Why this site

With the phenomenal growth of the internet and the launch of many general horse sites, it was apparent that there was an opportunity to design a dedicated Shetland portal.  We researched directly with like-minded breeders, and they said they wanted to create an on-line, dedicated Shetland community where members could:

• freely voice their opinions
• share concerns
• exchange informatio
• celebrate successes
• communicate with like minded people and share the joy of Shetland ponies •and have some fun!

Our aims

We set out to create a site that gave Shetland breeders and enthusiasts a medium to facilitate the promotion of the Shetland breed both within the existing Shetland community and also reach a wider audience.

The service was designed to be totally transparent and unbiased as all of the content was to be provided directly by its users.  We simply provided the templates, and allow members to input their views and stories as it is YOUR website, generated by YOU.

It started out as a simple free on-line Shetland pony breeders directory, for the UK, which soon expanded to be a truly world-wide reference point for anyone involved with Shetland ponies.

The site has (and continues to) evolve and grow to encompass new features that users have requested which provide tangible benefits to members including forums, event calendars, photo galleries and news pages to name but a few.

Many new relationships have grown within this community, with members saying it has become an integral part of everyday life, with some logging on several times a day to catch up on news and information.

How it has developed

We registered ShetlandPonyWeb.net in January 2005, and shortly after, it became apparent that the site had grown so much, that it was difficult to administer, so we invested in new software which was more user-friendly, feature rich and enabled easy expansion.  In June 2005, we launched ShetlandPonyWeb.com, and have seen phenomenal growth in traffic from visitors around the world who enjoy the benefits of the site and its truly interactive properties.

Within 3 months of the new site, we ranked on the first pages of MSN and Yahoo search engines – no mean feat, and within 6 months ranked on the first page of Google.

How can you be involved?

As a ‘guest’, you are able to view a variety of information and Forum topics.  However, to enjoy all the sites facilities including posting replies to topics and gaining access to a host of other headings and enhanced features, simply register for FREE.

All of our web links are FREE OF CHARGE to those people who are involved with Shetland ponies  - be it a stud or supplier of products & services that could benefit our users.

If you do not currently have a website of your own, ShetlandPonyWeb offer a range of easy options to cater for the personal needs and requirements of all breeders, and offer a number of choices as follows:

1. A free line listing of your stud name, address & contact details plus a description of the type of ponies you breed.
2. A page within our website for your stud including photographs, logos and text regarding your stud (including contact details) for £50 per year, including one update.
3. A full website including domain name registration of your stud name (which belongs to you).  Here, we can design a bespoke site containing multiple pages of your choosing eg: stallions, mares, youngstock, show results etc.  You are also able to have a “contact us” form and dedicated email set up for you (eg: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ).  With a full website, you are able to link to whomever you wish (usually free of charge), and it enables you to have complete control of the content plus protects your stud name registration. For more details about what owning your own website actually involves, please click here.

We hope that you enjoy the site, and are always looking to continually improve and develop new services to our users  - so please let us know if there is anything else you would like to see.

David & Amanda Bowen

www.shetlandponyweb.com