Ella McGarty-Jones will be helping to change lives when she competes in a special charity race in Newbury this November.

Originally from Solva, she began in racing by working for Peter Bowen which sparked her dream of becoming a jockey.

At 16, she enrolled at the the British Racing School and is currently based in the Cotswolds with trainer Ben Pauling, who she will be riding for in her charity race.

The race is in aid of the British Horse Society’s campaign called ‘Changing lives through horses’ which helps children from disengaged backgrounds find new skills and get back into education or find a job with their newly acquired experience.

“The charity means a lot to me as horses have had such a huge impact on me,” she told Telegraph Sport.

“In order to compete in the race I had to complete a gruelling fitness test and riding assessment to ensure I was fit and safe to ride.

“After lots of training I passed both the fitness and riding assessments and now I have to raise a minimum of £2500 to compete. I will be going up against 11 other riders over the trip of one mile up the Newbury straight.”

The race is in Newbury on November 7 and will be the opening run.

The link to Ella’s fundraising page is https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ella-mcgarty.