Rare Shire horse born at family-run farm

By Dean Murray

A farm is celebrating an important milestone after welcoming a rare Shire filly foal this week.

Silver, a Shire mare living at Cannon Hall Farm, had her foal on Monday after a 12‑month pregnancy.

It is an important new arrival for the breed, as decreasing numbers have put them on the at‑risk register. They were once the backbone of British farming.

Last year, just 134 filly foals were born in the UK – which means Silver’s filly is a critical new arrival.

Farmer Robert Nicholson, whose family run the visitor attraction, said: “At one time, Shire horses produced all the horsepower this country needed to function and now we are down to just 134 fillies born each year.

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“When my dad was young, every farm had shire horses, there would be a stallion in every village and the gene pool was like the Atlantic. Now it’s like a puddle.

"The breed has changed hugely in the last 20 years, moving more towards a riding horse, and we absolutely cannot lose this breed for the next generation. They have to be protected for people to enjoy in the future.”

Cannon Hall Farm, which is open to the public, is a member of the Shire Horse Society and has been named one of the few UK‑registered breeding centres, thanks to its diligent efforts to protect the breed.

The farm is now inviting people to suggest names for the new filly – and is making regular updates about her progress on their social media channels.

Shire horses were vital to the UK for centuries because their immense strength made them the primary power behind farming, heavy transport and industry long before machinery replaced them.