Wild horses under warden's spell

Lucy Hamblett says she could never imagine doing a routine job

Catching wild horses for a living sounds like a pastime more suited to the wild west, but for Lucy Hamblett it is a key part of her job in urban Cardiff.

Ms Hamblett, 29, was taken on as a horse warden by Cardiff council, rounding up wild or stray horses whenever they cause problems, and looking after their welfare.

Her role has proved so successful she now deals with inquiries from other councils needing advice about horse issues.

Wild horses have caused problems in Cardiff for many years, with incidents including schoolchildren being chased along streets and damage being caused to cars and property.

I love horses and being able to help them on a daily basis was too good an opportunity to turn down Lucy Hamblett

In 2004, it was reported that a woman had to throw herself and two children into a hedge when 15 horses bolted towards her after being scared by a motorbike.

The following year, shoppers at a 24-hour supermarket in Pengam Green were left shocked when a Shetland pony walked into the store and began wandering the aisles.

Then in 2006 a runaway horse galloped down Westgate Street in the city centre, next to the Millennium Stadium, dodging between cars before getting away.

With incidents such as these, it is fortunate that Ms Hamblett could never imagine doing a routine job in an office.

She was working as a farrier when she saw the warden's job advertised in Horse and Hound magazine and thought it was just the challenge she needed.

'Particularly stubborn'

"I love horses and being able to help them on a daily basis was too good an opportunity to turn down," she said.

"No one day is the same in my job and it's an honour to be Cardiff's and indeed Wales' first horse warden."

This horse was pictured near the Millennium Stadium in 2006

The work is varied and she admits it is "one of the best and one of the worst jobs" she has had.

"When you get a result and the horse is taken out of the situation it's in, there's nothing better," she said.

"But some of the welfare cases have been quite difficult to stomach."

She uses "natural horsemanship" techniques to control the animals, including "reading horse signals", and making sure it does not get stressed.

If all else fails, she turns not to sugar lumps, but to bread.

"I don't know why, but the horses always seem to respond well to bread. If one horse is particularly stubborn the bread always manages to bring them round," she said.

Once the horses are caught, she will help return them to their owners or rehome them.

She has certainly made her mark on the job and is now contacted by other councils for advice.

"I have worked with neighbouring councils on how to tackle the problem of wild/stray horses and recently Manchester council has been in touch for advice," she said.

"It's very satisfying to know that the work I am doing in Cardiff is being seen as a benchmark for how other towns and cities should tackle the issue."

She said the number of horse-related incidents reported to the non-emergency 101 line halved within three months.

Cardiff council executive member Judith Woodman, said: "Wild/stray horses can be a danger to Cardiff residents so to have a dedicated person tackling the issue is fantastic."

Anyone wishing to report incidents relating to horses in Cardiff can call the 101 non-emergency service.