Shire Horses

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HeatherAda

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they're just gorgeous aren't they? There are two in the field behind my house and I can see them whilst I'm working.

Just thinking how strong and beautiful they are. Lovely view!
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they're lovely, and i admire anyone who keeps them nowadays, cos they cost an absolute fortune. my farrier arrived on monday having just done a couple of shires, for £160 a set each... and i should think they eat as much as an elephant.
when i was a kid of about 8 i went on a riding holiday and i vividly remember the whole gang of us kids (about 12 of us, none older than me) being sent off to groom this lovely shire mare, who stood patiently accepting our disorganised ministrations, never moved a hoof (thank god!), like something out of a Thelwell cartoon, with us literally clambering all over her to reach.
 
they're just so impressive. very nice pics Rema - esp the first one.

These 2 have been around for years, so I think they're getting on a bit now.

one has just leant over for a munch on a tree in our garden!
 
My farrier used to have one! He used to do 2 shoes every 3 weeks, as he said all 4 at once was just too tiring! Lost him to colic last year though sadly. He was a proper gentle giant!
 
QR - They are magnificent animals! You're so lucky to be able to watch them!
My non-horsey OH loves Shire horses! I'm hoping one day I'll be in a position to buy him one that he can ride and drive!
 
There is one at my yard, a 16.3hh that Beau manages to make look small LOL!

she eats MUCH less than most of the other horses tbh, and doesnt get any hard feed other than a handful of chaff.
she doesnt need loads of rugs so is cheap in that respsect, and our farrier only charges £60 for a full set of shoes!

(in background)
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Better pic:

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They are beautiful - nearly as good as clydesdales
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Cairo is not too expensive - is now barefoot, I can get 7' rugs and extra large bridles/headcollars easily. Apart from more hay, he has exactly the same as my gypsy cob to eat.

It is these big horses that made my OH want one - as his t-shirt says "real horses weigh a ton".
 
Shires x clydies are the best
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We find lots of blokes, even when they're unhorsey, really love Chloe, probably because she's capable of carrying their weight
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Ultimate bloke ride - Clydesdale in a western saddle - they ride in jeans (my OH does not suit jods) and it is like being on a mobile sofa.

Cairo has introduced many non-horsey chaps to the joys of riding and I know two have gone on to get their own big chaps complete with western saddle.
 
my grandparents own a shire horse centre - used to have around 12 shires at a time but now only a few. i used to help there as a kid and would be hoisted up onto the shires bareback, most of them were unbroken but broken to harness. i dont think they even realised i was up there tbh! they had a shire stallion for his whole life - lived to about 23 - lost him last year. he was broken to ride and was on tv several times as he would jump a 5 foot wall for fun and could turn on a six pence - he was humongous! gentle giants. i use to have my old pony in the field with them and could go and feed her, catch her etc ( i was about 10, she was about 12 hands) and they would be so gentle with me and her- in fact she used to boss them about lol. they also have a collection of shelands who are a million times more difficult to handle than the shires!!
 
I love the heavies! Theresa_F I want one of those t-shirts! Here are my two heavies. Ella the black mare is 17 hands and x Clydesdale and a real superstar. The bay is Mishky 17.3 - he is a Vladimir which is a Russian heavy horse. My farrier is great - he charges £75 per set for them, although I do ply him with bacon sarnies, cups of tea, donuts etc., to keep his strength up! Mishky takes a 7ft 3in rug, but only Fal are big enough and Ella takes a 7ft. Mishky takes a 64 inch girth.
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Hubby and I used to own a Shire mare, we now have a Shire X - and he looks just like Sam here!!
There is a top breeder - who we are friends with - just a couple hundred yards from us. Hubby spent over 20 years working at a Shire Stud where they had an average of 40 shires at one time. Beautifu creatures
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Yes in a way i did.It was what was then known as The Cornish shire horse centre.We had 3 stallions,20 odd mares that were either showing or breeding,8 working geldings and a spattering of youngsters.
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I used to work on a Percheron & Shire stud farm in Yoxall.

We had 26 Percherons and 18 Shires on the stud as well as other driving breeds.

The draft breeds are a pure pleasure to be around, i was lucky enough to work with them from birth, backing all the way to our sad goodbyes.

I will always remember our two oldies, two shire geldings called Monty & Jasper who were both in their late twenties, always together, shared a large shed as they couldnt be seperated, ate together, worked in harness together and both passed away within 3 days of one another.

Weird thing was the following spring two foals born same day identical to those two and in a nice way i like to think that they came back together....just puts a smile on my face!
 
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