I first met Shari about 6 months ago. I had been told that she was 'an amazing woman who had an extraordinary talent with horses'. My daughter and I needed someone to help us with Lydia, a 6 year old 16.1 hh thoroughbred cross warmblood mare which we had bought 6 weeks previously. Lydia was showing signs of aggression, rearing, bucking and coming for us with her ears back and kicking out with her hind legs. We were having difficulty catching her and needed advice badly! Neither my daughter nor I are novices when it comes to horses but handled them in the conventional way. She was getting the upper hand.

The past 6 months have been quite extraordinary.

The first time we met Shari in the field with Lydia, she put her hand gently on her neck. She looked at us and said "If I tell her it's all going to be alright, that you won't hurt her or that you will not sell her on, will I be telling the truth? I don't want to tell her anything that you can't see through - are you committed to helping her heal?". We assured her and she talked to Lydia. She told her that we all loved her and that she was there to help. She put her hands all over her body, gently caressing her while she talked. And that's all she did that evening. Over the next few months, she worked with her once or twice a week, playing games and talking. She told us all the dangerous behaviour was through fear - not aggression. We learned a different way of working with horses - a different way of communicating. And the results are phenomenal. The Lydia of today is an entirely different horse to that of 6 months ago. She is sweet, gentle, loving and trusting.

A little while after buying Lydia, we bought another mare, Peggy, 15 hh and 12 years old. We had bought her as a companion to Lydia. Very quickly she started bullying Lydia which then developed into regular biting, leaving scarred skin so just recently we called on Shari again to help, we were a bit bewildered as to how she could help but - she came up to the field where they both were and she talked to Peggy quietly but firmly - and believe it or not, Peggy hasn't bitten Lydia since!!! It's early days yet, but we both feel it has worked.

Shari is one hell of a horse whisperer, one amazing horse therapist - one in a million I'd say. I have never met anyone like her. I keep saying to my daughter "How does this all work?". I don't know how, but it does.

Shari says "You just talk to them - they understand everything"

Ann Fanning, Brockenhurst