A SOUTH Wirral mum is saddling up for a new career as she uses her amazing talent for de-stressing horses to launch a new photography career offering owners and their beloved steeds a glamorous makeover worthy of a glossy magazine.

Equine psychologist Luisa Jones, from Little Neston, has always enjoyed photography but when her husband fell ill, she needed to find an additional income stream - the answer was staring her right in the face in the shape of her own horse Zennah.

The 40-year-old bought the equipment, studied her craft and is now a fully-fledged horse whispering photographer.

Luisa had been fortunate enough to have a photo shoot with Sue Westwood-Ruttledge - founder of Horse Photographer UK - last year and decided it was something she too wanted to do.

The mother-of-one - who has worked with horses and owners with confidence issues for a number of years - decided to join Horse Photographer UK as a franchisee and has never looked back.

She said: “Using my techniques I can relax a horse and get the best poses. It’s a wonderful experience for me and the client.”

Her glamorous Horse Photographer UK outdoor photo shoots involve professional hair, make-up and styling for the owner and horses are prepared as if they were going for a show, with a full body groom and even mane-plaiting.

And the – almost exclusively female – owners often like to be pictured wearing the kinds of elegant outfits more usually associated with a swanky ball than a paddock.

Covering Wirral and North Wales, Luisa’s photo shoots take place in a wide range of locations including beaches, cornfields, woodlands and stables – anywhere that provides a glamorous back-drop.

After a two-hour shoot – during which Luisa takes around 400 pictures – clients are invited to watch a private slideshow of the best 60 images.

They can then choose to buy fine art albums, canvases, wall-mounted and desktop acrylics, box frames, portrait boxes and coffee table books.

Using techniques such as natural horsemanship, Shiatsu and reiki massaging, Luisa can treat a variety of equine behavioural problems, including barging, biting, kicking and aggression.

Wirral Globe:
An example of Luisa's breathtaking work.

She also advises clients on how to develop relationships with their horses based on mutual trust and respect - all of which is invaluable experience for her photography business.

"I've owned my horse Zennah for 19 years and she is still going strong at the grand old age of 23,” said Luisa.

“A 17 hands bay thoroughbred mare, she still enjoys hacking, schooling, doing a bit of dressage and the odd jump.”

Luisa, who started riding at three and regularly takes her four-year-old daughter Ella riding, employs some rather unusual techniques to stop horses getting bored during shoots.

“It’s like working with a toddler,” she said.

Wirral Globe:
Luisa uses a range of techniques to get the perfect shot of her clients and their horses.

“They have a short attention span so you have to keep them focused. I do everything from jumping up and down and stamping in puddles to get the ideal shot of them with their ears pricked forward.

“I have a bucket of food to coax them, the owner can’t have treats because she’ll get mugged and it will all fall to pieces.

Wirral Globe:
An example of Luisa's breathtaking work.

Luisa added: “I also have a nifty little welly-clicking trick which gets their attention. I will do whatever it takes to get that perfect shot and capture a beautiful memory for the client.

“I really couldn’t hope for a better job.”