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| Victoria Clayton |
The Shire Horse Society has announced the appointment of Victoria Clayton as its new Secretary.
Victoria, who has been involved in the Shire world for more than 25 years, takes up the reins from 7th November 2016.
A qualified surveyor and agricultural valuer, and a Harper Adams University graduate, she is a keen horse rider who predominantly competes in ridden hunter classes and has enjoyed success at the Horse of the Year Show in the recent past. Victoria’s family has the Westfield Shire Stud, based in Yorkshire.
Victoria said: “I am delighted to accept the role of Secretary at the Shire Horse Society, and I am looking forward to getting started.
“The society has carried out some great work in the past, however, it is key that we look to bring about new initiatives to cement the future of the breed. One of my main aims is to improve the society’s communication with the membership and in doing so we must always strive to continue to promote, protect and preserve the Shire horse breed.”
Victoria has previously been a member of the council at the Shire Horse Society and this year co-ordinated the organisation’s appearance at the first ever BBC Countryfile Live event, gaining significant national TV and newspaper exposure for the society and demonstrating the breed to over 125,000 visitors to the event at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire.
The Shire Horse Society, which is based at Shire Farm, Rockingham Castle on the border of Northamptonshire and Leicestershire, is the only national charity dedicated to the protection, promotion and improvement of the Shire horse. The iconic Shire breed was in danger of dying out just a few decades ago, and even now fewer than 500 new foals are registered every year by the Shire Horse Society.
Its annual national show is the world’s largest gathering of Shires and is believed to be one of the oldest, almost continuous, horse shows in the world, having been held for the first time at the Royal Agricultural Hall in Islington, London, in 1880, when the charity was named the English Cart Horse Society.
Next year it will take place from 17th to 19th March 2017 at Staffordshire Showground in the West Midlands.
Visit www.shire-horse.org.uk for more information.
Press release issued by Nottingham based pr company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk
