Michelle Hugo - Director
After being born and bred into horse racing whilst living in South Africa, I learnt to ride before moving to the UK at 8 years old. From pony club to riding ‘point to pointers’, I suffered a few injuries before I even started working in the horse racing industry
My first job in racing was with Ginger McCain, and then I went onto Jonjo O’Neill’s Jackdaws Castle, whilst riding in point to points. By the time I was 18 I was working for Clive Brittain and gained my dual amateur licence.
At 21 I was free-lance riding, clipping and working at the sales whist doing my best to pick up some amateur rides. This is when I suffered a broken leg whilst exercising some breeze up horses. Shortly followed by a simple fall that resulted in me fracturing a vertebra in my back. This is when I embarked on my career in insurance.
Having worked for a couple of large insurance companies I saw an opportunity to do something better. Finding ways to better educate and provide protection to my clients, is something I didn’t have the privilege of when I had my injuries, but it is the driving force behind my passion for what I do.
I still enjoy riding out; first lot in the mornings for Amy Murphy Racing. Spending time in the environment that is a part of my heart, with the people that contribute so much to the industry come rain or shine. This all happens before I get home to take my twin boys to school and step into my Insurance shoes.
Lisa Rothwell - Advisor
Before joining NRSI, I started working for my local trainer John Mackie in Derbyshire having previously ridden ponies from age 10, from 13years old I started working weekends and school holidays mucking out and riding horses home from the gallops and doing them up for the trainer and his wife Mary and was instantly addicted to thoroughbreds.
Before long Mary Mackie took me under her wing as I was the only girl in the yard and she taught me to ride racehorses, she was a huge role model to me being a female jump jockey herself and the best rider I had ever seen at this point of my career and I remember wanting to be just like her. I began breaking in yearlings and riding work from age 14 weighing a mere 6 stone and worked for them full time from 15 when I left school.
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From here I chased my dreams to be a female apprentice jockey and was very lucky to get the opportunity to ride a few winners for the late Terry Mills in Epsom. I was fortunate to be naturally light weight and I continued to work withing the racing industry for the next 25 years having my first ride for jumps trainer Richard Rowe, and then the last 18 years with flat trainers Amanda Perret in Sussex and John Gosden in Newmarket, both of which I was employed as a work rider/groom. I did head lad cover and also some traveling in the UK and France at various times over my 25 years but it was the riding especially the difficult horses that I loved most about my job.
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Sadly in 2010 I hurt my back in an incident riding out and I was forced to retrain as my discs were damaged in my back due to wear and tear over the years of doing a physically demanding job, at only 36 my riding of racehorses as my income was over, this was a big worry for me as I had a mortgage that needed to be paid and I wasn’t insured to ride anymore. I then retrained to do an administration job full time for John Gosden.
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I was then fortunate in 2015 to have my children and I took a few years off to look after them. I joined the NRSI team in September 2019 and love my new role as Admin Manager, I love still being involved in the racing industry and my husband works as the Assistant Trainer for John Gosden so I’m still very much involved with the horses and people. I enjoy helping people and spending time with my friends and family.