Shire Horses

Arabian horses

2 shire horses doing teamwork

There are many breeds of draft horses, from the well known Clydesdales of Budweiser fame to the beautiful black Belgians one often sees pulling a wagon in a parade or horse show. Few breeds of draft horses, however, can match the versatility and steady hard work of shire horses. They are the tallest of the draft breeds, a stallion can be as tall as 18 hands. The average shire horse weighs 1 tonne and is capable of pulling a 5-ton load.

Average size: 17 hands

Shire horses have been helping farmers, ranchers and others for centuries, and even today these sturdy and reliable work horses are pulling plows and doing farm chores both around the country and around the world.

In addition to their well known and well respected farm duties, shire horses excel at a number of non-traditional disciplines as well. It is no longer that unusual to see a shire horse or two at an all breed horse show, and they often do quite well competing against more traditional show breeds like quarter horses and Arabians.

And while it is still somewhat unusual to see a shire horse in the dressage ring, it is anything but unheard of. Shire horses are remarkably light and graceful for its large frame, and many dressage judges have been shocked at just what fine movers these large horses can be.