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Pony set for Britain's Got Talent

Star, the pony who can count, practicing for her Britain's Got Talent audition

Her name is Star - but her hooves are firmly on the ground when it comes to getting ready for a big stage audition.

For the 15-year-old pony is vying to join the ranks of Susan Boyle, Stavros Flatley and Diversity by becoming an act on a prime time television talent show.

But, unlike some contenders, she is not going to make an ass of herself by singing, dancing or horsing around.

The one trick pony's claim to fame is that she can …..count.

It is a skill that has been showcased to thousands of visitors, including enthralled children, at a north Norfolk tourist attraction over the years.

But now Star is aiming to trot into the big time, on Britain's Got Talent.

Her party piece normally takes place at the Hillside Animal Sanctuary and its forerunner Norfolk Shirehorse Centre at West Runton.

Trainer David Bakewell asks audience members for numbers for Star to do simple sums - adding, taking away and two times tables - which she answers by pawing the ground with her hoof.

She is one of the best in her field, but, having got past some early video vetting in the talent show trail, Star is now destined to step out into the stage spotlight in Birmingham soon, in front of the judges Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and Piers Morgan.

But her support team wanted to make sure she was happy with the theatrical surroundings before they committed her to the big moment early next month.

They need not have worried. A trial run at the Sheringham Little Theatre in front of a rent-a-crowd of cheering fans, and the blaze of stage lighting, saw Star sail through her sums with ease.