When 23-year-old Amy Richards left her job at a trekking centre in the Brecon Beacons she could not bear to leave behind the horse which she had ridden daily for many months, so she purchased him and took him with her when she returned to Hereford in 2017. She then took him with her when she returned for a further season in 2018.

Amy told the Ross Gazette: “I have been around horses all my life, my mother loves horses, she once worked a racing yard and always rode for pleasure. I was put on a pony when I was very young and I was never worried or frighted by them.”

An accident Amy suffered shattered her confidence, she was knocked out and the horse was badly injured too. Amy was recovering when she was offered what had been her dream job at a trekking centre.

She met Gus, a 14.2 hands Welsh Cob with a beautiful white blaze, and found him to be an incredibly sensitive horse and he rebuilt her confidence so that now she can ride any horse.

Amy told the Gazette that he is a joy to be with, she said: “It doesn’t matter what kind of day I have had, when I get to the stables and see his face, I feel happy, I just cannot imagine not having him.”

However, Amy is the first to admit owning a horse does have a downside, not least the cost, and of course there is the commitment. She has to turn out twice a day to clean and exercise Gus, First thing in the morning before a day’s work at the Ross Gazette, then again after work. She said owning a horse may not be for everyone, it is expensive and a commitment of time and energy, but just being with horses will always put you in a better mood, and that is priceless.See the full story in this week’s edition of the Ross Gazette, or subscribe to our online edition here