According to the international songstress and all-round superstar Leona Lewis, horses are 100% better than people.

Hanging with horses

“Horses are 100% better than people," she told The Guardian. “I love hanging out with my horse, chilling. They're so amazing and ethereal. I could hang with horses all day.”

The X-Factor’s most successful winner has ridden since she was a child. Although Leona was bought up in East London her mum is from Penarth and she spent holidays in Wales, where she learnt to ride.

The 27-year-old now has her own horse, called Spirit, which she named after her debut album. The horse is kept in a livery yard in Los Angeles and she said he is closest confidant and that she tells him “everything”.

Intuitive animals

“Especially when we go on trails,” she said. “But I think that horses are so intuitive that they know what I'm thinking anyway. I don't need to say anything.”

Leona, who also owns a dog and a rabbit that she rescued from a homeless man, is a fan of all creatures great and small and is patron of the Hopefield Animal Sanctuary in Essex.

“My mission at Hopefield is to make sure these animals can continue to live here, that they can live comfortably and safely, that we can build Hopefield into a sanctuary that will educate people on animal welfare and continue to save more animals in need,” she said.