shire horses definition of shire horses in the Free Online Encyclopedia.

Shire horse, a breed of draft horse draft horse or work horse, any breed of horse that is suited to or used for drawing heavy loads. Draft horses originated in central Europe, where their domestication preceded the Roman invasion.
..... Click the link for more information. native to central England. It is equal in weight to the Belgian horse Belgian horse, one of the largest breeds of draft horses of pure European descent. It has a long history, antedating the Christian era, but became especially popular during the Middle Ages. In the 15th and 16th cent.
..... Click the link for more information. and is usually slightly taller. Widely used as a war horse during the Middle Ages, it was well adapted to carry the excessive weight of armor worn by both horse and rider. The Shire was introduced to the United States in the late 1800s, but was never as popular as the Clydesdale Clydesdale horse, breed of draft horse developed in Scotland. It closely resembles the Shire horse , although it is not as heavy. The Clydesdale is characterized by its graceful, springy step.
..... Click the link for more information. or Percheron Percheron horse (pûr`chərŏn')
..... Click the link for more information. . It is similar in appearance to the former, with feathery fetlocks. It stands 17 hands (68 in./170 cm) high and normally exceeds 2,000 lb (900 kg).

shire horse

a large heavy breed of carthorse with long hair on the fetlocks

shire horse (redirected from shire horses)

shire horse
(redirected from shire horses)