 In 1878 , the English Cart Horse Society was formed , and in 1884 changed its name to the Shire Horse Society . The Society published a stud book , with the first edition in 1878 containing 2 @,@ 381 stallions and records dating back to 1770 . Between 1901 and 1914 , 5 @,@ 000 Shires were registered each year with the British registry . The first Shires were imported to the United States in 1853 , with large numbers of horses being imported in the 1880s . The American Shire Horse Association was established in 1885 to register and promote the breed . The Shire soon became popular in the United States , and almost 4 @,@ 000 Shires were imported between 1900 and 1918 . Approximately 6 @,@ 700 Shires were registered with the US registry between 1909 and 1911 . Around the time of World War II , increasing mechanization and strict regulations on the purchase of livestock feed reduced the need for and ability to keep draft horses . Thousands of Shires were slaughtered and several large breeding studs closed . The breed fell to its lowest point in the 1950s and 1960s , and in 1955 fewer than 100 horses were shown at the annual British Spring Show . 
