Rural achievements honoured by The Queen

Twenty-time Champion Jockey AP McCoy has been Knighted in the New Year's Honours, crowning an extraordinary career and coming just after a Lifetime Achievement Award from the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year. Some of the highlights of his career include being crowned Champion Jockey for 20 consecutive seasons (every year since he turned professional and beating the previous record of 7), riding his 4000^th winner in November 2013 and winning every big race there is including a Grand National, 2 Gold Cups and 3 Champion Hurdles. Having broken nearly every National Hunt record going (and a lot of bones in his body), the one that he names as his greatest achievement is beating legendary jockey Sir Gordon Richards' total of 269 winners ridden in a season which has stood since 1947; McCoy rode 289.

Farming contributions honoured by the Queen include Ian Pigott, Hertfordshire farmer, CA Rural Oscar winner, campaigner and architect of Open Farm Sunday, who received an OBE for services to agricultural and countryside education, John Lockwood, Chairman of the Lincolnshire Agricultural Society and third generation Master of the Burton Hunt, who has been awarded an MBE and Daphne Tilley, Welsh Lamb producer ("Lambassador") and CA Rural Oscar winner who has been honoured with an MBE for services to agriculture.

Also honoured was shooting "super coach" Joe Neville, former Olympic and Commonwealth shot who has coached many of the UK's best clay target shooters. Joe has been awarded an MBE in the New Year's Honours list for "services to Competitive Shooting" and was congratulated by Team GB's Rio hopeful Amber Hill who tweeted: "So proud of my amazing coach Joe Neville on being awarded an MBE!"

Congratulations to everyone honoured by Her Majesty for services to our countryside and its charities.