Amanda Owen, the famed Yorkshire Shepherdess, has revealed that her deep emotional attachment to her horses brings both joy and torment. The 51-year-old star of Channel 5's Our Yorkshire Farm admits that her beloved horses are the main source of stress in her life these days.
Amanda's Emotional Turmoil
Speaking to Your Horse magazine, Amanda said: "Our relationship with our horses is a deep, deep emotional one, but they give you so much stress." She owns five horses, including a Clydesdale named Hazel, who is usually "100% bomb-proof" and afraid of nothing except guinea-pigs. However, a recent health issue with Hazel caused Amanda major anxiety.
"Hazel got an abscess and I've been having sleepless nights," she revealed. "Is there anything worse than a heavy horse with an abscess? Should I turn her out and risk a walker reporting me as she's lame? These are all the things that Google doesn't tell you."
Life After Divorce
Amanda and her husband Clive, who is some 20 years her senior, split in 2022 after the pressures of running a working farm while being followed by TV crews took its toll. Following the divorce, Amanda spoke of enduring "dark days," telling the Daily Mail that she battled an eating disorder, anxiety, and depression. "I just shut down," she said. "Physical and mental health are intertwined and anxiety, depression, paranoia, agoraphobia and an eating disorder were all smooshed into one."
But now, Amanda says there is "no tension" between her and Clive, and the pair remain close co-parents of their nine children and joint owners of Ravenseat Farm.
Amanda's Busy Life
Despite only achieving a Grade E in GCSE English, Amanda has published five successful books. Alongside her writing, she manages major TV commitments. Following Our Yorkshire Farm, Amanda, Clive, and their children featured in Amanda Owen's Extraordinary Farming Lives and Our Farm Next Door: Amanda, Clive and Kids.
Now her son Reuben, 22, has his own show, Reuben Owen: Life in the Dales, which follows him and his friends as they develop a heavy plant machinery business in the Yorkshire Dales. Reuben's girlfriend Jessica Ellwood has already won Amanda's approval. "Mum and Jess get on well, they talk about sheep together," Reuben shared.
Amanda, who often stays up past 1am, says she doesn't need much sleep. "I go to sleep instantly, and I don't need a lot of sleep. But during the day, I try to pack in what I need to do and if I can write a little bit that's great."
