‘Enormous gratitude’ as breeder’s legacy gift benefits injured riders
Jockeys based north of the border can now benefit from services provided by the Injured Jockeys Fund (IJF) in Scotland.
The Ella MacGregor Centre in Galashiels offers physiotherapy and “injury management” on a site convenient for the Borders area racing community.
“This is only possible because the IJF was remembered in the will of the late Ella MacGregor, who owned and ran the Pinkerton Stud at Dunbar in East Lothian,” an IJF spokesperson said. “Her yellow and blue silks were carried to many victories by the likes of Macrobian, who chased home Notley in the Stewards’ Cup, and the successful horses bred there included Kayem, who competed as an eventer for Sir Mark Todd and was taken by him to the Olympics.”
Kelso course physio Libby Lindsay will offer sessions in the new facility, built in partnership with the Scottish Rugby Union on the Heriot-Watt University campus.
“We have wanted to do this for a while,” said IJF chief executive Lisa Hancock. “We are therefore enormously grateful to Ella and her trustees for their generous legacy in making it possible.
“The Ella MacGregor Centre will significantly improve our clinical services and support our activities north of the border and is the first step in expanding our operations in Scotland and supporting IJF beneficiaries of all kinds.”
The late Ms MacGregor also left a significant donation to Retraining of Racehorses for its welfare work. She was based throughout her life near Dunbar in East Lothian, and with her sister Ina ran the Pinkerton Stud, which Ella set up in 1976. They bred racehorses there until the early 2000s.
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
- To stay up to date with all the breaking news throughout major shows such as London International and more, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website
You may also be interested in:
Gold Cup-winning retired racehorse to take on showjumping challenge
Why riders with concussion must stop trying to ‘beat the doctor’
Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round
Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Eleanor is an experienced journalist who spent over eight years working for local and national newspapers before joining H&H as news editor in March 2016. Passionate about equine welfare and exposing the truth, Eleanor has reported on all aspects of the industry, from Brexit to anti-bullying campaigns, and from dressage rules to mules. Her sport of choice is showjumping, in which she competes her own horses, and she also enjoys reporting at local jumping shows through to international championships.