Shire Horse Society stages second annual open day at Shire Farm, Rockingham Castle

Twelve months after attracting hundreds of people to its first ever open day, the Shire Horse Society is preparing to throw open its gates once again.

Visitors to this year’s event on 13^th September at Shire Farm, Rockingham Castle, will have the chance to find out more about the gentle giants of the horse world and see them in action.

Featuring demonstrations, the event will celebrate the survival of a breed that nearly died out a century ago, but is still endangered. It will also mark the second anniversary of the opening of the national charity’s headquarters at Rockingham, near Corby, on the Leicestershire/Northamptonshire border.

“Last year’s event was a great success and we were delighted to welcome so many visitors to our headquarters,” said Shire Horse Society secretary David Ralley-Davies.

“We hope that Shire horse lovers will support us again this year. Our event gives us the opportunity to raise awareness about the place the breed has in history and why it is important for us to protect Shires for the future. It also enables us to raise much-needed funds to continue the work of the Shire Horse Society charity.”

The Shire Horse Society 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.

It moved to Rockingham Castle from its previous headquarters at the East of England Showground near Peterborough in 2013.

The event on 13^th September will include drays from Thwaites Brewery and Youngs Brewery, ridden and in-hand displays, and the chance to see Shire horse foals. A meet and greet with Shires will take place at 1.30pm, with a parade scheduled for 3pm. There will also be a bouncy castle, stalls and refreshments.

The event, which runs from 11am to 3pm on Sunday 13^th September, is free to enter for Shire Horse Society members, or costs £5 for adults. Entry is free for children under 12.

All profits go to the Shire Horse Society Charity, which runs the Save Our Shires campaign to protect the breed for years to come.

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 

New website to showcase Shire Horse charity

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