There is a special kind of horse in the UK. It has a strong body and a gentle personality. It is different from the horses that run on the grasslands in my country. We call it the "King of Horses" - Shire Horse !
Horse Club Plowing
Shire horses are draft horses, which are horses used for plowing and pulling goods. They are famous for their strength.
Due to the large size, full strength and amazing towing ability of the Shire horse, it was used as an important tool for plowing land, pulling goods and carrying passengers in the early days of Britain.
As the saying goes: "A skinny camel is bigger than a horse." In the eyes of many people, no matter how small a camel is, it is still bigger than a horse. But this is not necessarily true!
Horses that are bigger than camels
The horses we usually see are generally between 1 and 2 meters tall, and their limbs are relatively slender.
But there is also a heavy-duty horse in the world that is comparable to an elephant - the Shire horse. It is the largest horse breed in the world today and can weigh about a ton (the average adult camel is also It's about 500 kilograms), it's very imposing, it runs spectacularly, it's very oppressive, and it's so powerful that it can pull 5 tons of weight.
"King of Horses" Shire Horse
According to records, Shire horses first appeared in England. They were bred and passed down from medieval horse breeds in England.
Pictures come from the Internet
When an average Shire horse reaches adulthood, its shoulder height is close to 2 meters. Together with its neck and head, its natural standing height can reach at least 2.5 meters, and its weight can reach about 1 ton. It has very broad shoulders and strong back muscles. Well-developed, the hindquarters are very thick and very powerful.
Shire horses are so tall and eat a lot. Their food intake is more than four times that of ordinary horses.
Maximum pull of 5 tons of cargo
At the 1924 British Exhibition, a pair of Sharma horses pulled nearly 5 tons of cargo.
Someone once came up with a creative competition, which was to let a group of people have a tug-of-war competition with a Shire horse. As a result, 13 strong men worked together and tried their best to pull a Shire horse.
Such a mighty and majestic shire horse, why not train it to become a war horse?
First, because the Sharma horse has a docile personality, even a little timid, it is a cold-blooded horse, unlike the hot-blooded horse , , which has a high-spirited and strong temperament. This also shows that Sharma is not suitable for the battlefield.
Secondly, the "riding feeling" of the Sharma is very poor. Because the back of the Sharma horse is too wide, and without solid split skills, I am afraid that it will be impossible to ride on the horse. Riding on the horse is like sitting on a flat cart. It is not stable at all, and the soldier can easily fall off.
Itâs a little cute
Thirdly, the Sharmaâs huge body makes its limbs inflexible, its running speed is not fast, and its reflexes are insufficient. Itâs like riding an old ox into the battlefield, its speed is not fast enough, and its reflexes are not agile enough. , there is no advantage in the cold weapon era.
With the continuous development and progress of society, machines have gradually replaced the labor force of cattle, horses and other livestock. Modern agricultural equipment has made the Shire horse withdraw from the labor stage, so the number of Shire horses has decreased sharply. Now there are only a few thousand Shire horses. The horse survived.
History is long and Sharma will eventually exit the stage, but "I" have been in this world but never left.
