A pioneering initiative to tackle mental illness and social isolation through the magical powers of horses has come to the North-East for the first time. Peter Barron reports AS the kind-eyed, dapple-grey mare stands perfectly still, Debbie Matthews nuzzles up close, shuts her eyes, and breathes in the tranquility. “Horses saved my life,” she says, quietly, giving Stream Song’s sleek neck a final stroke and walking back across the field. Debbie is a woman on a nationwide mission: to harness the power of horses to help humans overcome mental health problems and tackle social isolation. And her latest visit is to Elwick Stud, an equine oasis, just outside Hartlepool, where blue-blooded thoroughbreds graze contentedly, and wide-eyed foals, destined to one day go racing, get used to their idyllic surroundings.