MERCURY

Weighing in at 860kg and holding the rank of major, this “gentle giant” drum horse is a professional on parade with the Household Cavalry

- MARTHA TERRY

HEAD AND COLOUR

“Mercury looks like he has a kind and gentle eye, with ears that are alert and sensitive,” says Lucy Blakey, who runs Ruskington Shire Stud with her father Nigel. “He has a Roman nose which is a typical trait of the Shire.

“As he is a roan, he would not be approved as a stallion – this colouring is not common for the breed,” adds Lucy, whose stud bred the late premium stallion Ruskington Hartley.

SHOULDERS TO QUARTERS

“Mercury has a nice short and muscular back, giving him strength” Lucy says. “Shires were designed and bred for pulling – for example carts for the breweries, towing barges along the canal, pulling wagons, as well as farming work.

“His shoulder slopes nicely so a collar would sit well, while his strong hindquarters would give him plenty of power to push into the collar,” Lucy explains. “I can see that Mercury is nice and deep in the body, implying his chest should be broad so that he has plenty of heart room.”

GENERAL IMPRESSION

“Overall, Mercury is ‘put together right’ and ‘well set’, as you may hear some judges say,” explains Lucy.