Shire horse
（重定向自Shirehorse）
![A tall black horse with four white legs, standing in harness, with shafts of a cart visible](/Images/godic/202502/10/Shire4158.jpg")
![Shires are one of the largest horse breeds; note comparison to human handler](/Images/godic/202502/10/ShireDraftHorse4158.jpg")
![A pair of Shire horses ploughing](/Images/godic/202502/10/Shire_horses_ploughing4158.jpg")
![A gray Shire employed in forestry](/Images/godic/202502/10/Shire_horse4158.jpg")
The Shire horse is a breed of draught horse (BrE) or draft horse (AmE). The breed comes in many colours, including black, bay and grey. They are a tall breed, with mares standing 16 hands (64 inches, 163 cm) and over and stallions standing 17 hands (68 inches, 173 cm) and over. The breed has an enormous capacity for weight pulling, and Shires have held the world records for both largest overall horse and tallest horse at various times. Throughout its history, the breed has been popular for pulling brewery wagons delivering ale to customers. This practice continues today, with the breed also being used for forestry, leisure and promotional pursuits.