A Kintyre woman with a passion for Highland ponies is turning her hobby into a business with help from Argyll and the Islands Enterprise (AIE).

Sue McGuire breeds, rears and breaks-in Highland ponies at her farm at Bellochantuy, near Campbeltown then sells them to other horse lovers across the UK.  However, in a bid to improve the quality of the ponies she produces, Sue needs a purpose-built, all-weather schooling ring where she can train her ponies to the highest standards.

At the moment, Sue uses a field beside her home but it is not always useable due to the typical Scottish weather, which sometimes plays havoc with her training schedule.

AIE has awarded Ms McGuire's business, 'Lagalgarve Highlands' a grant totalling £3,400 to help meet the £9,700 costs of the new facility.  Ms McGuire is also on the HIE-Starts programme - a Network-wide initiative that provides valuable business advice and financial support to help new businesses negotiate the first 12 months of trading, which are often the hardest.  Ms McGuire is on the HIE-Starts programme on a part-time basis and qualifies for assistance totalling £1,500 over 48 weeks.

Commenting on her new project, Sue said: "Turning my hobby into a part-time enterprise is a great way of diversifying the farm business, with the agriculture sector experiencing difficult times.

"The purpose-built schooling ring will not only provide me with an improved facility for training ponies but it will also add to the enjoyment of the disabled children and adults who come to the farm with Riding for the Disabled."

Ken Abernethy, chief executive at AIE said: "At AIE, we are able to assist both full and part-time businesses in a variety of ways.  For 'Lagalgarve Highlands', the business start-up programme coupled with some funding support should mean that Ms McGuire's venture gets off to a good start and we wish her every success."