Female Trainers - on the up?

V

Very Very Ordinary

At the Start
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Nov 24, 2010
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5 out of 7 winners at Plumpton yesterday. It feels like the numbers are increasing all the time, but that is just my impression - anyone got any stats for season to date vs last year?
 
There is no phenomenon here VVO. It's the way of the world. Women have become more dominant in the workforce with many higher positions being occupied by the fairer sex than previous eras. Whether you agree with that now is another matter.
 
trefflich said:
There is no phenomenon here VVO. It's the way of the world. Women have become more dominant in the workforce with many higher positions being occupied by the fairer sex than previous eras. Whether you agree with that now is another matter.
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Understood, just wondered whether, taken as a whole (please), they're actually better at training racehorses; empathy, emotional intelligence, all that stuff

Take the point that getting owners on board is certainly easier than it was
 
yes strange really i can roll quite a few good female jump trainers of the top of my head but for the flat only amanda perrett sticks in my mind
 
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yes J harrington is very good as well as criquette head

but on the flat in UK compared to Jumps uk there seems to be a gulf
 
Thanks, VVO, for raising a good point which some of us were chatting about today at Lingfield. Plenty of female trainers now, some specialising (just like men) in one code or the other, some managing dual codes, like Laura Mongan, for example. Trefflich, I award you a straight 10 for that remark about 'agreeing' with whether women should be so bold as to do this sort of work. I imagine you prefer yours barefoot, in the kitchen, and pregnant?

But back to the real world: first, women have only been permitted to train in their own names since the late 1960s. Yes, that's the rate of progress here in jolly old Blighty! Until then, they could secretly train but have to do so under their husbands' names, if they had one, if not, under their head lad's. That gender apartheid being down to the Jockey Club (full of old-fart buffers who hadn't quite realised that women had farmed great big animals for years, ridden to hounds for centuries, and ridden in showjumping and eventing since the 1940s, delicate little flowers that they were. Oh, and let alone what they did in the war... )

So, first, women have hardly had a fair and level playing ground, and have had to put up with all the usual sexist crap when they started race-riding, too, so without much support or encouragement from within racing (it was actually because of the push towards Equal Rights that forced the change, shame on the JC), they have done very well, considering they're 200 years late onto the scene.

At any time, there are around 700-ish full and permit trainers registered in the UK. Some literally train just one or two horses, others are on an industrial scale. Of these, here are some female names which you will already know, and maybe some you won't:

Caroline Bailey (Northants)
Emma Baker (Cheltenham)
Althea Barclay (Glos)
Tracy Barfoot-Saunt (Glos)
Alison Batchelor (West Sussex) *
Linda Blackford (Devon)
Sue Bradburne (Fife)
Rhona Brewis (Northumberland)
Lady Brooke (Powys)
Michelle Bryant (East Sussex)
Kate Buckett (Hants)
K. Burke (North Yorks)
Barbara Butterworth (Cumbria)
Julie Camacho (North Yorks)
Jennie Candlish (North Staffs)
Clarissa Caroe (Beds)
Ruth Carr (North Yorks)
Jane Chapple-Hyam (Suffolk)
Jane Clark (Scotland)
H.J. Cobb (West Sussex)
Lady Anne Connell (Northants)
Jo Crowley (Dorset)*
Rebecca Curtis (Pembs)*
Joanna Davis (Berks)
Louise Davis (Staffs)
Sam Davison (Wilts)
Zoe Davison (West Sussex)8
Lisa Day (Gwent)
Rose Dobbin (Northumb)
Ann Duffield (North Yorks)
Christine Dunnett (Norfolk)*
Nerys Dutfield (Devon)
Claire Dyson (Worcs)
A. E. Embiricos (Suffolk)
Evelyn England (Warks)
Mary Evans (Pembs)
Nikki Evans (Gwent)
Lucinda Featherstone (Derbys)
Julie Feilden (Suffolk)*
Carol Ferguson (Cumbria)
Marjorie Fife (York)
Pam Ford (Herefs)
Sandy Forster (Scotland)
Joanne Foster (West Yorks)
Susan Gardner (Devon)
Karen George (Devon)
Theresa Gibson (Northumberland)
Harriet Graham (Scot)
Diana Grissell (East Sussex)
Sally Hall (N Yorks)
Mary Hambro (Glos)
Debra Hamer (Dyfed)
Alison Hamilton (Scot)
Ann Hamilton (Newcastle)
Cathy Hamilton (Dorset)
Mouse Hamilton-Fairley (Hants)
Pauline Harkin (Oxon)
Jessica Harrington (Co. Kildare, Ireland)*
Lisa Harrison (Cumbria)
Criquette Head-Maarek (Chantilly, France)
Lady Herries (West Sussex)
Stef Higgins (Berks)
Lawney Hill (Oxon)*
Rachel Hobbs (Worcs)
Sarah Humphrey (Cambs)*
Caroline Ikin (Leics)
Tina Jackson (Cleveland)
Valerie Jackson (Newcastle)
Linda Jewell (Kent)*
Eve Johnson Houghton (Oxon)
Shelley Johnstone (Scot)
Violet Jordan (Bucks)
Caroline Keevil (Dorset)
Gay Kelleway (Suffolk)*
Lynsey Kendall (Cumbria)
Anabel King (Warks)*
Henrietta Knight (Oxon)*
Emma Lavelle (Hants)*
Joan le Brocq (Jersey)
Sophie Leech (Devon)
Natalie Lloyd-Beavis (Berks)
Heather Main (Oxon)
Jane Makin (N Yorks)
Alison Malzard (Jersey)
Audrey Manners (Wilts)
Jean McGregor (Scot)
Karen McLintock (Newcastle)
Annette McMahon (Missillac, France)
Laura Mongan (Surrey)*
Helen Needham (W Midlands)
Helen Nelmes (Dorset)
Anna Newton-Smith (E Sussex)*
Susan Nock (Glos)
Lucy Normile (Scot)
H. Parrott (Glos)
Lydia Pearce *
Linda Perratt (Lanarks)
Amanda Perrett (West Sussex)
Ann Pryce (Powys)
Joanne Priest (Worcs)
Helen Rees (Dorset)
Jacqueline Retter (Devon)
Lydia Richards (West Sussex)*
Pat Rigby (Llangollen)
Renee Robeson (Bucks)
Pauline Robson (Newcastle)
Mandy Rowland (Notts)
Lucinda Russell (Scot)
Deborah Sanderson (S Yorks)
Kathleen Sanderson (Devon)
Dianne Sayer (Cumbria)
Lynne Siddall (N Yorks)
Victoria Simpson (Scot)
Evelyn Slack (Cumbria)
Pam Sly (Cambs)
Sue Smith (W Yorks)*
Suzy Smith (E Sussex)
M. K. Stirk (N Yorks)
Ann Stokell (Co Durham) - and rides her own!
Linda Stubbs (N Yorks)
Tor Sturgis (Berks)
S. Sunter (Co. Durham)
D. Thomas (Glam)
Alison Thorpe (Carmarthen)
Norah Twomey (Wilts)
Lucy Wadham (Suffolk)*
Tracy Waggott (Co Durham)
Sarah Wall (E Sussex)
Jane Walton (Tyne & Wear)
Katie Walton (N Yorks)
Sharon Watt (N Yorks)
Amy Weaver (Suffolk)
Diana Weeden (Suffolk)
Sheena West (E Sussex)*
Sally-Anne Wheelwright (W Midlands)
Venetia Wiliams (Herefs)*
Lisa Williamson (Cheshire)
A.M.Woodrow (Bucks)


I've got that list at around 138, give or take one or two out or in since last year. What does look a bit wrong is that I don't know of any other significant female trainers in Ireland which, given the fixtures list and the number of horses, is surprising. I've added in the two female trainers from Jersey as they are very significant on that island and again, I'd love to hear from anyone about more female trainers in France.

True, a lot of that list includes permit holders, but then, so does the list of males. Taking them out from both genders, we're still left with a proportionate ratio.

I'm a bit surprised to find so many names on the list, but I've put an asterisk beside the names of those whose horses who I know have won or placed within the past few months. Laura Mongan, for example, has both Flat and NH animals, while Sheena West specialises in jumps horses, so I've allowed for a bit of success in either code. I'm sure some of you will know where there are more! Feel free to add anyone I've missed.

I don't think there's any special deal about women training horses. God knows they've been riding them for as long as men, but just not allowed to compete against them until very recently. People who like horses, regardless of their gender, will enjoy working with them and shouldn't if they don't. Someone like Gay Kelleway is very focussed and tough as old boots. She recently got some success by running an ordinary little horse in Sweden, for example, where he won more for a place than he'd have won in a whole load of first places on the AW in the UK. There's a lot of shrewdness among the women, mostly because they've had to be sharp-minded in order to overcome the idiocy of male bigotry against them.

As for sexism, its irrational bias against women trainers and jockeys isn't yet quite dead. When men in particular have been practising it for so long, it's hard to break old habits.
 
True enough, there don't seem to be that many in Ireland. Tracey Collins, Mags Mullins and Elizabeth Doyle are about the only names I could add. Maybe it's because Irish women are more effective at forcing their men to work.

Myriam Bollack-Badel and Corinne Barbe are two other French trainers that come to mind.

Tor Sturgis had a winner in the last week or two.
 
Oh, I had Myriam on my list, and left her off! Thanks for the extra Irish ladies, Grey - hah! Forcing the men to work? As barstool polishers and pint mug inspectors, is it? :D (No reverse sexism there, of course... )

Worlwide, there's Gai Waterhouse in Oz, and, uh... erm... :confused:
 
It shouldnt matter of course, given that we have all sorts across genders and races but i would be quite likely drawn towards a female trainer (not for the bedsit frustrated reasons that populated early part of this thread)

As an outsider to the still male dominated world, i reckon they probably have to try that bit harder and are probably more concentious. Either way, ive largely enjoyed dealing with women in business anyway and that is pretty well what it is

Sheena West is having a great season
 
Sheena was totally honest, Clivex, when my chum and I took PLACE THE DUCHESS to her from buying her out of HiT, when she left David Arbuthnot. Sheena prepped her to look like a beauty queen at Brighton, where she was ridden by Neil Chalmers. Disaster struck when she stumbled so sharply, he thought she'd broken a leg (as it turned out, we all did). A week or so later, when visiting her, Sheena just told us we were wasting our money on her and she really didn't think she could ever conjure a win for us.

Now, like a lot of trainers, she could've given us one from Column A and two from Column B in the takeaway menu of training excuses, but she didn't. Because I'd co-bred the horse (with Songsheet, late of this parish), I was desperate to breed something that won, but I soon enough came out of the partnership, while my friend carried on, with Alastair Lidderdale, who was determined to try to squeeze a win from PTD. It never came - 18 months later, she'd placed twice with considerable effort in low-class races only.

Sheena likes owners who leave her to do her job. She's very well-supported in her yard by Marc and Jamie Goldstein and Marc's partner, Carley, is a very good work rider. The other main lass at the yard, Hayley, is also a terrific rider and they all make a tight, knowledgeable team. Anyone who wants a no-fuss trainer at very reasonable rates, visiting welcome any time, wants NH and predominantly the south/south-east tracks, couldn't do much better.

The good thing is that the West family have their own land, and a good income from... sheep! Or more correctly, spring lamb. Mum and Dad have a cottage right alongside Sheena's, and hers is literally feet away from the stables. And for those who like a bit more buzz, she rents out a huge barn to some lads who fine-tune top-class sports cars, so there's also the odd Lambo or Bugatti to admire along with the horses.

The yard isn't elegant and is absolutely no frills, but the horses seem to keep going forever when Sheena's decided they're worth the owner pursuing races, and there isn't one with a stress or anxiety habit, which is something to look for when viewing, I think.
 
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