HELP could be close at hand for owners of temperamental horses with the visit of an acknowledged expert to an event on the North-East equine calendar.

The British Horse Society (BHS) is staging Voice of the Horse, at Houghall, the agricultural college site on the outskirts of Durham, next month.

Guest for the day is horse behaviourist Richard Maxwell, who is well known in equine circles.

His services are used by owners of race and working horses and show jumpers, as he has the knack of solving the temperamental problems of moody mares, frisky fillies and stubborn sires.

Organiser Pam Ainsworth, of the BHS, said: "Horses have a lot of senses, which humans have a habit of messing up.

"Richard Maxwell deals with horses with big behavioural problems, whether it be an irrational fear of plastic bags, or water, or it may be that they just will not go into their boxes, or they will not walk past pigs or dogs.

"They are put in a stress situation which they cannot cope with and Richard Maxwell is able to address any number of problems you find."

The Voice of the Horse, attended by equine enthusiast the Princess Royal last year, takes place on Sunday, June 22, at Houghall Farm, off the A177 Durham to Shincliffe road.