The birth of three Shire foals in England is a cause for celebration for this at-risk breed. The rare babies were born at Hockerwood Farm in Nottinghamshire and are named Adele, Turpin and Athena.
According to the UK Rare Breeds Survival Trust (RBST), the Shire horse, seen for centuries on farms, are currently considered “at risk.”
“Shire horses, in common with many larger equine breeds, have been really struggling in recent years,” Christopher Price, a spokesperson with the RBST, told the BBC, adding that the new foals were “absolutely wonderful news.”
Heavy horses were once used to pull barges, deliver beer, work the fields or wherever sheer power was required. (Shire Horse Society photo)
Historically, Shire horses were once abundant on farms, and used in transport and other industries. But after the First World War the gentle giants faded from view. “If it wasn’t for the sake of a few determined and tenacious breeders, they might have disappeared altogether,” Price adds. According to the Shire Horse Society, numbers fell from well over a million to just a few thousand by the 1960s and the breed was in serious trouble.
Currently the Shire is on the RBST watch list, but Price says he was “cautiously optimistic” going forward. “Thankfully… we are starting to see them come back into use.”
Modern jobs for these majestic horses include public ceremonial events such as weddings or funerals, as well as being used as therapy horses and for land management.
The three foals were bred by Hockerwood Farm owner Sarah Flintham. “It’s massively important for us because we strive all the time to do our best,” she told the BBC. “[They’re] a rare breed, they aren’t easy. They’re rare for a reason.”
Unfortunately, Athena’s dam did not survive and the filly had to be bottle fed, but Flintham explains that another mare adopted the foal. “For the world to keep the Shire breed going would be wonderful and for us commercially, we need to keep them going, they’re our thing.”
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