A YOUNG Barry businesswoman bringing a sparkle of glamour to the horsing world has bagged a nomination for a top entrepreneurship award.

26-year-old, Michelle Inch will compete for honours in the Great British Entrepreneur Awards Ceremony 2014, in London, this November after having been nominated by Business Wales.

The mum-of-two set up Equidivine, with her 31-year-old partner Sean Wilkin, in October last year with the aim of combining bling and healing.

Michelle, who also runs a dog grooming business and has recently had baby daughter Lili-Mae – a sister for seven-year-old Brooke, came up with the idea after discovering her rescued pony Roseleigh adored being groomed.

Michelle devised fun, therapeutic, vegan products to help calm the six-year-old pony she’d paid £100 for to rescue from slaughter.

Michelle said: “She had scabs all over her and was skinny. She wasn't handled so was extremely aggressive with people. The way I won her over was with grooming as she will groom me back and will even move closer to me and push into me where she would like her area scratched. I have always loved glitter and colour and having my daughter we played around with our glitter products for fun. My mare had a turn in her front feet from neglect and it used to crack up the front right hoof so I came up with a balm from my own ingredients which helped turn her feet into lovely conditioned straight hooves they are today along with regular trims.

“A bit of love and pampering can transform a horse into a real life 'my little pony'.”

She added: “Our passion was to teach and educate children to care for their ponies and horses especially with all the neglect cases. There was also nothing else around that combined sparkle and bling with healing and soothing in one product and we were the first in the world to do that.”

Customers got to hear about them through selling and advertising, through Facebook, and eBay sales.

She said: “The reaction has been amazing..

“We get a few that disagree with it but once we explain the product they tend to warm to it.

“The vet Joe Inglis on ITV’s This Morning said he thought it was a great idea.

“When I found out I’d been nominated I was a bit overwhelmed and excited that we haven’t even been going a year and we had been put up for this award.”

Michelle and Sean also donate to Pink Ribbon Foundation as cancer runs through the family and the cause is close to her heart.

She strives to raise awareness and funds and uses stencils they design with charity logos.

They also organise riding events where everyone brings their ponies up in aid of raising money for these causes.

She added: “I would love the company to go global and we are defiantly on our way to achieving that with stockists in South Africa, France and USA.”

Visit www.equidivine.co.uk. Search Facebook, www.facebook.com/equidivine or follow on Twitter @equidivine