Lifetime horse lover Jo Sharpe and her partner John McDonald are opening a livery near Malmesbury to bring the riding experience to a wider audience.

The couple have worked tirelessly over the past six months to open Rein and Shine in August.

They met while working for a transport logistics company three years ago. When they were made redundant they decided to combine Miss Sharpe’s passion for horses with Mr McDonald’s business skills.

The centre will have refreshment facilities, which they hope will draw in people.

Mr McDonald, 52, said: “She’s the horsey one and I follow her around to events. As a spectator I’ve found there was nothing for me to do except stand in the rain and cold waiting to go home.

“It’s like at a garden centre – people light up when they get to the cafe for a cup of tea and cake. We want to go away from being a stuffy equestrian centre.”

Rein and Shine has been built on former dairy farm Buryhill Farm, Minety, and has stables, a riding school and seasonal grass-jumping field.

Miss Sharpe, 32, is keen to emphasise that riding should be available for everyone. Her vision from the start was to make the sport more accessible.

She and Mr McDonald have worked with the British Horse Society and Sport England to ensure the facilities provide high standards of horse welfare, are safe and provide a development program for riders.

Rein and Shine at the new Buryhill Farm opens on August 4, with a launch day on August 10 for members of the public to visit.