This weekend sees the largest Shire Horse Show in the world when 200 Shire Horses will be exhibited in the East of England Showground in Peterborough. But many Shire Horse enthusiasts are worried that such events could fade away as the UK shire horse population declines while the rival French heavy horse herd thrives thanks to French Government subsidy.
Warwickshire man Dr Ken Young (has three of his own Shire Horses, soon to be five with foals on the way) will be entertaining the crowds at the Shire Horse Society Spring Show in Peterborough this weekend, says:
"The number of Shire horses being bred in the UK has fallen to dangerous levels.
In order to maintain a healthy gene pool scientists recognize that a minimum of 2000 breeding age females are required. This requires 300 female foals to be added each year in order to replace those that are becoming too old to breed.
Currently the actual number being registered and kept in the UK for breeding is well below 200 per annum. This means that as each year goes by the size of the gene pool shrinks and valuable diversity is lost from the breed for good."
In contrast to this decline in British Shire Horses rival French heavy horse breeds are thriving thanks to state sponsored stud farms as well as a general policy to support small scale farming. French heavy horses are beginning to eclipse the British Shire Horse to such a degree that when the British Heavy Horse Driving team head out to compete in the Route du Poisson this September they will take only two British Shire Horses with them, over half of their 20 heavy horses will be French breeds and many will actually have been bred in France.
Dr Young also says
"With increasing concerns about global warming and attempts to find sustainable transport systems, it seems somewhat ironic that we are at the same time allowing the one sustainable transport system that is proven to disappear.
While none of us would like to go back to a transport system that relied on real horse power it would be foolish to completely lose our Shire Horses or reduce further the valuable genetic diversity we currently have in this most beautiful and best natured of heavy draft horses."
