Book excerpt: The Shire Horse Stud Book is a registry of shire horses, a draft horse breed that originated in England. The registry was established in 1878 by the Shire Horse Society, a breeders' association that was founded in 1876. The Stud Book contains the pedigree and breeding history of registered shire horses. It is an important resource for breeders, buyers, and enthusiasts of shire horses. The Shire Horse Stud Book is an interesting historical document that sheds light on the history of horse breeding and the development of the shire horse breed. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.