Prolific showjumping chef d’equipe Ronnie Massarella and ground-breaking dressage judge Stephen Clarke are just two of the big names put forward for the British Horse Society’s prestigious Queen’s Award.
The award recognises ‘outstanding services to equestrianism’ and pays tribute to individuals whose contributions to their sport outweigh the personal benefits they have derived.
Other nominations include Sydney Smith, founder of the Unicorn Equestrian Trust, whose contributions to training young carriage drivers have been recognised by the British Horse Driving Trials Association (BHDTA).
Maggie Bradley has been put forward by the Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) having gone from volunteering to pioneering work as chairman of the coaching committee and advisor to the British Equestrian Federation (BEF).
British Eventing nominated fundraising specialist Rosemary Barlow who, in setting up the Horse Trials Support Group (HTSG), has spent years raising vital funds to finance British presence at major championships and team training.
John Hudson helped create Endurance GB and has continued to organise rides and remain integral to the smooth-running of the organisation over many years.
A stalwart of both the Pony Club and RDA, Ernest McMillen is recognised by the former for introducing centre-based membership for children who don’t own their own ponies.
The BHS’s own nominee is Jane Goldsmith who has been put forward for her contribution to para-dressage, both in terms of coaching some of the UK’s most prolific para medal winners and becoming a top level judge.
BHS Ireland have selected Dr Ernest Logan for the award. He has been heavily involved in showjumping judging and raising sponsorship for Ireland’s top shows and in his capacity as a vet, invented specialist plastic shoes for horses with laminitis.
Having received the nominations and citations, the trustees of the British Horse Society will now make their recommendations for the winner and seek approval for their choice from Her Majesty the Queen.
The eventual winner will be announced in May.
“The calibre of nominees was extremely high and the services of each were distinct in their own way,” said Patrick Print, Chairman of the BHS.
“But the unifying theme is that each has made a contribution to equestrianism, the value of which exceeds what they may have taken from the sport,”
Previous winners of the Award, which originated in 2005, include Jennie Loriston-Clarke, the Duke of Edinburgh, Yogi Breisner and Jane Holderness-Roddam.
