A NORTH Herefordshire businesswoman has scooped an award for her invention which helps people to mount their horses safely.

Debbie Boston, whose business The Mounting Mate is based at Middleton-on-the-Hill, has received a Small Business Award from Nick Brown, business expert on Radio 2's The Jeremy Vine Show.

Ms Boston, who came up with the idea for the product a year ago, won the award after impressing Mr Brown who broadcasts his tips and advice for business owners on the show.

She said: "It's a fabulous accolade and I am very proud. It's not easy inventing a product from scratch and taking it to market on a shoestring budget, but that's exactly what I’ve done and I hope this award will help me gain further publicity.”

The Mounting Mate converts a horse trailer ramp into a sturdy, level mounting platform and is designed to provide riders with an easier, safer and less labour-intensive means of mounting their horse.

It consists of two galvanised steel sprung legs and each leg is equipped with a foot to prevent sinking in soft ground.

"I have been around horses all my life and over the years I’ve watched people trying to mount their horses from some pretty scary places. It got me thinking that there must be a better and safer way for riders to mount their horses and that’s when the Mounting Mate was born,” she said.

"I worked on the actual design with J&D Engineering Ltd, based in Hereford to arrive at the final ‘road-tested’ result we have right now."

The other benefit of Mounting Mate is that it significantly reduces the time and effort required to lift mounting aids in and out of the trailer or car and doesn’t take up valuable space.

“Riders can now confidently mount their horse from a safe and secure place with peace of mind, plus my invention is British made too – and that’s got to be a good thing,” Ms Boston added.