SIZE IN SHIRE HORSES.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2005, 12 March 1914, Page 8

SIZE IN SHIRE HORSES.

POINTS FOR JUDGES. In judging Shires -to-day there is a tendency on tho part of a few experts to place a big, overgrown candidate in front of a smaller but moro correct type of Shire, although the latter has the weightiest set of limbs (says an English farm journal). Henco the question may be asked whether tho eall'for size can bo followed with, safety ? Mero sizo or height is not always indicative of true Shire character, especially if it is obtained at tho-expenso of feet and-legs.- It is! certainly more difficult to find a horse standing 17£ hands an • proportionate as one 2in. or 3in. lower, and when it comes to actual shaft work tho tall animal is tho first to show' signs of wear. Of lato years a considbrablo addition to tlio length of show animals has been noticeable, put-whether this is'an unmixed blessing is a debatablo point. In any case it is a. departure from tho type- of the Old English cart. horse of. Bakewell's dayi His .idea of,a cart'.hbrso Avas that ho should bo "thick arid' short bodied, with very short legs,"' while ho favoured a short neck also, as he'maintained that "his ears ought to stand perpendicularly over, his foro feet."

At many shows of lato years some horses havo found favour that havo been decidedly leggy, with such length of body as to make thorn look shallow at the flank and short in tho rib, which is not quito tho typo to propagato, as that .they, cannot stand tho strain when backing a load like thoso of tho strong-loinc'd and muscular type. There-' foro it may be asked whether tho back and loin should not be takon more into consideration when judging as well as tho "feet,- points, and feather," notwithstanding that it is said "tho top can change, tho bottoms never." If tho top changes, or appears to change, it is through boing loaded up with fat, which hides a lot of defects, and that of a slack loin in particular. A shortribbed ,and. shallow colt grows into a jiorso with tho same defects, but they aro less obvious in a fat than a lean animal.

' By paying moro attention to the top it is not suggested that tho bottoms should be neglected or that palpable detects in feet, joints, or limbs should

bo passed over. As regards the feet of Shiro horses tliey get hotter eacli year, this being to a great extent duo to tlio fact that the feet of colts are not neglected till tho animal is worked a:> thoy were in bygone days. Thero is a noticeable, defect in tho forelegs of many Shires, even high-class show .horses (and it appears to bo on the increase); this is, that tho cannon bono recedes below tho knee instead of being straight from tho knee to tho front of tho fetlock joint. This gives many an otherwise good animal a common appearance when taking a hroadsklo view of tho forelegs; more-over, this typo of foreleg is not the best possible . for a swinging stride and good kneo action. Ono also notices hind legs which' leavo something to be desired in angle when standing, and leverage when in motion; so that the placing for prizes is often a matter of balancing the strong and weak points of tho candidates.