A FORMER Ayr serviceman has found "solace and respite" in retired racehorses after his time in the army left him an "angry man".

In a video uploaded to YouTube by Great British Racing, Ayr's Bobby Jones tells the story of how he struggled to reconnect with his family and society following a period of military service.

He admits he was an "angry man", and suicidal, yet his time spent with the former racehorses at Horseback UK really helped him to heal.

Bobby spent time serving in Belfast, in the first Gulf War and in Bosnia, and after leaving the army Bobby admits he fell into a state of drinking and fighting and even spending time in prison.

After receiving support from Combat Stress, a charity for war veterans, Bobby was referred to Horseback UK to try and get his life back on track.

Horseback UK was founded in 2009 by Emma Hutchinson and her partner Jock who is himself former military.

Horseback UK predominantly works with both serving military personnel and military veterans, and racehorses also find a second career in giving solace and respite to those service people who are challenged on a daily basis by their mental and physical wounds.

In the uploaded video, Bobby describes how the horses "saved his life", and helped him get his family back.