My Passion with Janet Simpson: ‘Chill-out zone’ that eases the stress of living life at a gallop

I GREW up in Rotherham, where horses were beyond my scope so I can’t say that I was one of those children who desperately wanted to ride or always dreamed of having a pony.

My aunt and uncle did, however, buy a pony-trekking farm in Wales when I was in my teens, and that was my first introduction to horses.

I never had any formal lessons – I couldn’t afford them – but I would just get on and have a go riding out on the moors with my uncle and sister.

My passion for horses really developed when I was around 30. I went on holiday to Kenya with a friend and we decided to go for a ride.

I had recently moved up in the hills near Penistone, outside Sheffield, where it seemed that nearly everyone had a horse.

I started having lessons and then I did a week’s trail riding in Spain with a friend, riding every day for a week on really long treks, and I thought that if I could ride every day there I could surely manage a horse at home, and so what was a once-a-week hobby became a passion.

My horse is called Paddy. He’s a 16 hands bay thoroughbred and I keep him at stables near my home.

I don’t do competitions – my husband made me promise that I would still find time for him.

Paddy’s what I call my chill-out zone. Some people go to the pub but I like to go out with my horse and my dog, which is the perfect way to escape all the stresses of working life.

I try to ride six days out of every seven, which means that in the summer I am at my desk in Sheffield city centre by 7.30am so I can try to leave by 4.30 in the afternoon, giving me time to ride in the evening.

I love to ride in Wharncliffe Woods near the stables. You can go out for three hours without going near a road and there’s a great sense of peace and tranquillity. We also do some dressage training in the ménage at the stables, which helps keep Paddy supple.

There’s a great sense of community at the stables. If I was ever alone it’s the place I could go to and know I would find friends.

In the winter I go to the stables before work – even in the darkest part of January I ride to ensure Paddy is exercised and stays fit.

There’s also, of course, the thrill of the speed when you are cantering or galloping and the exhilaration of being out in the countryside. I think my love of open spaces comes from the fact that I am a country girl at heart but happened to be born in the town and couldn’t wait to get out.

And then there’s the special relationship you develop with your horse. You have to be aware that you are dealing with a living being that is much stronger than you are and you have to develop the skill to control the animal.

Fortunately, he doesn’t appreciate how big he really is.