Shire horses racing…to the brink?

The Express (UK) reports that Shire horse numbers have dropped to an alarming low in their native Britain. While the Shire Horse Society takes steps to preserve the breed, a comment at the bottom of the article caught my eye:

The revelation comes ahead of a shire horse race to be held at Lingfield Park racecourse in Surrey.

On June 15, eight shires will take to the track in Britain’s first professional race over two furlongs.

The Showerking Flying Feathers Maiden Stakes was won by Joey; video here: http://www.lingfieldpark.co.uk/news/racing-shires-to-appear-on-bbcs-the-one-show/

 

You’ve been asking, so here they are

Thumbelina and Radar, the world’s smallest and tallest horses respectively, together at last. Source

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World’s largest horses

World’s smallest horse

Thumbelina on tour UPDATE: more pics!

World’s tallest horse (now on video)

A challenger for the title?

Thumbelina honoured for her charity work

Cooperation

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Too hot? Let’s cool off with a snowball fight

Budweiser’s 9/11 tribute

What is it, exactly…

What is it, exactly… (part II)

Budweiser 2003 Super Bowl

Pic of the day

Teaching kids about horse logging

Jerry Harpole, horse logging contractor, shows kids from Christ the King Academy how horses move logs in and out of the forests through horse logging at the Naval Magazine Indian Island forest in the state of Washington. Horse logging benefits the Navy’s ecosystem by saving the forest from using heavy machinery which causes damage to the environment. Link

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Horses in the Hood

Horse logging

MSU vet students experience draft horse driving

Horse mastery offered to keep kids at school

The long and the short and the tall

A Falabella-cross foal named Arabella has been born at the Shire Horse Centre in Norfolk. Isn’t she cute? Link

Related posts:

All creatures great and small

Getting your heart’s desire–at 82

Hat tip to Marvel for this sweet story: Harry, a nursing home resident in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, was asked by the staff what his “heart’s desire” might be, and was given a chance to take up the reins of a good draft team again! More

A challenger for the title?

Looks like Radar has some competition as the world’s tallest horse. A Shire filly in Tennessee, Jenson Diplomat Tina, stands 19.2h and may still be growing (she’s only three). Link and link I haven’t had any luck finding a picture of her for you but will keep trying!

World’s tallest horse (now on video)

According to the Guinness Book, the current record holder is Priefert’s Radar, a Belgian gelding standing 19.3-1/2 hands (that’s 6’7-1/2″ or just over 2.01m) and weighing 2400 pounds. More on Radar

World’s oldest Suffolk Punch dies

Oh, those wacky Brits and their long-lived horses! (Must be all that beer they drink?) Remus, a rare Suffolk Punch believed to be the oldest of his breed, has died in Stowmarket at the age of 28. Story link Now I’m curious: do drafts tend to live as long as light horses? I can’t say I’ve really given it much thought before.

Related posts:

Horse news in brief, 2006-08-16

Did you know…

Rodney

Britain’s oldest pit pony has died

World’s oldest twin horses?

Pic of the day

Found at Sharon Cobb’s Nashville blog: a dog (look closely!) sitting on the back of a Belgian.

MSU vet students experience draft horse driving

Bas-relief, originally uploaded by danielguip.

Animal Science 141 is more about the warm gloves than the notebooks, more about remembering to bring a hat than a pen.

We’re talking draft-horse driving, and a Michigan State University class last month hitched students with horses in an outdoor laboratory despite the February cold.

The lead teacher is listed as Cara O’Connor, but let’s face it: The head instructor is really Colonel, a 12-year-old Belgian draft horse with hooves the size of pasta bowls.

Colonel was handing out lessons that morning at the MSU Horse Research and Teaching Center, where the windchill hit 9 degrees.

Horse logging

Logging with horses is still practiced in many places; check out this cool story from western Maine. (Then pray for a snow day tomorrow, so I’ll have time to stay home and blog my head off work on lesson plans [what else would I do? Honestly.]).

Budweiser 2003 Super Bowl

This is why I follow soccer instead.

Lee Crafton update

In November I told you about Lee Crafton, who was driving a pair of Suffolk Punches from Montana to Boston. They’ve made it to Minnesota already; story and video.

A new meaning for “equine art”

Hercules at Play

Donors who make a minimum contribution of $50 to the University of Minnesota’s new Equine Center will receive a “Moneigh”–a hoofprint painting by a Belgian gelding named Hercules. Hercules also helps out the Center in other ways: he’s an equine blood donor.

“Hoofprints”