 The English Great Horse was valued during the reign of Henry VIII , when stallions measuring less than ' fifteen handfuls ' could not be kept , but the increasing role of gunpowder brought an end to the use of heavy horses in battle . Oliver Cromwell 's cavalry favoured lighter , faster mounts and the big horses began to be used for draught work instead . During the 16th century , Dutch engineers brought Friesian horses with them when they came to England to drain the fens , and these horses probably had a significant influence on what became the Shire breed . 
