesian horses to the UK, and they bred with horses of similar stature. This combination is what is thought to be the first ancestors of today’s Shire Horse.
By breeding strong, powerful draft horses, with other similar breeds, the Shire Horse was the result. This became a stand-alone breed in the UK in 1884 – which was one year before the American Shire Horse Association was established.
Shire Horse Cost
Shire horses range in cost from around $4,000 to $20,000, depending on age, appearance, breeding, and their level of training.
Shires are rare and considered an endangered breed, with some estimates of the breed population being under 2,000 globally.
The cost of owning a Shire Horse can be considerably more expensive than owning other breeds. And, due to Shires being twice the size as most breeds, their food consumption is much more costly.
Where to Buy a Shire Horse
Because of the breed’s rarity, it can take time to find a suitable Shire Horse. But, the internet can be your best aid for finding out the information you want to know in the quickest way. And, it is so important to get the complete picture when selecting a horse; its temperament, health, and history.
A quality breeder or breed-specific rescue should be able to answer all the questions you have and are the best-positioned places to find a suitable horse.
Here’s a shortlist of the best places to buy a Shire Horse online today:
Gentle Giants Draft Horse Rescue
I particularly like the Gentle Giants Draft Horse Rescue, and if you’re within a 4-hour drive of their base in Maryland, you may well find your perfect Shire that is in need of a second chance here. The agency will remain on hand after the transaction as a means of support and guidance should you require help or advice with your new horse.
Horse Plus Humane Society
Even though Shires are so rare, they’re now considered endangered; there are still those who will abuse and neglect them. Thankfully places like the Horse Plus Humane Society are here to help.
As a prospective buyer, you have peace of mind that you’re doing a good thing, plus the reassurance that horses here will have undergone full training and veterinarian evaluations.
Equine Now
I love the usability of the Equine Now website; it is so easy to use and to filter your search down to show only relevant horses. Currently, there are just under 60 Shire Horses for adoption and rehome here, with prices starting at $3000.
Exchange Jumper Hunter
What I like most about Exchange Hunter Jumper is the removal of any risks for prospective buyers due to the fact that the site vets every single listing to ensure authenticity before that ad goes live. However, you can’t filter by breed here, so finding a suitable Shire Horse may take some time.
Famous Shire Horses
In the 1970s, Shire Horses were the window and shelf ornament of a generation, with everyone and their Aunt proudly displaying a Shire Horse pulling a cart in their home. Today, Shire Horses are less home decor but are still highly regarded and come in many celebrity forms.
Here’s a round-up of the most notable Shire Horses around:
Goliath
Goliath is the tallest Shire Horse to date, measuring over 19.5 hands high. This Shire made his mark in the Guinness Book of Records in the year 2000 as the tallest living horse in the world.
Goliath resided on Priefert Ranch in Mt. Goliath and attended hundreds of shows annually until his passing in 2014.
Mammoth
Mammoth was a Shire Horse, born in England in 1848, who is widely believed to be the largest horse of all time. Mammoth weighed an incredible 3,300 lbs and is reported to have stood at 21.2 hands high.
Angus
Angus is a Shire horse who is Merida’s loyal companion in the 2012 Disney/Pixar animated movie Brave. Angus was calm, brave, and faithful – typical of the Shire breed.
FAQs
Question: How were Shire Horses Used in the US?
Answer: Shire horses in the UK were a well-needed animal for the transportation of ale, coal, and livestock, and throughout wars and battles – Shires would carry men and their armor of 400 lbs with ease. But, there was never really this need for them in the US.
The first Shire reached American soil in 1853 – we already had systems in place for the transportation of goods, and so the breed never became overly popular. Primarily, Shire Horses were used for breeding to upgrade smaller farm horses.
Question: How Many Shire Horses are in the US
Answer: Today, there are almost 3,000 Shire Horses in the US, based on statistics published on the American Shire Horse Association’s website. However, The Livestock Conservancy lists the breed as ‘critical,’ which means there are less than 2,000 of a species in the world. While data isn’t clear, what it does suggest is that numbers are low.
Question: Will Shire Horses Become Extinct?
Answer: Shire Horse numbers have been in their millions and as low as in the hundreds over the last couple of hundreds of years. Experts fear that Shire Horses could become extinct due to the fact that their primary purpose (of pulling and transporting) is now all done via machinery, and the actual need for Shires just isn’t there anymore.
However, this is an incredible breed of horse with a large and loyal following. So, hopefully, the existence of the Shire Horse will stay, and possibly the population will even grow. But, at the moment, it seems uncertain.
FAQs
Answer: Shire horses in the UK were a well-needed animal for the transportation of ale, coal, and livestock, and throughout wars and battles – Shires would carry men and their armor of 400 lbs with ease. But, there was never really this need for them in the US.
The first Shire reached American soil in 1853 – we already had systems in place for the transportation of goods, and so the breed never became overly popular. Primarily, Shire Horses were used for breeding to upgrade smaller farm horses.
Answer: Today, there are almost 3,000 Shire Horses in the US, based on statistics published on the American Shire Horse Association’s website. However, The Livestock Conservancy lists the breed as ‘critical,’ which means there are less than 2,000 of a species in the world. While data isn’t clear, what it does suggest is that numbers are low.
Answer: Shire Horse numbers have been in their millions and as low as in the hundreds over the last couple of hundreds of years. Experts fear that Shire Horses could become extinct due to the fact that their primary purpose (of pulling and transporting) is now all done via machinery, and the actual need for Shires just isn’t there anymore.
However, this is an incredible breed of horse with a large and loyal following. So, hopefully, the existence of the Shire Horse will stay, and possibly the population will even grow. But, at the moment, it seems uncertain.