A DUO of Shetland ponies won the hearts of residents of an Allithwaite care home during a specially arranged visit this week.

The animals, named Boot and Mo, were brought by Hillview Equine to the Old Vicarage Care Home, and the move proved a wonderful occasion for all concerned.

"Everything went really well," said care home owner Kamal Siddiqi.

"The residents loved feeding the ponies and stroking them and hearing their stories.

"They spent some time learning about the horses and it was a really nice event."

The tiny ponies have their own heartwarming story as they are both 'rescue animals,' who were previously seized by the RSPCA from their previous owners due to concerns over their well being.

Boot and Mo and two other ponies have all been taken in by Hillview Equine, whose director Lynsey Swales began the venture in April at her base on Teesside.

She said the aim of the not-for-profit venture is to use interaction with the ponies as a form of therapy.

"I was in the North Yorkshire police force for 18 years, and I'm a trained riding instructor and a trained counsellor, I thought this would be a way of combining those two skills," said Ms Swales.

Mr Siddiqi became aware of the Hillview group via social media and the ponies were led into the care home where they spent what proved to be a happy and rewarding time with the residents.

"They all enjoyed it and even one of the residents who was nervous at first and who said she was frightened of horses gradually grew in confidence and ended up having a great time," said Ms Swales.