The Time Inc UK weekly title is launching its first awards.

The Horse & Hound awards will recognise the best riders and industry professionals.

Volunteers, amateur riders, vets, riding clubs, and farriers will all be recognised.

Stand-out awards include 'horse of the year' and 'most memorable moment of the year'.

An exclusive ceremony will be held at Ascot racecourse, where the winners will be announced.

The 3rd November issue of Horse & Hound magazine will also celebrate all winners from the night.

The Horse & Hound awards are already open for entries, and the readership has been invited to nominate their peers.

Each category will be whittled down to 5 shortlisted entrants, and each shortlisted contender will feature in the 15th September issue of the magazine.

The winners will be decided by an online vote, open to fans and readers.

Sarah Jenkins, Horse & Hound content director, said: “We have been wanting to launch these awards for some time, to have the opportunity to honour the achievements of the greatest in our industry — including those missed by the limelight and deserving of recognition, and who have stories that are worthy of being told. Horse & Hound has an audience of 2.3 million, so we are expecting a vast number of quality entries for these awards and the panel cannot wait to sit down to discuss who should make the shortlist.

“For this to culminate in an evening of celebration reminiscent of the much-missed Horse & Hound Ball will I hope be a fitting tribute to those worthy winners, chosen by our myriad readers and users. We’re of course very grateful to all our sponsors for helping us to make these awards a reality this year.”