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Breed Standard, Stallions Mares and Geldings
Breed Standard and Points of the Shire Horse
A scale of points for the breed has been carefully drawn up and this has been amended when necessary, to meet modern requirements.
For instance, years ago, a great characteristic of the Shire was the wealth of hair, or feathers, on the legs. Today the demand is for a cleaner legged horse, with straight fine, silky hair.
The standard of points laid down by the Council is as follows:
Stallions
Colour
Black, brown, bay or grey. No good stallion should be splashed with large white patches over the body. He must not be roan or chestnut.
Height
Minimum 173 cms (17 hands) at maturity.
Head
Long and lean, neither too large or too small, with long neck in proportion to the body. Large jaw bone should be avoided.
Eyes
Large, well set and docile in expression. Wall eyes not acceptable.
Nose
Slightly Roman, nostrils thin and wide; lips together.
Ears
Long, lean, sharp and sensitive.
Throat
Clean cut and lean.
Shoulder
Deep and oblique, wide enough to support a collar.
Neck
Long, slightly arched, well set on to give the horse a commanding appearance.
Girth
183 cms to 244 cms (6 ft to 8 ft) at maturity.
Back
Short, strong and muscular. Should not be dipped or roached.
Loins
Standing well up, denoting good constitution (must not be flat).
Fore-End
Wide across the chest, with legs well under the body and well enveloped in muscle.
Hind-Quarters
Long and sweeping, wide and full of muscle, well let down towards the thighs.
Ribs
Round, deep and well sprung, not flat.
Forelegs
Should be as straight as possible down to pastern.
Hindlegs
Hocks should be not too far back and in line with the hind-quarters with ample width broadside and narrow in front. Swollen and "sickle" hocks should be avoided. Hocks must be broad, deep and flat and set at the correct angle for leverage.
Bone Measurement
28 cms (11 inches) of flat bone, measured just below the knee, is ample, although occasionally 32 cms (12½ inches) is seen.
Feet
Deep, solid and wide, with thick open walls.
Hair
Fine, straight and silky.
A good Shire stallion should possess a masculine head and a good crest with sloping, not upright, shoulders running well into the back, which should be short and well coupled with the loins. The tail should be well set up and not what is known as "goose rumped".
Both head and tail should be carried erect. The ribs should be well sprung, not flat sided, with good middle which generally denotes good constitution. A stallion should have good feet and joints; the feet should be wide and big around the top of the coronets with sufficient length in the pasterns.
When in motion, he should go with force using both knees and hocks, which latter should be kept close together, he should go straight and true before and behind.
A good Stallion should have strong character.
Mares
The points for stallions also apply to mares, with the following variations.
Colour
Black, brown, bay, grey, roan.
Height
Minimum 163 cms (16 hands) at maturity.
Head
Long and lean, neither too large nor too small, long neck in proportion to the body, but of feminine appearance.
Eyes
Large, well set and docile in expression. Wall eyes are acceptable except for animals in the Grade A and B registers.
Neck
Long and slightly arched, and not of masculine appearance.
Girth
152 cms to 214 cms (5 ft to 7 ft) at maturity.
Back
Strong and in some instances longer than a male.
Legs
Short with short cannons.
Bone Measurement
23 cms to 28 cms (9-11 inches) of flat bone, measured just below the knee.
A mare should be long and deep with free action, with sufficient depth to carry a foal, and of a feminine appearance.
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Geldings
The points for stallions also apply to geldings, with the following variations.
Colour
As for Mares.
Height
Minimum 168 cms (16.2 hands) at maturity.
Girth
183 cms to 229 cms (6ft to 7ft 6ins) at maturity.
Bone Measurement
25 cms to 28 cms (10-11 inches) of flat bone, measured just below the knee.
A gelding should have presence with active movement. He should be able to do a full day’s work.