J. A. F. CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE AUTHOR’S PREFACE v I. A POPULAR BREED 1 II. FOUNDING A STUD 8 III. THE SELECTION OF SIRES 12 IV. BREEDING FROM FILLIES 17 V. TEAM WORK 23 VI. REARING AND FEEDING 30 VII. CARE OF THE FEET 42 VIII. HOW TO SHOW A SHIRE 48 IX. ORIGIN AND PROGRESS OF THE SHIRE 51 X. FACTS AND FIGURES 61 XI. HIGH PRICES 69 XII. A FEW RECORDS 76 XIII. JUDGES AT THE LONDON SHIRE SHOWS, 1890-1915 87 XIV. THE EXPORT TRADE 92 XV. PROMINENT PRESENT-DAY STUDS 103 XVI. THE FUTURE OUTLOOK 121 INDEX 127 ILLUSTRATIONS STALLION: CHAMPION’S GOALKEEPER _Facing Title Page_ MARE: PAILTON SORAIS _Facing Page 1_ [Illustration: _Photo by F. Babbage._ CHAMPION SHIRE MARE, PAILTON SORAIS (45919).] THE SHIRE HORSE IN PEACE AND WAR CHAPTER I A POPULAR BREED There is no breed of horses which has attracted so much attention during the past thirty years as the Old English War Horse. Originally bred and preserved for fighting purposes, his size was increased by importations of stallions and mares from Flanders--famous now and henceforth as the battleground of the greatest war ever waged. In the days when heavy armour was worn the cavalry horse could hardly be too stout, and at that time ploughing was performed by oxen; but there came a day when the English knights discarded their coats of mail and thenceforward sought for light-legged mounts. This gave the horses bred in “the Shires” a chance to distinguish themselves as draught horses, for which their width of chest, short legs, and strong back were well adapted: so the War Horse of the olden days became the Old English Cart Horse. Farmers--particularly Robert Bakewell--discovered that they could do double, or treble, the quantity of ploughing with a pair of these heavy horses that they could with an ox team; therefore draught horses superseded bullocks for agricultural and haulage purposes, which meant that they were bred for weight and substance, the biggest and heaviest being regarded as the best.