horse horse breed draught horse draft horse breed comes colours including black bay grey tall breed standing hands inches standing hands inches breed enormous capacity weight pulling held world records largest overall horse tallest horse times history breed popular pulling brewery wagons delivering customers practice continues today breed forestry leisure promotional pursuits british organization known created beginning breed exported britain united_states large numbers late 19th early 20th centuries popularity fell increased reaching low point 1950s 1960s popularity began increase 1970s population numbers considered critical levels based based characteristics black bay grey large amounts white markings black bay grey chestnut colour allowed registry stand hands inches high mature average hands inches stand hands inches high hands inches average weight ranges head long lean large eyes set neck slightly arched long proportion body shoulder deep wide chest wide muscular short long wide occur legs hair fine straight silky smaller hands inches generally preferred working horses taller horses especially hands inches promotional purposes breed known easy going temperament identified risk chronic progressive chronic progressive disease includes symptoms progressive swelling limbs disease similar chronic humans enormous capacity pulling weight british exhibition pair horses estimated pulled starting load equal tons exact number determined pull exceeded maximum reading working slippery pair horses pulled tons later exhibition largest horse recorded history probably named born stood hands inches high peak weight estimated kilograms hands inches named book world records record holder world tallest horse death breed history farm work 18th century horses fit sale market london early english great horse valued reign henry_viii measuring kept increasing role gunpowder brought end use heavy horses battle cavalry favoured lighter faster mounts big horses began draught work instead 16th century dutch engineers brought horses came england drain horses probably significant influence breed medieval horse came animal called old english black horse 17th century improved followers resulting horse known imported dutch flanders notable breeders tended concentrate improving male line different types black horses developed lincolnshire type leicester type type tended larger bone extra hair type tended endurance finer appearance term horse century incomplete records begin appear near end 18th century best known horses era direct recorded horse usually recognized foundation stallion breed stood stud 19th century extensively cart horses goods docks cities countryside rough roads created need large horses extensive english cart horse society formed changed society published stud book edition containing records dating registered year british registry imported united_states large numbers horses imported 1880s established register promote breed soon popular united_states imported approximately registered registry time world war increasing strict regulations purchase livestock feed reduced need ability draft horses thousands slaughtered large breeding closed breed fell lowest point 1950s 1960s fewer horses shown annual british spring 1970s breed began revived increased public interest breed societies established united_states canada netherlands france germany world horse congress held use breed artificial frozen australian 1920s 1930s today changed 1950s 1960s changed notably changed lower legs mass coarse hair silky associated modern peak population numbered million 1950s 1960s number declined thousand united_states population dropped significantly early 20th century continued decline 1940s 1950s horses registered registry numbers began increase horses registered held annually largest great_britain currently american livestock breeds considers population critical levels meaning estimated global population breed fewer annually considers breed risk meaning population numbers estimated survival trust considers breed vulnerable meaning active adult breeding existence today uses horse originally staple breed draw deliver brewery public houses maintain tradition include brewery wiltshire hook brewery drawn deliveries early 1800s 1920s resumed service deliveries continuing horse drawn present day recently withdrawn horse teams including brewery leeds today breed forestry work leisure riding
Shire horse