Politicians galloped to the aid of Haworth Riding for the Disabled when it feared losing one of its horses.

Keighley Area Committee members took a flutter on helping the group buy 11-year-old bay gelding Chief.

Committee chairman Cllr Andrew Mallinson was saddled with the task of handing over £350 towards the £900 cost of securing the animal.

Jackie Butterfield, organiser of Haworth Riding for the Disabled, said she was overwhelmed to receive the grant from the committee's Community Chest.

Chief had been a long-term loan to the group for the past two years, but the owner had decided to sell, giving the group first refusal.

The purchase was also supported by group member Thomas Jagger, who donated £300 he had received for his 18th birthday. Jackie said Chief, along with four other horses at the group's stable in Vale Mill Lane, was well-used by the group's 42 adults and child members.

She said: "Chief has a super temperament. Our horses have to be very kind and patient. We treat them as members of the family."

Jackie said the group was always looking for new volunteers to join its 30-strong team. Anyone interested should phone her on 01535 644375.

The Community Chest is the area committee's fund for small grants for local sporting, leisure, educational and cultural activities.

Cllr Mallinson believes Chief is the first animal to be funded by the committee, apart from a mock Chinese lion used in last weekend's St George's Day celebrations. He could not comment on whether Chief would be invited to the committee's neigh-bourhood forums.