Can Jordan lead inner-city children?

Jordan (the glamour model, not the country) will today be unveiled as the face of Hoof. This is a new campaign by the British Equestrian federation aimed at helping inner-city children take up riding in time for the 2012 Olympics.

Jordan (real name Katie Price), is an unusual and controversial spokeswoman for a sport which has long been seen as posh and reactionary. She may be an inspired choice too. Ms Price was recently refused entry to the Chinawhite hospitality tent at the Cartier International Polo Tournament, following which she wrote an article published in The Times entitled: Why was I snubbed by the polo snobs? It's worth reproducing in full:

"So the Cartier Polo International was happy to invite a man convicted of assault on an elderly couple, dozens of aristocrats and an assortment of would-be actresses in minuscule dresses. But it wouldn't have me. More than 35,000 people came to the polo match last weekend but I was excluded.

Why? I'm a successful author and businesswoman, a rider, I am learning to play polo and I compete in dressage events. I rode my first horse when I was 7, and saved up to rent my first pony, Star, when I was 11. He was the ugliest, hairiest pony in the yard but I adored him. My mum couldn't afford for me to go to Pony Club but it didn't stop me going to gymkhanas. I just wanted to beat all those smart little girls in their perfect jodhpurs and jackets.

All my life I've been surrounded by horses, I earned my pocket money sweeping out stables and I now have six horses. I've been invited to take part in the Royal Horse of the Year show, I've even played a charity polo match at Cowdray Park.

My book Perfect Ponies: My Pony Care Book was shortlisted for the WH Smith children's prize and I have written a bestselling series of stories about ponies. I know more about fetlocks and forelocks than most of the celebrities invited by Cartier and the Chinawhite nightclub. I've certainly mucked out more horses.

I also have a business career, I've a No1 perfume and a lingerie line. I'm a wife working as hard as I can to bring up my children, Harvey, Junior and Princess Tiaamii, and be a good role model for them.

I didn't want to go to Windsor to meet royalty. I've met the Prince of Wales and the Queen before. I don't need to be photographed with the A-list, I've met quite enough celebrities. I wanted to watch the matches and give my family a treat.

It's pure snobbery. However good a horsewoman I may be, I'm also a glamour model. That embarrassed the organisers. I paid Chinawhite £6,000 for my table, but my manager was told that I was not the sort of person they wanted. Eliza Doolittle went to the races with Henry Higgins after a few elocution lessons, In Pretty Woman Julia Roberts went to the polo straight from Sunset Boulevard, but in the 21st century we have become even more class-ridden. Unless you are a toff or an aspiring actress, they don't want you.

Polo should be for people who love horses, not a media charade. It should be about the sport. Horses are a wonderful hobby, one that gets you outside and keeps you fit. They should be for everyone - little girls, glamour girls, working-class girls like me. No one should be excluded."

Miss Price has shown herself to be a lot more than another vacuous celebrity. As well as being a successful businesswoman, she has also become an articulate and passionate opponent of the snobbery which still permeates some facets of British life. Chinawhite would not have dared to exclude someone on the grounds or their colour or religion, so why should they exclude someone on the grounds of their class, or middle class notions of vulgarity? Class prejudice is as corrosive as racism or homophobia, and should be treated no differently.