Description
Our great horses of Britain; In the 1920s, there were over two million heavy horses in Britain, but by the late 1950s, they had dwindled to hardly more than two thousand. in fact, many people thought they had died out altogether. Today, the heavy horses are on the increase again, and though the figures remain in the low thousands, the signs continue, hopefully.
The disappearance of the Great Horses of Britain was one of several misconceptions that many people held. A lot of people still equate the term with Shire horses, when in fact, there are four heavy horse breeds. Some people think them an ancient breed that ran wild in our forests and startled the early invaders from the mainland with their size and strength. This was never the case. The Great Horses appeared comparatively late in this island and are a tribute to our skill as breeders rather than as products of our native soil.
The Great horse itself does at least deserve its descriptive title. It is a very big animal, sometimes six feet high as the withers and weighing over a ton. It is immensely strong and yet as gentle as a lamb. It is not surprising that myths have grown up around it, many persisting to the day.
In this book, the author has taken nothing for granted. Early reports have been re-examined and compared; original sources have been consulted wherever possible. He has also talked to breeders and users in many different parts of the country. The modern management of heavy horses is also covered.
The result is a presentation of the Great Horse in terms of its real and sometimes unexpected history and its place in the modern world. It covers its breeding, feeding, health, and welfare and the range of services it offered and still offers to man. It deals with the Show Horse, bred in a strict ideal or standard of points, the Work Horse, and the skill required of man in this age-old partnership, and it examines the real story of the Warehouse.
Product details
- Condition: New but listed as Used – dust jacket has some discoloration due to age.
- Hardcover: 269 pages with dust jacket
- Publisher: Saiga Publishing Ltd, 1st edition (1978)
- Language: English
- Illustrations: B&W photos
- ISBN-10: 0904558347
- ISBN-13: 978-0904558340
- Product Dimensions: 26 x 20.1 x 3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 1.2 kg
Contents:
1. Introduction 2. Acknowledgements 3. Part One – the Breeds |
4. Part Two – the Workhorse 5. Part Three – the Showhorse 6. Part Four – Some Historical Aspects |
Bibliography Appendix Index |
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