Two of the sport's greatest ambassadors are more than deserving of OBE honour

As the United Kingdom's "fountain of honour", the Queen has the sole right of conferring titles of honour on her subjects. In awarding the OBE to Paul Nicholls and Nicky Henderson, she has executed that right wisely, fairly and probably with a little smile on her face as well.

To have given it to one and not the other would have seemed wrong. Since Martin Pipe was last crowned champion in 2005, jumping's top trainer in Britain has always been either Nicholls or Henderson. They have set themselves apart from the pack, helped by superb horses, enthusiastic owners, tremendous staff and their own brilliance.

One can only imagine the thrill in their hearts when, 70 miles apart, they opened the letter that asks if the recipient would accept an honour from the Queen. There is little doubt they will also have been delighted when discovering on Friday evening that the other man is a fellow Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.