A WRITER, poet, artist and horse breeder who lived in Okehampton for almost 40 years has died at the age of 87.

Juanita Casey moved to Okehampton in 1974 to settle down with her daughter Sheba.

She was born on October 10, 1925 and adopted as Joy Barlow, to be brought up in Southampton in the respectable surroundings of a family of brewers. Horses quickly became very important to Juanita, and her passion for horses remained throughout her life as a well-respected breeder and handler.

She was married three times — the first aged just 16 while working on the land in Dorset during the second world war. She married John 'Crusoe' Fisher, and they sailed together in a number of vessels, among them Brixham trawlers. Their son William was born in 1947.

In 1948 a burgeoning romance between Juanita and artist Sven Berlin began to blossom while spending time in St Ives. With their new born son Jasper as best man, Juanita and Sven were married in 1953. With Sven increasingly ostracised by the art world, the couple left Cornwall and travelled by gypsy caravan to the New Forest.

Some of Berlin's many portraits of Juanita are on show at the Out of the Shadows exhibition at Penlee House in Penzance until November 24.

After a life of domesticity at Home Farm in Emery Down, the couple were divorced in 1963 after the marriage had ended a year earlier.

Juanita left with Irish horse groom Fergus Casey. The years that followed involved numerous moves between Devon, Cornwall, the New Forest and Ireland where Juanita concentrated on writing, working with Phoenix House on the book of short stories Hath the Rain a Father. She even produced a short-lived newspaper while living in Drogheda.

While living in Lerryn in Lostwithiel in 1963, Juanita gave birth to her daughter Sheba. The pair had to fend for themselves when Fergus, working as a journalist, was found drowned in Galway. They moved to Sneem in County Kerry where Juanita worked in a pottery, decorating plates and pots while continuing to write.

Juanita's best known novel, The Horse of Selene, published in 1971, explores the emergence of the freedom of spirit which characterised the late 1960s. The novel brought her a cult following, particularly in the USA and Ireland. The New York Times called it 'A remarkable first novel by a remarkable woman'.

With three books already published she was welcomed as a literary figure at the prestigious Listowel Writers Week, and just before the publication of The Circus in 1974, the two returned to England and settled in Okehampton.

Shortly after, Juanita joined Roberts' Circus as horsemaster and Sheba's 11th birthday was celebrated on tour at Leamington Spa.

In the 1980s, The Seagull, a story taken from her first book of short stories Hath the Rain a Father became required reading for the GCSE examination.

In all, her eight books, poetry and short stories, as well as additional contributed poetry and stories, have expressed her profound love and understanding of life, nature and the complexities and quirkiness of people.

After her move to the town in 1974, Juanita lived in Okehampton for the rest of her life.

She died on October 24 2012.