The King and Queen's visit to Newmarket highlighted how diversity in horse racing can be improved
They visited Newmarket as part of their tour of East Anglia
The King and Queen visited Newmarket to meet young trainees and champion the work being done to make British horse racing more inclusive.
Their Majesties were shown around The National Stud, where they met learners, education staff and representatives from charities including Riding A Dream and Autism in Racing. They also watched a parade of stallions and met mares and foals from the Stud Breeders’ Club, before planting commemorative trees and unveiling a plaque to mark the occasion.
Among those greeting the royals was Abbie Taylor, Educational Manager at The National Stud. Speaking after the visit, she said:
“Fantastic day and a brilliant opportunity. We’re really promoting exposure to the sport and inclusion and it was a really good chance to show what we have to offer here at the stud and also invite lots of people in to be included. This is a real day.”
Learners at the Stud, including those on diversity and access programmes, had the chance to meet the King and Queen.
“They were all very excited, dressed up really, really turned up really smartly and they’ve been talking about it for about a week non-stop. So yeah, made their day,” said Abbie.
The visit came as part of wider efforts to raise awareness of the barriers many people face in entering the sport, and the work being done to break them down.
“I think there’s a big perception that there are massive barriers to the sport. It’s hard to get in. You almost have to be born into it to be able to succeed,” Abbie explained.
To tackle that, The National Stud offers several entry-level routes into the industry, including the Plus Apprenticeship for school-leavers and a new 16-week residential Industry Access Course.
“It’s all about just exposure and showing that there is opportunity, you don’t have to be born into the sport to do well.”
“We offer a 16-year-old plus apprenticeship programme for anyone that wants to potentially consider a career with Thoroughbreds, but maybe school A-levels aren’t for them,” she said.
That message has struck a chord with learners like Muhammad Khan, who’s currently enrolled on the Stud’s industry induction course.
“Learning about more horses and these industries, racecourse industries,” he said.
“Basically, about the horses, how they’ve been built up and how they can work, like professionals work on the horses like that.”
Muhammad also had the chance to speak to the King directly:
“He was asking about how our course was and how we enjoyed it."
He praised the Stud for its welcoming environment and commitment to diversity.
“When I came onto this place, it felt really good.... It’s very, very diverse... and there are really good teachers here, (it's) special, it's happy and real. They (the teachers) are very good.”
He added that early exposure is key:
“I think we need to start from childhood, as kids, giving them (young people) more visits in the schools where the kids can come in here, it will be more effective.”
The royal visit was seen by many as a chance to not just celebrate Newmarket’s equestrian heritage, but also highlight the strides being made to make the industry more open, inclusive and accessible to all.