Giant that went to war

The shire is the largest of England’s native horses at 16-18 hands (5ft 4in to 6ft).

It is in the heavy horse category alongside the Clydesdale, Suffolk, Percheron and Ardennes.

In the 18th and 19th centuries there were more than a million shire horses in Britain, the main source of power in agriculture.

In the First World War the animals were sent to the front to pull heavy artillery. Thousands were killed.

Mechanisation hastened their decline. In 2016 it was estimated that there were only 1,500 worldwide.