A true gentle giant, the Shire is renowned for its docile temperament and strong work ethic. Having a broad forehead and large, prominent and docile eyes, the Shire is one of the smartest and most easy going of the draft horse breeds. When properly trained, a Shire rarely forgets it teaching, even if out to pasture for extended periods, when it is time to work or ride, the Shire will deliver. With today’s busy lifestyles and time constraints, a Shire is the horse to own, it will consistently perform time after time.

The Shire horse was developed in England and traces its history to the days of the Roman Conquest and is one of the oldest of the well-defined draft breeds. The Shire was found in all parts of England, but the counties or shires, of Lincoln, Derby, Cambridge, Norfolk, Nottingham, Leicester and Huntington, were the special homes. These are presently termed as the Midlands. This is where the Shire was developed with feather on their legs, and spats over their feet. The feather and spats helped the water runoff of their legs and feet, while being used to drain the marshes in the Fens of England.

The Shire is known for being a horse of majestic movement; mild mannered in temperament; and of great size: a mature stallion stands 17-18 hands, and have been found up to 19 hands and weighs up to 2,200 pounds. Mares and geldings are slightly less massive.

The Shire is powerful with a muscular build, a dense rounded body, and a broad back, strong loins, powerful hind-quarters, and long legs with dense bones. The head should be long and lean, with a slight convex (Roman) nose. The eyes should be widely spaced, docile in expression and are usually brown. The neck should be long and lean, with an arch. This leads to a short, muscular back, with no dipping or roaching. The shoulders are large and deep and the body has substantial barrel. The legs are long with considerable feather about the feet. It is usually found in bay, brown, black and gray, with white markings on the face and feet, and frequently with all his legs white up to the knees and hocks.

The American Shire Horse Association was founded in 1885, and remains the breed association for the Shire.

In 2009, the American Shire Horse Educational Foundation was formed as a 501 c 3, to be the fundraising and education arm for ASHA.