SCARLET | 3 MONTH OLD SORREL SHIRE FILLY | HERMANN,MO
Scarlet is a 3 month of Shire Filly. She lives at Hermann Farms in Missouri. She was bred by Jenson Shires in Nebraska. This little filly is something incredibly special, she is one of only four known Sorrel Shires registered in the USA.
Scarlet lives at Hermann Farms with a large group of other Shire Horses. The owner of Herman Farms, Mary, is on a mission to help preserve and grow the Shire breed with the help of Jenson Shires in Nebraska. According to the American Shire Horse Association, “The Shire horse traces back to the “English Great Horse”, and the Great Horse in turn to Flemish horses brought to England during the 12th century. These Flemish horses were noted both for their size and for colors and markings similar to what we think of as typical for the Shire. Such horses had been used both on the Continent and in the British Isles as war horses, but as England became a world power whose wars, when they occurred, took place far from the island, the Shire was used more in farming and commercial trade. During the 1800’s, vast quantities of goods were shipped both to and from English ports, and the Shire contributed dramatically to the movement of these goods. At the same time, farming developed a need for strong, docile horses which could work the fields of either the flat marshy “fen” counties or drier Yorkshire and Lancashire. The stockmen of Britain selected the Shire to fill these needs, as well as those of the markets of Liverpool and London.”
I was originally contacted by Joan she shared with me that the Shire Horse breed is critically endangered, I found an article from May of 2016 that stated there were fewer than 1,500 worldwide (this is less than endangered Pandas, there are believed to be around 1,800 Pandas worldwide). More recently Prince Charles has begun to call for the protection of these endangered horses. Currently the last working herd of Shire Horses in London is being preserved by Operation Centaur.
Scarlet is out of one of the maiden mares at Hermann Farms. Each year the farm sends their breeding mares to Nebraska to foal out, when this gorgeous filly was born everyone was in total awe of her unique sorrel color. When she first arrived at Hermann Farms it was love at first sight. I can guarantee that this Feisty girl is going to be the center of attention for each and every visitor of the farm with her striking color.
Scarlet is quite the trouble maker, she has been known to take the keys from the tractor and run off with the key lariat. She can be a bit of a trouble maker, but she is special and knows it, so she tends to get away with it!
If you are interested in seeing this once in a lifetime Sorrel Shire Horse, you can visit Scarlet and all of the other Shire Horses at Hermann Farm & Museum in Hermann, MO.
