Marsha Giles loves nothing more than looking after her chestnut horse, Bert.
But at 17st 1lb and a size 24, the 40-year-old stopped riding her beloved steed because she feared she was too heavy for him to carry.
Feeling envious of friends competing in show jumping competitions, the mum-of-two embarked on a weight loss mission.
And after losing seven stone and dropping six dress sizes, the animal lover has recently achieved her dream of competing in dressage.
Giles believes poor diet was to blame for her weight problems in the past.
"I loved bread, it was my downfall. I would think nothing of gorging on pasties, cakes and treats every single day. We would eat around three takeaways a week out of convenience more than anything else, looking back I must have spent a fortune," she said, according to the MailOnline.
At her heaviest, Giles used to feel exhausted after playing with her two children and began to struggle with Bert's basic care.
"I struggled to get on to him and have the energy to go out with him properly on long journeys through the countryside, I was bursting out of my size 24 jodhpurs," she said.
Marsha Giles riding three years ago
Determined to change her lifestyle, Giles created a strict diet plan for herself.
She swapped takeaways for healthier alternatives such as home made burgers and has gone from a size 26 and 17st 1lb, to a size 10-12, weighing 10 stone.
Marsha Giles on a recent ride with Bert
Giles is now a regular attendee at her local gym and has even signed up to complete the next Great North Run.
She recently took part in her first dressage competition with Bert and has said losing weight is the "best thing [she's] ever done".
She added: "Bert is also a lot happier with his work I am now making him do. He loves being put through his paces now he's thriving and is fitter then he has been for a long time."
