Equestrian Life – January 2015

THE WORLD’S LARGEST GATHERING OF SHIRE HORSES WILL TAKE PLACE ON THE WEEKEND OF MARCH 21ST AND 22ND 2015
The Shire Horse Society’s Annual Show, which attracts horses from across Europe and spectators from around the globe, is being held indoors at Arena UK, near Grantham, in Lincolnshire.

Around 250 Shire horses are expected at the event and it is billed as the best display of Shire horses in the country.

“The Shire Horse Society’s Annual Show is the perfect place to see these magnificent gentle giants of the horse world and find out more about the breed,” said Shire Horse Society secretary David Ralley-Davies.

“It’s the largest event of its kind in the world, and is the chance to celebrate a breed that was once in danger of dying out but is now experiencing a resurgence in popularity, both as a working animal and a riding horse, thanks to a dedicated group of enthusiasts who work hard to ensure that the breed survives.”

As well as the competitions, there will be a range of stands and stalls for visitors to explore.

The show runs from 8am until about 10pm on the Saturday to include the championship in the evening. It will be open from 8am until 4pm on the Sunday. Adult day tickets cost £8 in advance, with under 12s and seniors £6, and are available from https://sales.webticketmanager.com/ShireHS Day tickets will be £10 and £8 on the gate. Free admission to Shire Horse Society members on presentation of their society badge.

Sponsors for the event include botanical brewers Fentimans, Fuller’s Brewery, Young’s Brewery, Boldscan and Fosters Foods.

For more information visit www.shire-horse.org.uk or follow the charity on Facebook or Twitter – https://www.facebook.com/shirehorsesociety and @saveourshires

SIZE IS NOT EVERYTHING…
A fantastic start to the New Year for the eight-year-old black mare, Westhills Cancara. Owned by Mrs Ann Savage since September last year, this talented mare has quickly developed a great partnership with dressage rider and trainer Sarah Payne.

Passionate about her horses, Ann, who has previously ridden on the Great Britain Icelandic Horse Team wanted to turn to dressage, as there was a greater opportunity to compete closer to home, and was delighted to find Westhills Cancara who ticked every box.

Proving that size isn’t everything, measuring only 14.2hh, this lovely mare was bred out of a warmblood mare by a Hackney stallion. While Ann is sidelined from the saddle for the short term, Sarah was delighted to take over the reins and continue with the mare’s education. Making their competitive debut after only a few months together, they secured two tickets to the freestyle to music winter regional championships and posted the highest score of the show with an impressive 78%. Her abundance of expression when she works clearly impressed the judges and Sarah was absolutely delighted with the performances and credits Equivisions for the music and Alice Elliott for helping with the floor plans.

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