British Horse Society long-service award for '˜Granny Access' Ann

Helene Mauchline, (R) National Manager for The British Horse Society Scotland presents an Award to Ann Fraser for forty years long service as a Brtiish Horse Society volunteer.

Mrs Fraser, of Overwells, near Jedburgh, was given a long-service accolade by the British Horse Society Scotland at a reception in Auchterarder in Perth and Kinross last week.

During her 40 years of volunteering with the national charity, Ann has been instrumental in working to improve access rights for horse riders, serving as access officer for Scotland for 12 years.

She is credited with gaining horse riders the same rights as walker and cyclists in the 2003 Land Reform (Scotland) Act.

But Ann is best known for starting the Borders Festival of the Horse in 2002, even attracting the Household Cavalry to the region, in the wake of the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak the previous year.

She currently serves asvice-chairwoman of the society in Scotland.

The society’s national manager for Scotland, Helene Mauchlen, said: “Ann has been active in promoting, educating and smoothing the path of Scottish equestrian access for 40 years as a volunteer, with an additional decade when she was employed jointly by the British Horse Society and Scottish Natural Heritage as equestrian access officer for the whole of Scotland.

“We call her ‘Granny Access’ and she remains our go-to person on this subject.

“Ann is hugely energetic and knowledgeable and always great fun to be around, so British Horse Society Scotland holds her in very high esteem.

“As vice-chairwoman of the society in Scotland, she is still very much a leader for us.”

In 2012, the former Pony Club mum received the society’s award of merit from chairman and actor Martin Clunes, and in 2014 she was made a Member of the British Empire in recognition of her services to the equestrian and leisure industries in the Borders.