Three leading British lady jockeys have come together to celebrate International Women’s Day (today, 8 March) ahead of the Cheltenham Festival next week.

Last year’s Festival saw a new record set for lady jockeys, with four women riding winners during the most fiercely contested week in the jump racing calendar.

Three of those winning jockeys, still currently riding, Lizzie Kelly, Bridget Andrews and Harriet Tucker will be heading back to the Festival in a bid to bring home some more great results and fly the flag for the ladies.

In the video, created by Great British Racing, the three jockeys embody what it is to be a top athlete, and also what it takes to achieve the extraordinary feat of winning at the Festival — including courage, resilience, determination and ambition.

Lizzie Kelly returned to the Festival last year with something to prove — after falling in the 2017 Gold Cup — and she did just that by winning the Ultima Handicap Chase aboard Coo Star Sivola.

As the first woman to win a Grade One over jumps, Lizzie has witnessed a positive shift in racing and it’s inclusion of females.

“Women in racing are becoming more common now and it’s a huge thing for racing to be able to use the talents that we have,” said Lizzie. “There was a time when Lucy Alexander was the only professional female jockey in the country. The fact that she won the champion conditional title goes to show that she can do it and we can all do it.

“Since then plenty more women have had success and I think we’re in a really good groove at the moment in terms of how women are getting on. We’re in a golden era for women in racing and long may it continue. Hopefully we get even more women coming into the sport.”

Racegoers were treated to jubilant scenes following Bridget Andrew’s success on the Dan Skelton-trained Mohaayed in the County Hurdle last year, as she embraced boyfriend (now fiancé) and fellow jockey Harry Skelton after the winning post.

“After Cheltenham I believed in myself so much more. I had two massive goals last year — one was to ride a Festival winner and one was to ride out my claim, and I’ve done both. That makes me think that actually I can do it.”

Harriet Tucker became an unexpected star of the 2018 Cheltenham Festival when overcoming the pain of a dislocated shoulder sustained during the Foxhunter Chase, steering Pacha Du Polder home to win.

She became the 14th female rider to enjoy success in the history of the meeting and she will be looking to repeat her success again this year.

“If someone said to me ‘women can’t be jockeys’, I’d laugh in their face because women can do it. We’re proving now, we can do it and that we’re equal — doors are opening and more women are coming into the sport.”

With the much-anticipated Cheltenham Festival around the corner, these previous victors will return with hopes of claiming more glory, while Bryony Frost — who won at the Festival in 2017 — is likely to become the third female jockey to ride in the Magners Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Rachael Blackmore, who is bidding to become the first female Irish champion jockey, will hope to pick up her first Festival win. Trainer Emma Lavelle heads into next week with the well-fancied Paisley Park in the Sun Racing Stayers’ Hurdle.

Don’t miss  our Cheltenham Festival preview in this week’s issue (7 March), and read our full report from the big meeting in Horse & Hound, on sale Thursday, 21 March.

A racing fan has spoken of the amazing way horses have helped her through difficult times.

Debbie Matthews’ inspirational story of how she faced her social anxiety and emetophobia (fear of vomiting or seeing vomit) to see her favourite racehorse, Altior, in action went viral in January.

Her blog opened the conversation on what the racing world can do to welcome everyone — and Debbie wants to spread the message to the wider equestrian world.

Her #GoRacingGreen idea, launched at Cheltenham’s Festival Trials day (26 January), involves racegoers wearing something green, such as a ribbon, to signify they were happy for someone on their own to come and talk to them, or as awareness to those around them that they might be feeling anxious or out of place.

In her day job, Debbie works in inclusive tourism, so has been raising awareness with racecourses about simple things they can do that can make a huge difference — such as a designated meeting point for people on their own or a quiet place to take time out.

“It isn’t just about mental health issues,” she said. “I’ve had people contact me and say ‘I used to go with my husband and am on my own since he died’, for example.

“Another huge thing I would like to get across is that phobias and anxieties don’t just affect that person — it affects their families too.

“If it is helping keep families together, if it is helping to stop social isolation, anything it can do to support people getting out and doing things, having some enjoyment is a good thing.

“It doesn’t have to be National Hunt racing, that is just something I like. I went to Badminton with my daughter last year and I couldn’t stay too long as it was a bit overwhelming, so I want to spread the message across the whole equestrian industry.”

But horses have not always been a part of Debbie’s life — and it was a chance meeting with an escapee from a nearby livery yard just over three years ago that started her connection with equines.

“I was absolutely petrified of horses,” she told H&H.

“A lot of my friends at primary school had ponies, but I was never a horsey person.”

Debbie was going through PTSD from the loss of a baby when one day she looked out of her kitchen window and saw a huge thoroughbred in her garden.

“I rang the livery yard, who came and collected him. Then a couple of days later, there he was again, and the same a few days after that.

“One day I went out and started talking to him — he kept coming back and I kept talking to him. At that time I was going through such a traumatic experience and he seemed quite happy to talk to me at a time when nobody else was. Absolutely, undoubtedly, he saved me.”

Last summer Debbie went on an open day to World Horse Welfare’s Glenda Spooner Farm in Somerset, where she met a 13hh cob named Rosie.

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The pony had been abandoned in a field in Somerset before she was rescued.

Although she was rehabilitated and trained with the aim of being ridden, soundness was an issue so the charity decided she needed a non-ridden home.

“She is amazing,” added Debbie. “I explained my journey to World Horse Welfare and they have been brilliant.”

Credit: Debbie Matthews/World Horse Welfare

Debbie said Rosie settled instantly when she arrived in September.

“We take her for walks and are working towards doing some gentle in hand work with her,” she said.

“She has brought so much joy to me already in just this short time. I have been so unwell in recent years mentally, and I always felt like people were giving up on me.

“I feel the same about Rosie, just because she is a little bit broken, just because any companion horse is a little bit broken, don’t give up on them. Aren’t we all a little bit broken in some way? But we still have lots of love to give.”

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday

Been taking part in #NoStirrupsNovember, but lacking inspiration? Try some of these exercises as recommended by top riders and trainers…

1. Changing your stride pattern using ground poles

“Put two poles on the ground about 8 strides apart and canter down them, counting your strides between the poles. Once you are comfortable cantering over them start adding strides and taking strides away using your upper body and legs not your hand,” says international show jumper Yazmin Pinchen. “Doing this exercise without your stirrups will really help for jumping.”

2. Transitions, transitions, transitions!

“Doing transitions with no stirrups will really help strengthen up your core,” explains Yazmin. “Remember to look ahead, focus on your position and be soft in the hand at all times as you go from canter to trot, to walk, to canter etc.”

British Young Rider Eventing coach Emma Fisher adds: “Riding without stirrups is very tiring so start slowly and build up, doing lots of transitions while holding your balance and position.”

3. Riding one-handed

“Without stirrups, put both reins in your outside hand and put your inside hand down by your side. Sit tall but stay soft through the neck and spine, and keep your hips slightly in front of your shoulders. Ride serpentines and circles building up to doing transitions within each pace, and to and from each pace,” says international event rider Ibby Macpherson. “This exercise helps keep your horse straighter and steers the shoulders more, which gives more room for the inside hind leg while making you engage your core and use your balance and seat to influence the horse.”

4. Trotting poles around a corner

“Trotting over three or four trotting poles, which are placed around a corner, really helps to activate the trot and encourages you to go with the movement, which is so important when riding without stirrups,” continues Ibby. “When riding without stirrups lots of riders block the movement with their seat and lower back so this exercise is great for helping you engage your core and making you go with your horse and ride with a deeper seat.”

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5. Lungeing

“Riding with no stirrups on the lunge is a good exercise to practise every day if you can, even if it’s just for five minutes. By the time you’ve been doing it for a month you will notice a huge difference in your riding and more core strength,” continues Yazmin. “Being on a circle means you are in a controlled canter so it is easier to stay correct and you can also hold the front of the saddle at first if you are struggling with your balance.”

6. Keep things the same!

“You don’t always need new or different exercises just because you are riding without stirrups, carry on with what you are doing with stirrups without them,” says Emma.

For all the latest equestrian news and reports, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday.

The family of a young rider who took his own life are campaigning for an end to bullying.

Bradley John, 14, died on 14 September, having been being bullied at school.

His family is sharing Bradley’s story to raise awareness of the devastating impact bullying can have. They hope their campaign will help prevent anything like it from happening again.

The family is calling for people to be kind to each other and for anyone who is contemplating suicide to seek help and talk to someone about how they are feeling.

Bradley shared a love of horses and the outdoors with his family. He was whipper-in at the Three Counties Bloodhounds, of which his father, Byron John, and step-mother Kate Pickard are founder masters.

Friends and members of the hunting community have been remembering Bradley and showing their support for his family and the anti-bullying campaign through videos of them blowing a hunting horn, with the hashtag #blowforbradley.

The support for #blowforbradley has grown rapidly across the wider equestrian world and the general public, with hundreds pledging their support to the family’s campaign.

Family members were joined by hundreds of people at the David Broome Event Centre in Caldicot on Saturday (22 September) to remember the teenager and to see a bench in his memory placed in the main derby arena.

Commentator Bryan Mcaliece remembered Bradley as someone who was “always smiling” and “chatted to everybody”.

“Bradley was always full of it, whether he was competing, out with hounds, practicing for inter-hunt competitions, or practicing at home over a big gate that David Broome had given him,” he said.

“The outpouring of grief we have seen from all over the country shows how loved this young man was.”

The bench will remain under the tree in show centre’s derby ring, which he had dreamt of riding in, with a plaque inscribed with the words: “In loving memory of Bradley John. Broomes was his happy place”.

Kate and Byron joined Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield on ITV’s This Morning on Monday (24 September) and encouraged any child who is affected by bullying to talk to someone about what is happening and to realise they are not the one at fault.

If you need support and want someone to talk to, the Samaritans helpline is open 24-hours on 116 123, or visit their website at www.samaritans.org. BullyingUK is another charity offering advice and support, on 0808 800 2222 or www.bullying.co.uk

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday

Ahead of International Helmet Awareness Day (18-19 August), when riders can get discounts when purchasing a new riding hat from the retailers taking part, Riders4Helmets’ spoke to some of the top helmet manufacturers around the globe to share some of their key components when making helmets…

Gone are the days of simple hard plastic with a velveteen outer layer. Nowadays, helmets are held to a much higher standard of safety testing. They’re more aerodynamic and better padded, without adding extra weight, and they are stylish so riders will want to wear them. The safety of every ride is the main goal for each helmet manufacturer as they strive year after year to develop the safest helmet they can, while keeping it comfortable, attractive, and easy to wear.

The outer shell

Each component of the helmet is equally important, but it’s the outer shell that gets the most attention because it’s easily seen. The outer shell needs to be made of something that can prevent penetration from an object such as a sharp rock or a horse’s hoof. Manufacturers these days work to find the most stylish design that’s lightweight, yet functional.

Ovation helmets, the Troxel Spirit helmet, and Back On Track’s Trauma Void helmets all have an outer shell that is made out of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) thermoplastic. What is ABS thermoplastic? It is an engineering plastic that is easy to make and fabricate, and is a proven material for structural applications when impact resistance, strength and stiffness are required, such as a helmet.

The Gatehouse helmet is also constructed from a thermoplastic, with the additional of carbon fibre or aramid additional reinforcement.

The middle layer

The middle layer of the helmet is what should absorb the majority of the impact from a fall or accident. Liners can be made from expanded polystyrene — which is a very lightweight product made of expanded polystyrene beads — made of more than 95% air and only about 5% foam. Expanded polystyrene, like that found in Gatehouse and Troxel helmets, has strong shock absorbing properties and is compression resistant.

KEP Italia helmets feature a polycarbonate and carbon fibre combination. Polycarbonate is a pliable material commonly used in eyeglasses, greenhouses, digital discs and so on. The impact strength of polycarbonate rates towards the top for impact strength, but can be susceptible to scratching.

The inner layer

The inner layer of the helmet provides comfort for the wearer — if you had to wear something rigid day in and day out, you most likely wouldn’t be compelled to wear it, right? So helmet manufacturers may add a thin liner to the inside of the helmet for a softer feel, while also protecting the shock absorbing layer from the inside.

These inner layers can include a mesh comfort liner to help wick away the rider’s sweat, as well as some extra foam for the comfort and ability to make the fit a little more custom. One K’s Air helmet even includes inflatable air pockets in the liner, which allows for the riders to adjust the helmet for comfort and fit.

Retention straps

No helmet is effective if the retention, or chin, straps do not exist. The retention system, often referred to as straps and buckle, keep the helmet on the rider’s head during a fall when fitted and used correctly.

Most retention straps are made from a nylon webbing and plastic buckle. Some may include soft fabric covers that can cover the underside, being held together with Velcro. Some, like Gatehouse, might also be made of suede or leather.

Passing the test

Did you know that wearing a helmet could reduce the risk of riding-related head injury by an estimated 50%, as well as the risk of death due to head injury by a whopping 70-80%? To ensure a helmet can accomplish these tasks, it must pass a series of tests. There are several different tests based on where you are located around the world. For instance, in the United States the standard is the ASTM/SEI (American Society for Testing and Materials/Safety Equipment Institute), which includes three main tests: the impact test, the side distortion test, and the penetration test.

The impact test measures the helmet’s ability to absorb a blunt force impact should a rider fall on their head, say onto pavement while trail riding.

The side distortion test simulates what could happen if 1,200 pounds of horse happens to land on your head during a fall. It measures the ability of the helmet to resist distortion, should that scary accident happen to you.

The penetration test measures the resistance the helmet offers to a pointed object into the ventilation area. It uses an equestrian hazard anvil, designed to approximate the angle of a horseshoe or a jump standard edge, to ensure there is no penetration by a sharp object while wearing your helmet.

Other testing certifications include the PAS 015 (British standard), and the AS/NZS 3838 and ARB HS 2012 (Australian standards).

Time for a change?

It is recommended that all helmets be replaced after an impact, even if you don’t see much physical damage to the helmet with your naked eye. General wear and tear of a helmet not only shows its age perhaps on the outer layer, but the materials that soften the impact can degrade within three to five years.

“Longevity depends on how frequently the hat is used, the conditions of use and how the helmet is stored and even transported,” says Paul Varnsverry, technical and safety product advisor for Gatehouse Hats.

All manufacturers recommend equestrians check their helmets regularly for any obvious signs of wear to the lining and retention straps, any cracks in the structure of the middle layer and the outer layer, and finally the operation and security of the buckle.

“Irrespective of any signs of deterioration, it is recommended to replace the helmet after five years because the protective capacity diminishes over time due to the ageing of materials,” explains Silvia Fantoni with KEP Italia SRL.

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Working together

There is no single most important material, or part of a helmet because the manufacturers and safety experts believe these materials must work together to protect the rider.

The equestrian helmet covers more of a person’s head than does a bicycle helmet, fitting lower on the head, particularly at the back of the skull, and has protection distributed evenly around the head, rather than concentrated in the front and top, which is why careful attention is taken by the world’s top brands.

For more information on the Riders4Helmets campaign and more information on rider safety, visit www.riders4helmets.com. To find out which retailers near you are taking part in International Helmet Awareness day, visit the website.

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday.

An Irish cob has wowed the audience at Claremorris Agricultural show in Ireland at the weekend, by clearing 1.80m in the puissance.

Tara Brandon and her nine-year-old gelding Crosswell Blue faced stiff competition from showjumpers to take joint second place along with Shane Goggins, Adrian McElroy, Gavin Daly and Wesley Ryan. Lee Carey won the puissance at 1.90m on Joan Fallon’s French Touch.

Tara, who has owned Blue since he was a yearling, told H&H: “I didn’t think it would go so high and I didn’t think the show would be as big as it was!

“He’s never jumped anything that high. He competes up to 1.25 showjumping — he’s just a freak. He’s a freak of nature because he’s heavy, with hooves the size of dinner plates and he’s as athletic as any blood horse.”

Blue is out of a 14.2hh coloured cob and by a Clydesdale stallion.

“He definitely is not bred to jump — I think the jump must come from the pony,” Tara said. “He’s so brave so I will absolutely try some more puissances, he’s just so scopey. I pulled up at the 1.90m. I wish I had given him a better ride but when it went up to 1.90m I thought ‘oh my god!’ I think he has more in him, but I just need to get braver so we can find out — I’m an amateur and he’s a cob.

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Tara hopes Blue’s video will show that cobs are just as capable in the showjumping ring.

“A lot of people pre-judge cobs. I know when I went into the warm-up, people thought ‘look at the hairy cob’! Cobs are extremely talented but they are judged; I just want the world to know cobs can do it just as well as blood horses.

“I would never part with him. I trust that horse with my life which is mad, but I really do. I’m so proud of him; he’s such an honest genuine horse.”

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday.

Pack up and move in to this home in south west Wales, which could be the perfect haven for any horse lover. And the best thing? It’s recently been reduced in price…

Nestled in Glandwr, Whitland, the property is situated in 68 acres of prime Pembrokshire countryside in a National Park (which includes full grazing rights across the surrounding mountainside and beyond).

Elevated above road level, you can enjoy views across Carmarthen and the Brecon Beacons, which offer glorious hacking.

Equestrian centres in the area include Hafod Farm Stables (5 miles), Shiral EC (11 miles) and Moor Farm EC (25 miles).

Two cross-county courses within an hour’s drive can be found at Ynysymond Stables and Cambrian XC.

Carmarthen College hosts regular show jumping competitions, and is 22 miles away.

During the hunting season you can either head out with the Carmarthenshire or the Llandeilo Farmers.

Carmarthen County Show (19 miles) is your local summer fixture and you’re a 1hr 30min drive from Builth Wells, host of the legendary Royal Welsh Show.

This equestrian property is on the market for £750,000 and is being offered for sale by Fine & Country – it appears the owners are looking to sell so here is a chance to grab yourself a real bargain before it’s too late.

Let’s have a look around…

There is 68 acres of quality farmland, which has been used for grazing, as well as a fruit and vegetable garden and a small orchard.

Currently, the pristine yard has four stables with half doors, a tack room, a covered gated stable area, a hayloft, a workshop, and equipment storage room. The yards and courtyards all have new gates and fencing

With recently built outbuildings including tractor and cattle sheds, there is plenty of scope for indoor stable blocks and arenas, subject to planning.

The house is an equally impressive setup. Completed in 2000, the five-bed home was custom designed and built for the current owners.

The heart of the home is the kitchen, which includes a centre island, ample storage and an integral dishwasher.

The cosy lounge, complete with reclaimed mahogany floor, slate hearth and wood burner, leads through into the conservatory.

You will be able to keep everyone entertained with this purpose-built snooker room housing a full size competition snooker table.

When can we move in?

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday.

This week’s edition (31 May) is a training special, including a look at the world’s top trainers and whether you should have multiple coaches. Also check out our summer clothing guide, interview with showjumper and recent winner of the Hamburg Derby, Matt Sampson and feature on health problems in miniature horse.

May was a great month for the Horse and Man Group fund raising!

We had 2 Bucket Funds.  One for the Kansas 53, you can read their story here.  And the other was an Emergency Bucket Fund at the end of the month for The Golden Carrot to purchase supplements and meds after the fire.  You can read that story here.

FIRST, THE KANSAS 53! – $3280!

We collected donations and also we sold art cards from Doris McQuiddy (Thank you!) and some jewelry!  It all worked and we were able to make a difference for these horses!

Here is what Rainbow Meadows Equine Rescue and Retirement, Inc. said:

The Horse and Man Group, You are a ROCK STAR!!!! Thank you so much!!!

Our May Bucket Fund receipt for the Kansas 53.

THE GOLDEN CARROT – $3002

You all came together sending love, donations, thought, prayers… Casey was overwhelmed with the outpouring of support for her and the horses.  THANK YOU.

Casey is very busy, as you could imagine… but she did send this heart of love.  She said she cried when she heard that we had collected all that money for her to repurchased the elder horse supplements and meds.

Thank you.

First we sent $602 right away because she needed it.

Than, as donations continued to come in for the Golden Carrot… we were able to send another $2400!

The post OUR MAY BUCKET FUND RECEIPTS! You are all AWESOME! The KANSAS 53 and THE GOLDEN CARROT are thrilled! appeared first on Horse and Man.

HORSE AND MAN is a blog in growth… if you like this, please pass it around!

Your purchase with R.W. through this link helps the Bucket Fund!

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Supporting The Bucket Fund through Amazon Smile is HUGE for the horses. Please choose HORSE AND MAN when you make your Amazon purchase through this link. THANK YOU!

A university academic who believes horses aided her recovery from breast cancer is to study the impact of equine-assisted therapy on cancer patients.

Dr Carly Butler, senior lecturer at Loughborough University’s school of social, political and geographical sciences, will evaluate a new Macmillan Cancer Support service launched in Derbyshire that aims to use horses to improve the emotional health of people affected by the disease.

She plans to study the psycho-social well being of 400 people before and after they undertake four equine assisted activities and therapy (EAAT) sessions at the Spirit and Soul Equine Assisted Activity Centre in Kirk Langley.

During the structured sessions, attendees will learn basic horsemanship and grooming skills.

Their wellbeing — assessed through questionnaires about their quality of life, stress and self-esteem — will be compared to a control group of cancer patients who haven’t received the therapy during their recovery.

Dr Butler was inspired to undertake the study — which has received no funding — after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2012. She subsequently underwent chemotherapy, radiotherapy, a double mastectomy and surgery to remove her ovaries and fallopian tubes.

Having grown up with horses on a farm in New Zealand, she was re-introduced to them following her diagnosis and treatment and believes they had a positive impact on her recovery.

“Rediscovering horses went hand-in-hand with my physical and emotional recovery,” she said.

“It started when my daughter invited me to go with her to see a potential loan horse, an ex-racehorse called Otis. I fell in love with him pretty much straight away, and while my daughter didn’t end up loaning him, I arranged to go and visit and help care for him.

“I found that simply being around Otis brought me a great deal of calmness, and walking with him helped me to regain some physical strength. I then started riding again at a local riding school, and after a few months decided to get my own horse.”

Horses have since become a major part of Dr Butler’s life, and she even moved to live on the yard where her horse is kept.

“They bring me emotional peace and help me reconnect with my body, healing the aspects of myself and my life that were damaged by the cancer treatment. I am learning as much about myself as I am about them,” she said.

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Dr Butler explained that little is currently known about how horses can help humans.

“I believe there is a lack of services for people dealing with the psychosocial impacts of cancer and equine assisted activities are uniquely placed to be able to offer this kind of support.

“The research is an important aspect of the project as there is a real need for more empirical studies of EAAT, particularly its use for people affected by cancer,” she said.

The academic’s main area of research has been social interaction and she also plans to use the sessions to study how horses relate to humans and other equines using conversation analytic methodologies.

“The conversation analytic methodologies I use to study human interaction have not really been used to explore equine communication, so I am excited to see what these methods can contribute to the field, and what application of the method might reveal about the structures of interaction across species,” she said.

“Equine assisted activities and therapy make use of horses’ remarkable communicative abilities and interactional sensitivities and this is something I will be looking at alongside the service evaluation.”

The Macmillan EAAT sessions were launched on 25 May and are a first for the charity.

Sue Sanderson, Macmillan Partnership Manager for Derbyshire, said: “We know anecdotally that this type of support has real potential to improve the emotional wellbeing of people affected by cancer, so I’m delighted that Dr Butler is undertaking this research and we will do everything we can to support her.”

• Have horses helped you, or someone you know, recover from a serious illness? Let us know by emailing hhletters@timeinc.com and your story may be published in the letters page in Horse & Hound magazine

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday.

Stable Lass, Riding Out and Mucking In — Tales from a Yorkshire Racing Yard, by Gemma Hogg, is the ideal opportunity to dip into the behind-the-scenes action of the racing world.

Gemma gives fascinating first-hand insight into her life as a stable lass. She is currently assistant trainer at Micky Hammond Racing, having got a job there straight out of the Northern Racing College in 1998. With the beautiful backdrop of Middleham in North Yorkshire, Gemma, who won the prestigious Godolphin Stud employee of the year award in 2016, takes us into the closed world of a top racing yard.

From brutally long hours, interesting characters (both human and equine), falling in love with horses to the jockeys starving themselves, wealthy owners and the indescribable grief of losing a horse, Stable Lass is a must-read this summer.

Taken from a extract of the book, here Gemma recalls her first day at Micky Hammond Racing:

“Once I’d finished freaking myself out, I looked at my watch and saw it was already five past six. I was late on my first day! I picked my feet up, put my head down and walked as fast as I could through the yard gates, only to realise that all the muffled conversations and sounds that had been emanating from the yard had stopped.

“Oh no! I thought. They’re all look at me.

“This made me slow down, for some ridiculous reason, after which a mixture of curiosity and stupidity made me look up. At first, I didn’t see any humans, although I definitely heard them. In the absence of any voices bidding me to ‘step into the light’, I took it upon myself to continue walking along that celestial stairway and, as I made my way past the first few boxes, I began to notice my audience. They were attentive, I’ll give them that, but they were also smiling and giggling. I knew I was late, and obviously I was also a new recruit. But why the amusement?

“’I say!’ one of them called out. ‘Nice puffa!’ Then another shouted. ‘Shall I saddle one up for you, Your Majesty?’

“It was the clobber! As my eyes finally acclimatized to the lighting, I took the opportunity to get a better look at my public. They, of course, were all sporting a mixture of jeans, tracksuit bottoms, fleeces and old coats. I, on the other hand, looked as though I had stepped straight out of a shop window, and must have resembled a shorter, poorer and less well-connected version of Zara Phillips.

“Those one hundred yards from the gates to Micky Hammond’s office felt like a thousand and, as I passed the last of my twenty or so colleagues, I was left in no doubt whatsoever that they thought I was just a helmet, a hairnet and a riding crop away from appearing at the Horse of the Year Show.

“‘Good morning, ma’am,’ said the last of them. ‘Aren’t we looking splendid this morning?’

“That one got a big laugh, which was fair enough.

“By the time I got to the yard office, I’d gone from a walk, and then a trot, to something approaching a gallop, but instead of knocking and waiting like any polite stable lass should, I barged through the door, slammed it shut and, without even thinking said, ‘Thank God for that!’

“‘Good afternoon, Gemma,’ said a voice.

“‘Jesus!’ I yelped. ‘You scared the living daylights out of me.’

“Mickey’s office was a kind of L-shape and so his desk wasn’t visible from the door.

“‘No, I’m not Jesus,’ he said, walking into view. ‘But as far as this yard is concerned I am God, and God says that we’re here and ready to feed by six a.m.’

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“I think my jaw dropped when I caught sight of Micky. I’d obviously met him before but he seemed very different from the way I remembered. First of all, he was a bit older. There was something amiss height-wise too. Micky is about five feet six inches tall (if you met him he’d insist he was five feet eight inches), but I remembered him towering over me. I also thought he had fair hair, and a good head of hair at that, when in fact it was quite clearly brown and was short on top and shaved round the sides. Had I actually met George Michael that day instead? Lastly there were the clothes. He’d been quite smart in my interview, as later that day he’d been going to the races, yet now he looked like a tramp. He’s going to kill me when he reads this.

“Micky was thirty four at the time (ancient!) and had already been training for the best part of ten years. Before becoming a successful racehorse trainer he had a long career as a jockey, riding a total of 232 winners. In fact, had it not been for two concurrent leg injuries, Micky would have run the great Peter Scudamore very close to becoming Champion Jockey in the 1987/88 season.

“‘Yes, I’m so sorry,’ I said, trying to hide my shock. ‘I was looking at your logo.’

“‘I’m not even going to go there,’ said Micky. ‘Anyway, you’re here now. Let’s get you mucking out. I’m starting you off with four boxes and we need them all done by seven a.m.’

“All of a sudden, my mood shifted from extreme shame and embarrassment to blind panic.

“‘But it’s already quarter past six,’ I cried. ‘How am I supposed to muck out four horses in forty-five minutes?’

“‘How long did you have at college?’ asked Micky.

“‘About half an hour.’

“‘For how many?’

“‘Per box. Maybe two boxes, if I got a wiggle on.’

“Micky’s eyes almost popped out. ‘Maybe two if I got a wiggle on?’ he said disbelievingly. ‘You’d better shift your arse then.’”

Price: £16.99 hardback, or from £5.99 on Amazon
Published by: Sidgwick & Jackson, 2018

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