Appeal court judges have approved a £1.5 million divorce settlement which includes £50,000 a year in maintenance for the upkeep of three horses and a lump sum of £900,000 to buy a house with land for the horses. Sir Mark Potter, Britain’s most senior family law judge, commented that the lady’s husband had known about and consented to the horses playing a key role in his wife’s life and had actually encouraged the hobby by purchasing one of the animals following the loss of their baby. The couple had been married for 11 years and had no other children.

Experts believe that the decision could set a new legal precedent, with divorcing couples claiming thousands of pounds in maintenance for animal interests.