A HARTLEBURY horse dentist has found that her skills are not only in great demand throughout this country but also in Europe.

Philippa Walker, 28, a keen eventing competitor and equine dental technician, recently returned from Portugal after a former client asked for her help.

She was invited to visit the Goleg£ Horse Fair to help educate horse owners about dentistry and to treat horses suffering from teeth problems.

The fair is an annual five-day festival held in Goleg£ and the centre of the town is transformed into a riding ring for demonstrations from local and international riders including dressage, barrel racing and horseball.

Miss Walker said: "They had been desperate to get a dentist over there. I hope that the work that I have done has not only helped the horse but also educated the owners into realising the importance of a healthy horse mouth."

She chose the profession as she was not satisfied with the service her own horses had received, explaining: "I wasn't happy with the dentists that came to treat my horses - I didn't think they were doing a thorough job."

After attending St James's School in Malvern, she spent a year studying in Nebraska in the United States, as there were few places to train, before completing a two-year apprenticeship at a horse sanctuary in Norfolk.

In recent years there has been an increase in training courses throughout the UK.

Miss Walker said: "It has become more popular, as people have more knowledge now. When I started, there were few dentists and only a couple of those were women."

In 2000, she passed the recognised basic and advanced British Equine Veterinary Association examinations.

Based in Hartlebury where she lives with her boyfriend, she visits many clients throughout Worcestershire and is often called out to places further afield, including Monmouth, Oxford and Northern Ireland.

She said the best part of her job was seeing how her work benefited the horses. "I really enjoy doing difficult cases when the horses have serious problems and then watching them improve after I have helped them," she explained.

She also enjoys eventing, which comprises three different disciplines - show jumping, dressage and cross-country - and has participated in competitions including events at Weston Park and Chatsworth.