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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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carthorses
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Exceptionally strong horses were bred in the Middle Ages to carry heavily armoured knights into battle. The descendants of these horses were later adapted to the more mundane task of dragging ploughs or heavy carts. In Britain three local varieties, all established by the 18C, proved particularly successful.
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The Clydesdale was bred near Lanark, in the valley of the Clyde; its colour ranges from bay to black, invariably with white markings. The Suffolk, bred in that county and also known as the Suffolk Punch, is somewhat smaller and invariably chestnut in colour; all registered Suffolks descend from 'Crisp's Horse', foaled in 1768. The shire or shire horse (bred in the *Shires) is the largest of the three; with colour again ranging from bay to black, its white markings are limited to its lower legs. Both the Clydesdale and the shire are characterized by 'feathers' (long hair) falling over the hooves.
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