WINNING a coveted place on the front cover of a children's book has proved 'neigh' bother for a Largs Academy pupil.

Katie Trotter was thrilled when she heard that her beloved horse Clyde had won a competition to feature on the cover of the book 'The Second Best Pony'.

Author Helen Haraldsen launched the hunt for the perfect pony to bring her story to life.

The online competition attracted entries from across the UK - but it was Clyde who claimed the prized spot.

Katie, 14, said: “When we found out that he had won, my entire family were over the moon, especially me!

"It has always been my dream for Clyde to be famous so I can't believe he now will be.

"I love reading about horses because I can relate to and understand the little details in the stories.

"I found out about the competition through a Fell Pony group chat when I was scrolling through Facebook and decided to enter him but I never would have thought he would go on to win.

"Clyde is my best friend. I talk away to him and he is always up for a cuddle.

"I am so glad others will get to see how beautiful he is."

The West Cumbria author's first book, Little Pearl, was published in March this year. It is based on her first pony and the adventures they had together and is the launch title in the Amber’s Pony Tales series.

The second in the series is due for release at the end of August and will proudly feature Clyde on the front.

Helen said: “I decided to run a competition through my website to find a cover star and visitors were invited to vote for their favourite.

"Almost 1,500 votes were logged and the clear winner was Clyde, who of course belonged to Katie."

Helen has now travelled up to the Trotter family home to meet Clyde and Katie.

She said: “I’ve seen plenty of pictures and videos of Clyde on Katie’s Instagram page, but meeting him in person felt very special.

"Not only is he very handsome but his personality also matches that of my pony, Honey, who the story is about.

"I feel very lucky to have him as my cover star and I’m so pleased I was able to meet him in the flesh and give him a kiss."