Former supermodel gave me horse for £1

A TEENAGE girl with Asperger’s syndrome has been given a horse by former supermodel Jerry Hall.

Ellie Peters, 19, fell in love with Henry, a 12-year-old grey gelding, after helping to look after him at Cane End Stud, which is run by her mother Sarah.

The horse needed somewhere to stay while stables were being built at Hall’s £11million home in Binfield Heath which she shares with her husband, media mogul Rupert Murdoch.

But then Henry, a former eventing horse, was found to have a back problem and might have to be put to sleep. When Hall, a 64-year-old Texan, found out that Ellie wanted to keep him, she agreed in return for a nominal fee of £1 to make it legal.

Now Henry, who used to compete as Langaller Libel, will spend his retirement days at the stud at Cane End, which is on the A4074 between Caversham and Woodcote.

Miss Peters said her daughter burst into tears when she found out and called the gesture "wonderful".

"When Ellie rides him she just smiles all the time," she said. "He’s kind of like a member of the family."

Miss Peters was asked first to take Henry for livery in March as Hall planned to give him as a wedding present to Anouk Winzenried, who is engaged to Gabriel, her son by Mick Jagger. The wedding was due to take place at Holmwood, an 18th-century Georgian mansion and estate off Shiplake Row which the Murdochs bought last year, but the ceremony is thought to have been postponed due to the coronavirus.

Soon afterwards a vet discovered that Henry had a small area in his back where his vertebrae had fused, a condition known as "kissing spine".

This meant no more eventing was possible but he could still be ridden with care.

Miss Peters spoke to Karen Colognese, personal assistant to the Murdochs, and explained the situation, saying they could choose to retire Henry or have him put to sleep.

She suggested the first option and the Murdochs agreed. By this time, Ellie was helping to look after Henry and the pair were growing closer. Miss Peters said: "Ellie had started taking him apples from the kitchen.

"I asked if it would be okay for her to ride him and keep him going and she fell in love with him."

She said Hall had a friend who owned a livery yard and wanted Henry to go there but changed her mind when she learned about his bond with Ellie.

Miss Peters said: "I said, ‘Ellie really likes him’ and we would look after him if Jerry would reconsider. He’d have a home for life and be loved.

"Karen said ‘I’ll try my best, I know how important bonds are’." Hall agreed to gift the horse, which is quite a common practice and is made legal with a minimum payment of £1.

Miss Peters said: "Karen drew up the contracts and we sent our £1 and that’s how we got Henry. When I told Ellie she burst into tears. She has an affinity with animals rather than humans.

"It was overwhelming that somebody could be that kind. Ellie wrote Jerry a ‘thank-you’ card and sent it with the contract.

"It was an immense act of kindness, not only the people you’re doing it for but also the horse.

"Now Ellie rides him two or three times a week and we’re just building him up again to full fitness to see how he copes. If he becomes uncomfortable at all we’ll have him medicated. The vet doesn’t think there’s any problems."

Ellie, who has been riding since she was about two and competing since she was eight, did have two other horses, Lizzie and Foaly, but both passed away.

She also has a pony called George but he is 20 and near retirement. Miss Peters said: "We didn’t have enough to buy her another one. We had kind of given up.

"Lizzie was adorable, very cuddly and friendly and Henry’s just like her. He’s so loving, he’s like a big dog. If you stand there he’ll lick your arm for ages."

Henry, who is 16.2 hands high, is descended from a racehorse called Kuwait Beach, who was ranked third by the World Breeding Federation. Kuwait Beach also sired Sleep Late, who won a silver medal with Ingrid Klimke’s horse in the three-day event competition at the Sydney Olympics in 2000.

Henry’s mother, Catherston Liberator, is also top pedigree.

Miss Peters thanked the Murdochs and Ms Colognese.

She said: "I think it was all a bit of fate where things fell into place. Their generosity is amazing. To give the horse after such a very short time to a teenager to make her life better and for the horse to have a lovely home for the rest of his life is wonderful.

"Just a big thank-you to them — what amazing people. Henry will stay with us until he’s an old man and he passes away."