The Yard

A keen sportsman throughout his life, Joe played football to a good standard and enjoyed a successful career riding in point-to-points. After university he spent two years working under Nick Williams as pupil assistant, learning the trade from one of the sport's most respected yards. It was there he met Danielle, and the pair went on to train point-to-pointers together, along with the pony racers that gave a young Taylor his first taste of the saddle. During Covid, Joe and Danielle took the decision to apply for a trainer's licence. Five years on, the yard has gone from strength to strength, beating its previous season's winner tally every year since. Point-to-pointing has remained close to their hearts too, with a string run under Danielle's name enjoying plenty of success of its own. Above all, Lower Ford is a team effort: Joe and Danielle live on site with their two youngest sons, Max and Jack, while Taylor splits his time between Lambourn and Newmarket, making the most of his opportunities as a jockey further afield.

Danielle brings a wealth of experience to the yard, having held senior positions with a number of trainers across the West Country before turning her hand to training herself, and she too enjoyed success as a point-to-point rider in her own right. These days she wears several hats: overseeing the licensed horses as assistant trainer, running the point-to-point string, and finding time for a thriving dog breeding operation, Vizslas Devon. It's Danielle who keeps the yard running like clockwork day to day, maintaining the high standards and efficiency that underpin everything achieved here.

Mick, grandad to Max and Jack, is the glue that holds the yard together. Rarely far from the action, he can be found mucking out, driving the tractor, keeping the machinery and equipment ticking over, running the boys around, and even cooking dinner. He really is the full package. With many years' experience in racing behind him, plus spells in other industries, he's never short of a story. Away from the yard he's a keen musician, running open mic nights and playing in bands across Appledore and the wider South West.

Taylor is a successful dual-purpose jockey who has ridden over 100 winners to date, the majority on the flat but with some notable efforts over jumps added to that tally. His mornings are split between our yard and others in Lambourn and Newmarket, before racing most afternoons. Before making the switch to the professional ranks, he enjoyed huge success in pony racing, becoming national champion and riding alongside some of the best young jockeys of his generation.