Former jockey Hayley Turner and the founder of an equestrian charity have been named in the Queen’s 90th Birthday Honours list.
Hayley, one of the most successful British female jockeys of all time, has been appointed OBE for services to horseracing.
“Wow! Some lovely messages to wake up to. Thank you all. OBE! Check me out,” she tweeted.
Originally from Nottingham, Hayley made her racing debut in March 2000 at Southwell.
She was named champion apprentice in 2005, the same year she rode 44 winners.
Her numerous top-level wins over the years include the Nunthorpe Stakes at York, Beverley D. Stakes at Arlington Park and the July Cup at Newmarket.
In 2008, she became the first lady rider to secure 100 wins in a year and in 2011, she became the only female jockey to ride two Group Ones in the same season.
Hayley retired from race riding in 2015.
Meanwhile, former four-star eventer Rachel Medill (below) has been appointed MBE for services to young people through her charity Ride High.
The aim of the charity is to change the prospects of Milton Keynes’ most disadvantaged children through contact with horses.
Since she founded the charity seven years ago, it has helped more than 1,000 children and currently works with 80 young people a week.
Rachel said she sees the “extraordinary” calming and healing effect that being around horses can have every day at Ride High.
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“One of the young people, who has been coming to us for six months having been suicidal, said to me recently, ‘when things are bad, I know I just have to wait till Wednesday and I’ll come to Ride High and everything will be all right’,” she said.
“We are making a huge difference to these children’s lives.”
She added her ultimate ambition is to set up an equestrian and training centre to provide apprenticeships and jobs for Ride High members.
