A charity which promotes and protects one of the nation’s
favourite horse breeds has unveiled a new website to help raise awareness of
the animals.
The Shire Horse Society has updated its website with a fresh
new look and a wealth of information about the horses, which as a breed almost
died out a few decades ago.
The website www.shire-horse.org.uk
features a library of documents, a calendar of events, details of the charity’s
approved centres, an up-to-date news page, as well as a section showcasing horses
for sale and links to the group’s social media feeds.
It also hosts a webshop stocked with Shire horse-related
gifts from jigsaws, cards, and mugs to hooded tops, t-shirts and ties.
“We are using the new website as a platform to raise
awareness of the Shire horse and the work we and our breeders are doing to
protect this wonderful breed,” said Shire
Horse Society secretary David Ralley-Davies.
The charity, which
is based at Rockingham Castle, near Corby, is the only charity dedicated
to the protection, promotion and improvement of the Shire horse. Since
1878 the organisation has been working to protect the breed, which was then known
as the Old English Breed of Cart Horse.
Annually it holds the largest gathering of Shire horses in
the world. The next Shire Horse National Show takes place on March 21 and 22 2015
at Arena UK, near Grantham, Lincolnshire, and is expected to feature 250 Shire
horses from around Europe.
“Shire horses have
had a fascinating history in the UK, and were once used in many trades and in a
range of roles, but when technology advanced, the need for Shire horses fell. Numbers
dropped from well over a million to just a handful by the 1960s and the breed
was in serious trouble. Since then a group of enthusiasts has worked to ensure
that the breed survives,” said David.
“We hope our new
website will play a key role in ensuring that this work continues and thrives.”
For more information visit www.shire-horse.org.uk or follow the
charity on Facebook or Twitter - https://www.facebook.com/shirehorsesociety
and @saveourshires
Press release issued by Nottingham PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk
