IT was a huge relief to arrive at Janet Ditcham's Blue Stone Stud having driven over a couple of miles of deserted heathland which was shrouded in thick fog.

As I drove through the farmyard I could see the Morgan horses that Janet breeds munching at hay in an open barn surrounded by clucking chickens and an assortment of dogs.

Janet's reputation as a first class breeder has spread throughout the United Kingdom and her horses are sought after by people from all over the country.

But today's peaceful scene belies the years of hard work which Janet and her family put into her old stone house near Kidderminster, which was virtually derelict when she bought it 15 years ago.

"The house may have been in a bad way but it had the acres I need to breed my Morgans," explained Janet.

"When we first saw it there were sheep in the house, the barn was falling down and there was snow coming through the roof.

"In fact, my daughters were so horrified, they burst into tears when they saw it. Somehow - with a lot of help from my son William - we managed to stand it all up."

Janet's indomitable spirit has always stood her in good stead. In the 1950s she left the comfort of her home in England to work in Nigeria as a secretary in the education department. Despite the hot and sticky climate that leaves many people drained, Janet thrived and was invited to ride the wonderful "barbed stallions" because Nigerians don't like riding mares.

"I had always been horse mad and threw my dollies out of the prams as a youngster," said Janet.

"All I ever wanted was my own pony. But it was wartime so I couldn't. I had a wonderful time in Nigeria riding all those horses."

When eventually she came back to England, Janet married and settled down in Birmingham and eventually bought her own horse.

Her love affair with Morgans started 25 years ago. She had always known about the breed, which originated in America in the 1780s with a colt believed to have been sired by an English thoroughbred called True Briton out of a dam of Wildair stock.

The story began when teacher Justin Morgan went to Vermont to collect a debt and the colt was thrown in as part of the repayment.

He was to become known as Morgan's horse - "the little horse who could outpull or outrun any other horse in Vermont and even New England". He was a dark bay with a thick, wavy mane and tail and he passed on his three amazing traits of docility, speed and endurance to his descendants.

Later, under his new owner, Colonel Goss, he was used for military reviews and, in the American Civil War, the entire First Vermont Cavalry was mounted on Morgans.

When Janet saw her first Morgan, she says her "hair stood on end".

"I had never seen such a beautiful horse in my life so I went to a breeding farm in Kentucky which specialised in Morgans to bring my first one back to England. I have never looked back. In fact, I love them so much I feel sorry for people who don't own a Morgan," said Janet.

"Morgans are handled from birth by humans, which is called imprinting. You help them stand up so that by the time they are three days old, they think the human is their second mother.

"I went to a show and the Morgans aged between two and three behaved so sensibly. They are lunged on a long line so that by the age of two they are hitched to a buggy and at three you can sit on them.

"They are very wise and don't have tantrums. I believe they are amenable because they are well handled from birth. To me, it is a common-sense approach which certainly pays off."

Janet's Morgans have done well in the show ring and have appeared at the prestigious Horse of the Year Show. She has bred many champions and says one of the worst days of her life was when her favourite Morgan Osiris - who was due to be ridden in a horse display at the Horse of the Year Show - was pulled out because he had had in influenza jab.

Janet travels round the country to take part in all the big Morgan show classes as well as western trail classes. There's a Morgan class at the Three Counties Showground at Malvern each year.

Typically, the breed live till they are 30, have beautiful conformation, legs and feet and stand between 14 and 15.2 hands high. The classic colour is bay.

Janet has hunted her Morgans and says they can keep up with the best endurance horses.

I climbed into my car for the drive home, Janet's words ringing in my ears.

"I wish everybody could have the opportunity of owning a Morgan. They are sound, sensible, spirited horses who are neither timid or violent but beautiful, intelligent and eager," she said.