Grace Muir, the founder of HEROS Charity, has been recognized as a finalist for the Retraining of Racehorses (RoR) Award, celebrating her efforts in using former racehorses to positively impact the community.
Muir is competing for the prestigious Sir Peter O’Sullevan Charitable Trust RoR Community Impact Award. This award honors individuals, partnerships, or organizations that have made a significant difference in people’s lives through the use of former racehorses.
Established by Muir in 2006, the Homing Ex-Racehorses Organisation Scheme (HEROS) focuses on rehoming and retraining ex-racehorses for various equine sports, including eventing, polo, dressage, and show jumping.
Beyond the equine realm, HEROS also contributes extensively to the local youth community and workers in the racing industry. Located at North Farm Stud in [Wantage](https://wantage.com/region/wantage/), the charity was awarded the Animal Award at the BBC Make a Difference Awards in recognition of its educational programs for 11 to 16-year-olds facing challenges in mainstream education.
These programs provide special educational needs students the skills required for horse care, alongside teaching functional skills in maths and English, and life skills such as budgeting, healthy eating, teamwork, mindfulness, and conflict resolution.
HEROS boasts a remarkable team under Muir’s leadership, where she prioritizes tailored support for team members with additional personal, social, or mental health needs. Muir stated, “Being recognized for this award is one of the highlights of this year. We have had a memorable 2024, winning two BBC Make a Difference Awards was amazing, but it is a huge honor to be shortlisted as a finalist with RoR, who I have been working with since 2004.”
Competing alongside Muir are Louise Robson and Forth Bridge from Buckinghamshire and Samantha Ivy Barton and Up For An Oscar from Pembrokeshire. She credited her achievements to her board of trustees, particularly Anne Richardson, the chair, and acknowledged her “phenomenal” HEROS and North Farm Stud teams.
David Catlow, managing director of RoR, emphasized, “The outstanding nominations we received made selecting finalists a tough task for our judges. Each story underscores the incredible versatility of former racehorses as they transition into new careers, as well as the unwavering dedication to their care and wellbeing shown by those committed to aftercare.”
Public voting for the award is now open and will close at 5pm on January 10. The winner will be revealed at the RoR Awards at Cheltenham Racecourse on Festival Trials Day on January 25.
For those in the area seeking opportunities related to equine activities or other local events, consider exploring our [business directory and events](https://wantage.com/directory/). If you wish to submit your own event or business profile, take advantage of our [free submission portal](https://wantage.com/submit-listing/).
