BBC journalist from Blackburn gets Britain's first guide horse

Mr Patel didn’t grow up around dogs, so, when an incident occurred when he was nine years old involving a dog jumping out at him, it ended up with him running into the road.

As his sight deteriorated at around 15, Mr Patel, who is from Blackburn, decided it was time to explore assistance options.

He attempted to spend time with friends who had guide dogs, but he couldn’t bring himself to get close enough, due to his lifelong fear.

Mr Patel had resigned himself to the fact that he was going to spend his life completely dependent on other people until years later when he was made aware of a documentary on TV, about guide horses in the US.

He was familiar with horses after spending time with the animals on family trips to India and so he set about contacting various UK organisations, to see if this could be a possibility for him.

Mr Patel was turned down, and this set him back on his journey, until he learned of an article on the BBC about therapy horses and as he works at the BBC, was able to track down the trainer’s details.

The trainer in question was Katy Smith, a former carer who had been injured in a riding accident and so turned her hand to training therapy and was responsible for bringing Digby the miniature horse over from the US where he had been bred from other miniature assistance horses.

Katy agreed to train up Digby for Mr Patel, with the hope of him becoming the UK’s first assistance guide horse.

A year down the line into the training, Katy has now trained Digby to climb and descend stairs, press the button at a pelican crossing, open a train door, find a post box and lie down in a social setting.

Mohammed Salim Patel, Digby the guide horse and trainer Katy Smith

The full training programme is set to take up to another two years to complete, but eventually, Katy anticipates that Salim will be able to become fully dependent on Digby, who will live in a stable in Mr Patel’s garden.

Mr Patel said: “Digby will enable me to have a level of independence that I haven’t ever had before. He will accompany me everywhere and it means I won’t have to rely on other people – he will change my life and we’ll go wherever we like, whenever we like.”

And the intense unique training Digby is undergoing has earned him a place in the finals of the Hero Pet category as global hearing specialist Amplifon searches for unsung heroes who represent the ‘Best of British’.

The awards are in their third year and celebrate remarkable people and pets and the winners will be judged by a panel including Falklands war hero Simon Weston.

Mr Patel and Digby have been invited to attend The Amplifon Awards for Brave Britons finals luncheon at the Army and Navy Club, in Pall Mall, London, on October 16, when Falklands War hero Simon Weston will present the awards.

Set up in honour of Amplifon’s founder, Second World War Hero Major Charles Holland, the awards recognise courage and achievement in the categories of Active Ager, Charity Champion, Service to their Country, Young Hero and Against All Odds. Animals who have transformed the lives of their owners are honoured in the Hero Pet category.

Charles Holland was awarded both the MBE and the Military Cross and received the Bronze Star from the United States Government in 1948 for his bravery behind enemy lines during the Second World War.

After the war, the courageous veteran dedicated his life to providing better hearing for people affected by the conflict and in 1950 launched Amplifon, which has become a global company specialising in providing the best in class hearing solutions and devices.

Giuseppe Manzo, general manager for Amplifon UK & Eire, said: “We received some fantastic entries in the Hero Pet category and the four finalists truly embody the heroism shown by Charles Holland.”

A panel of judges will choose an Overall Hero Award winner from the category winners, who will win a trip to Italy.