A self-employed lady from Taunton has won the prestigious Groom of the Year award for 2023.

Emma Cornish received the recognition at the Equestrian Business Awards which took place in Peterborough over the weekend.

She was both nominated by her clients and assessed by industry peers to achieve the shortlisting, along with four other finalists.

Ms Cornish founded her company, Elite Equine Care, at the start of 2023 and quickly became a key figure in the industry.

She teaches riding and stable management from her base in Fivehead and also travels the globe to volunteer at top equine competitions.

These include: London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympics, as well as 2 World Equestrian Games and the European Eventing Championships in France.

Accepting the award, Ms Cornish said: "I was totally humbled to be not only nominated by my clients, let alone win it!

"I strive to provide the highest level of care to all horses and animals I work with.

"Professionalism, reliability, trust and communications are a high priority for me.

"I am here to provide an important service, if my clients beloved horses and animals are happy, then so am I."

Over her career, she has worked in rescue, rehabilitation, and eventing, but also holds an impressive 12 years in the veterinary sector as a practice manager.