Meet the cats who are purr-fecting their skills in the saddle

Leo and Alfie

‘This picture of Leo and his friend Alfie the cat was taken at the fabulous Little London Liveries and Alfie belongs to the yard owner Helen Barrett. Alfie and his brother Spencer love meeting and chatting to all the horses and hitching a ride when possible.’ — Tabby Kerwin

Pumpkin and Socks

‘This is Pumpkin — our new riding school pony. We have only owned him for two weeks and Socks our yard cat loves him. He's definitely bombproof!’ — Laura Prior

Millie and Romeo

‘We have a very characterful yard cat called Romeo who happened to jump onto Millie’s back from the mounting block. I then started my ride expecting him to jump off and he stayed on her back as we ambled down the track for about 5 minutes. Millie is such a chilled pony who takes everything in her stride.’ — Katy Lysley

Stryder and Chunky Monkey

‘This is the yard cat Chunky Monkey riding my horse Stryder one cold night. As I was skipping out Stryder’s bed Chunky just climbed on board via the stable door and it became the normal thing for them to do on a chilly night!’ — Jane Kitto

Mickey and Merlin

‘Here's a picture of my cat Merlin, AKA Chief Plaiting Supervisor, making sure Mickey's plaits were suitable for hunting. He's never happier than when he's helping with the horses and has learnt to sit on their back so he's out of the way of feet and doesn't get trodden on.’ — Georgina Ridal

Casper and Crunchie

‘Here is Crunchie the cat hitching a ride on his new friend and addition to the family Casper.’ — Christine Bull

Ernie and Elmo

‘Here is our cat Elmo who adores my horse Ernie. Since he was a kitten he has been making himself at home on Ernie's back. It used to scare me at first in case he fell or freaked out Ernie. But he can jump from the stable wall onto Ernie's hindquarters and Ernie doesn't bat an eyelid.’ — Liz Fenton

Penny and Theo

‘I would like to introduce Theo my four-month-old kitten and Penny my pony. They seem to have a budding friendship!’ Ashley Anderson

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