The Clydesdale has evolved over the last 150 years. It can be found in many places throughout the world as far away as Germany, the USSR, Japan, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, as well as the USA and Canada. It is possibly the most successful of heavy breeds. In the eighteenth century Flemish Horses were imported to the Clyde Valley in Lanarkshire and was the foundation of the Clydesdales. There is also a mention of a definite Shire influence. Of the draft horses the Clydesdale is the best mover having very quick paces. The Clydesdale is less massively proportioned than the Shire. In 1877 the Clydesdale Horse Society was established. The next year the American Clydesdale Society was formed and the breed was brought to the USA and Canada.