Author: cubiq-tiago

Member story for Prematurity Awareness Month

November is Prematurity Awareness Month, a global movement to raise awareness of premature birth and the impact it can have on families. We’d like to thank this member for sharing their story in the hope that it helps and supports someone else on their journey. Contact any committee member if you would like to contribute your own member story on any women’s issue.
November is prematurity awareness month and also my daughter’s birthday so it’s poignant opportunity for our family to reflect back on her early arrival and our chaotic start to parenting. I share our story here not to worry anyone (we are all fine now) but to raise awareness of the challenges that come with prematurity and to offer solidarity to anyone who has been or may go through a similar experience.
At 34 weeks into a straight-forward, low-risk pregnancy we went to hospital to check everything was ok during a lunch break following noticing reduced fetal movements. I thought I was being paranoid but my instincts proved true; after 30 minutes on a monitor our lives changed in an instant and our baby girl was delivered by emergency c-section under general anaesthetic, six weeks early and she was in poor condition.
Everyone’s birth story is different but that certainly wasn’t what I was expecting for mine, panicking in the moments before the anaesthetic, my husband shut outside the theatre and coming round hours later unsure how or where our baby was. What followed was a whirlwind of anxiety and NICU (the amazing baby intensive care ward at our local hospital). The care we all received was second-to-none and it was a rollercoaster while she fought through her first weeks of life as we stood by relatively helpless.
Three weeks in NICU felt like three months – from ventilation to feeding worries, jaundice and 24-hour monitoring, surrounded by other parents on the same rollercoaster as us but at different stages and some with unimaginable outcomes. We are the lucky ones and despite our fears she came home and took her time but she is thriving now. She met her development milestones according to her due date, not her earlier birth date which I now understand is normal. A year on we can’t imagine becoming her parents any other way.
My role in racing is mostly home office-based. I am fortunate that my employer was completely helpful and led by me throughout my pregnancy, the emergency birth six weeks before I was due to go on maternity leave and throughout my almost year of maternity leave. I certainly felt I needed that time to adjust and I know that is a luxury that many could not indulge in for their own reasons. I also benefitted from using the Racing Home online hub and rehabilitation programme physio which I recommend to anyone.
If premature birth is something you have experienced or go on to experience there are resources out there to help. Bliss charity and Tommy’s are good places to start and there are others when you search online. It is also encouraging to know that these charities are investing in research to better understand premature birth.
Prematurity can throw up additional challenges with things like infant feeding, sleep, gut health, reflux, starting solids and more and I struggled to find information in the context of premature babies to help me, particularly during that intense ‘fourth trimester’. Not to mention the time it can take to recover emotionally, which can affect all new parents.
In hindsight my advice is to seek out experts, ask for help. DO NOT compare your baby to others it is a thief of joy and they develop at their own pace – there is nothing you can do about it and worrying does not help. I’ve asked myself countless times what I could have done differently to prevent her early arrival and stay in NICU but have found peace (mostly) with the fact I’ll probably never know and that I knew enough at the right time to go to hospital.
It’s worth pointing out that UK statutory paternity leave is two weeks long and our experience showed us that this is not enough. I couldn’t drive post c-section for six weeks and we absolutely needed to be in hospital every day and needed to stick together beyond hospital to adjust to tube feeding and recovering between us. Fortunately my partner is self-employed so he could drop everything but others in NICU alongside us were not so lucky.
Our story has its lasting effects in terms of health anxiety on my part but it taught us our own ability to cope under pressure, how amazingly strong tiny humans can be and how brilliant our health service can be too.
Visit Racing Home for more information on parenting in the racing industry.

Racing Together Industry Day details announced and funded tickets available for small charities

Nottingham Racecourse will host Racing Together Industry Day on 6th February 2025. This key event brings together a range of leaders and active practitioners working across community engagement, in racing and other sports.

The theme of this year’s Racing Together Industry Day is: ‘Transactional or Transformational – the real value of racing’

Baroness Dido Harding, Senior Steward at The Jockey Club is confirmed as the keynote speaker. Other contributors from horseracing; the wider sporting world and across the charity and commercial sectors will be announced in due course.

Delegate prices have been held at this year’s rate and early-bird tickets at £75 are now on sale until 6th January, and can be purchased at www.racingtogether.co.uk/industry-day

The day includes welcome refreshments and lunch. There will also be an opportunity for attendees to meet a very special retired racehorse as part of the event.

John Blake, CEO of Racing Together said: “The support and feedback from the inaugural Industry Day at Ascot and also this year’s event at Chester, evidenced an appetite for honest exploration of the progress and potential of community engagement across racing.

“Building on past themes, while bringing new voices and experiences to our audience is the challenge of this day and will be the measure of its success. The hope is for guest speakers to trigger an assessment of whether racing can claim an authentic role supporting social cohesion, or if its range of community outcomes amount to an intermittent by-product of commercial success.”

Racing Together Industry Day is supported by the HBLB; the Racecourse Association and The Racing Foundation.

The full-day seminar programme and speaker information will follow in due course.

The Racing Foundation has kindly agreed to cover the cost of tickets for up to two representatives of small charities. Email alex@racingtogether.co.uk to apply.

Details and tickets here

Racing Home announces extended funding partnership with the Racing Foundation to improve the lives of working parents and carers in the horseracing industry

Women in Racing is delighted to announce an extended funding partnership with the Racing Foundation to deliver its Racing Home programme throughout 2025.

Racing Home exists to support, educate and empower both employers and employees across the racing industry, including those who are self-employed.

Having supported the initial planning stages of Racing Home since its inception in 2019, and the delivery of its key activities since 2021, the Racing Foundation has awarded a further £91,000 for the next phase of the Racing Home project, which will enable crucial developments to the support programme until the end of October 2025.

Racing Home addresses issues such as pregnancy, maternity, paternity, adoption, shared parental leave, flexible working, self- employment and statutory pay, which are all often considered ‘difficult’ subjects for both employers and employees to address in the racing and breeding industries.

The programme aims to support employers, employees and the self-employed on these subjects and provide accessible information via www.racinghome.org.uk, the ongoing ‘Racing Home’ Podcast Series (available on Apple and Spotify), videos and more.

Women in Racing Chair, Lucy Gurney said: “Women in Racing is grateful for the Racing Foundation’s ongoing support for Racing Home. We’re proud of the research and resulting implementation programme which is helping staff and employers across the industry and removing the taboo around parenting and caring.

“I want to encourage colleagues to visit the Racing Home portal, watch the videos and listen to the podcasts to learn more. Supporting and retaining racing’s working parents is key to our sustainability as a workforce. Thanks go to the Simply Racing team for delivering the programme.”

With funding from the Racing Foundation, priorities for the next phase of Racing Home include:

  • – Further development of the Racing Home Portal, which provides transparent recommendations and legal counsel for both employees and employers, outlining effective strategies for bolstering family support and ensuring the industry’s sustained prosperity.
  • – Continued development of the Post-Pregnancy Rehabilitation and Support Programme, which aims to support working mothers, including jockeys and stable staff, to return to riding and other physical work in racing post-pregnancy. This physiotherapy and rehabilitation programme offers mothers six sessions of physiotherapy, a tailored fitness plan, strength & conditioning support and gym work funded by Racing Welfare’s Workforce Wellbeing Programme.
  • – Recording of further episodes of the Racing Home podcast, which discusses pertinent issues about family and parenthood with trainers, jockeys, researchers, experts and a host of the sport’s decision-makers.
  • – Continued development of education modules for the Thoroughbred racing and breeding community, with the aim of increasing knowledge and understanding of the challenges faced in the workplace, as well as available solutions and practical tips.
  • – Further gathering of data, feedback and ideas around best practice, to be collated and disseminated across the industry and beyond.
  • – Promotion of the services and support offered by Racing Home across the horseracing industry.

Tansy Challis, Racing Foundation Chief Executive said: “At the Racing Foundation, our purpose is to work in partnership with the racing industry to help achieve a sustainable future for the sport.

“Supporting parents and carers is a vital part of this mission, as it will help ensure the racing industry can attract and retain the talented workforce it relies upon.

“By extending our funding of the Racing Home programme, we aim to contribute to a more inclusive and supportive environment for working parents and carers.”

 

For more information please contact:

Lucy Gurney (Chair, Women in Racing): lucy.gurney@womeninracing.co.uk

Dena Merson (Simply Racing): events@simplyracing.uk

Member story for Fertility Awareness Week

This week is Fertility Awareness Week and this year’s initiative highlights the mental health and wellbeing implications of fertility issues. We’d like to thank this member for sharing their story in the hope that it helps and supports someone else on their journey. Contact any committee member if you would like to contribute your own member story on any women’s issue.

Member Story

“When are you having kids then?” I dreaded hearing those words. Married for 4 years and over 30, it seemed like the world and his wife thought my sex life should be a matter of public record.

Infertility is one of those subjects that no one likes to talk about and if you do bring it up you are often met with an uncomfortable silence or well-meaning but, frankly, patronising advice – “Have you just tried relaxing?” was one such pearl of wisdom offered to me.

I am one of the lucky ones, thanks to our wonderful NHS I have been able to have two children but plenty of women, including women I met along my fertility journey who are now close friends, are not as fortunate. According to the NHS, 1 in 7 couples will encounter some type of fertility problem during their journey to parenthood. The stats also tell us that 8 out of 10 couples will conceive, if the woman is under 40, within 2 years as long as they are having regular sex.

But what happens if those months and years go by and you’ve yet to have any success?

My journey on the infertility road began when I failed to have a period in over a year despite coming off hormonal contraception. I was sent for a multitude of tests resulting in a diagnosis of PCOS – Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. I’d never heard of it before, but research told me that it is believed to affect as many as 1 in 10 women. Reading the long list of symptoms, it became clear that I’d been showing signs of the condition since puberty (irregular periods, frequent acne breakouts, unwanted hair, etc). As it is only in recent years that doctors have learned more about it, my symptoms had been dismissed at the time as just “one of those things” and I’d been put on the contraceptive pill at 16.

Whilst the NHS staff I came into contact with were empathetic and unfailingly supportive, especially when I cried on their shoulders through countless appointments, you can’t get away from the indignity of the tests you have to go through – internal scans (sarcastically christened “DildoCam” by one of my fellow “barrens”, as we referred to ourselves), an HSG (where dye is injected into your womb and fallopian tubes to check for blockages – not the most pleasant experience I’ve ever had) and a hysteroscopy (camera inspection of the womb) under general anaesthetic for me, plus countless sperm tests for my husband to make sure he didn’t have issues too.

Infertility is an emotional rollercoaster with occasional highs and soul-destroying lows – no matter how many times you see that “negative” pregnancy test, it still hits you like a punch to the stomach. And all this time you are putting on a brave face to the outside world and smiling “happily” when friends/family/colleagues tell you they are expecting.

Society still seems to think of infertility as taboo and almost shameful – I mean you’re warned about how easy it is to get pregnant during Sex-Ed at school right? Reproduction – it’s a fundamental part of life, and here I am failing at it. Failing at being a woman. At least, that is how it felt to me.

As time went on and appointments became part of my routine I was able to see the funny side, occasionally. If you can’t laugh you’ll cry and I’d already done a lot of that! Having worked in racing and bloodstock for so long I was able to joke with the nurses at the fertility clinic that I knew now how the broodmares felt – poked and prodded, blood samples taken, internal scans to check the number of follicles on my ovaries and injections of hormones to get my cycle going. At least I didn’t have to stand in the stocks!

2.5 years after my diagnosis and after several failed treatment types, I finally conceived on my third month of Ovulation Induction (OI) treatment – similar to IVF in that you have to inject yourself with daily hormones to trigger follicle growth, tracked with scans every few days to make sure you are not overstimulating and then given a trigger injection to force ovulation. At least the act of conception was done the old-fashioned way.

About 18 months later I started the process again for my second child and thankfully, as we knew what my issues were, we were able to jump straight back into OI, after my husband and I had undergone some routine health checks and waited for an available slot at the busy fertility clinic. Again, I conceived on the third cycle of treatment and 3 years and 1 month to the day after Child #1 had arrived, Child #2 made a dramatic entrance into the world – but that is another story.

I was lucky in many ways, not just in having a supportive husband and a handful of close friends to confide in, but once I knew the path I had to go down I informed my employer who couldn’t have been more accommodating in allowing me the necessary time off to attend appointments, and the occasional duvet day when the emotional toll began to get on top of me.

I am more than happy to talk about my experiences now, but in the depths of it all you can feel like you are the only one walking this road. So next time you start to ask a woman that question – “When are you having kids?”, just pause for a moment. She might just be dreading hearing it.

Help and support

For information and support on your own fertility journey you can visit Racing Home here to read advice and guidance. Alternatively just type ‘fertility’ into the search bar on racinghome.org.uk.

WiR re-launch Bursary Programme

WiR is pleased to announce its updated Bursary Programme. The bursary aims to champion women’s advancement in the workplace, supporting the further development and professional growth of WiR members. Since its inception it has funded HGV licenses, media training, research projects, counselling qualifications and much more.

Funds for the programme are gathered through fundraising efforts by the WiR Committee and WiR members.

The WiR Bursary Programme is open to all members of WiR. The awards are up to the value of £2,000. Each application is considered on a case-by-case basis on its merits.

What has changed?

  • – The bursary objectives have been updated – you can find them here
  • – Application windows are now 1st May – 30th June and 1st November – 31st December each year. The panel can consider applications outside of these windows with mitigating information, on a case-by-case basis so please still apply if the windows don’t fit your timeline.
  • – The application process is clearer and easier.

What to expect?

Steph Swanney, WiR committee member and bursary lead said: “We’re pleased to update and refresh the bursary programme and look forward to supporting more women throughout their careers. We encourage anyone considering applying to get in touch via email, the website or completing the form for additional information and support.”

View and apply here

Racing Towards a Sustainable Future: Kindred & Racing Home

On Wednesday 16th October, Kindred Group welcomed WiR to their Wimbledon UK head office to share Racing Home updates among staff and the WomenKind network. The panel discussion and Q&A was streamed further afield across Kindred offices.

For over three years Kindred has co-funded the Racing Home programme as part of its pioneering sustainable sport sponsorship model, supporting both the return to riding rehabilitation programme and communication and outreach pillars.

The panel:

  • Lucy Gurney – Chair, Women in Racing, Racing Home
  • Dena Merson – Founding Consultant & Leadership Coach, Simply Racing
  • Dr Kate Clayton Hathway – Oxford Brookes Research
  • Ed Nicholson – Head of Kindred Group Racing
  • Panel Chair: Lesya Liskevych, Kindred Head of Product Analytics

Lucy Gurney, Chair of Women in Racing said: “It was a great experience to speak to Kindred and Unibet staff about Racing Home and to hear how engaged they were with the programme during the Q&A session. We would like to thank Kindred and in particular Ed Nicholson for the ongoing support which helps us to continue making a positive impact for racing’s workforce.”

Racing Foundation Conference Report from WiR Member Ariana

My name is Ariana Sienkiewicz, and I had the pleasure of attending the Racing Foundation’s conference on October 2nd at Ascot Racecourse. It was an incredibly insightful experience that gave me a fresh perspective on the racing industry and its future.

The discussions about advancing welfare, fostering diversity, and building a more sustainable sport were especially inspiring.

It was clear how dedicated the British racing industry and Racing Foundation is to driving positive change, and it was fantastic to connect with so many people who share a deep commitment to the future of racing. This experience has motivated me to be part of this important work and I am grateful to Women in Racing and the Racing Foundation for making the funded tickets available to members.

About Ariana

I’ve been around horses for most of my life, but it’s only in the last few years that I’ve managed to turn this passion into a career. This year, I achieved a major milestone by earning my jockey license in Poland – a dream that I’ve worked toward with dedication and a lot of hard work. As an exercise rider and newly licensed jockey, I’m eager to deepen my knowledge of the racing industry and continue developing my skills. Events like this conference are invaluable for building connections and gaining insights that will help me make a meaningful impact in racing. I’m excited to see what the future holds and to be part of a sport that has been such a big part of my life.

Panel announced for WiR AGM

wir 4 years

Join us at 12.30pm on Wednesday 23rd October for our Annual General Meeting.

Hear latest updates and key information from the Women in Racing committee, and look ahead to future plans.

To include a panel discussion with the theme “On equal terms: women in racing through time”

An interactive exploration of the roles of women in British horseracing. Charting successes, changes over time, and opportunities for improvement.

Broadcaster Aly Vance will host the panel, including:

Ali Donnelly

Ali Donnelly is the CEO of More than Equal, an organisation dedicated to finding the first female Formula 1 world champion. She joined More than Equal with wide experience in sport, communications and marketing.

At Sport England she was an Executive Director, looking after marketing, communications, digital and innovation. In her time there, she led communications for some of the most high-profile moments in UK sport including the publication of the Whyte Review, which explored abuse in British Gymnastics, while she also oversaw major campaigns including the award winning This Girl Can which encourages women and girls to be more active.

Prior to this she held senior communications roles for the UK Government, where her positions included Deputy Official Spokesperson and Head of News for Prime Minister Theresa May at Downing Street and Head of News at HM Treasury.She has also held senior communications and marketing roles at Premiership rugby club Wasps and BBC.

She is heavily involved in women’s rugby in a variety of roles, including founding the award-winning website Scrumqueens.com and she has recently published the first book exploring the 100 years + history of the game. Ali started her career after graduating with a degree in politics, as a journalist at the Evening Echo newspaper in Ireland.

Dr Kate Clayton Hathway

Dr Kate Clayton-Hathway, is an Associate Researcher with the Centre for Diversity Policy Research and Practice at Oxford Brookes Business School. She led both the 2017 diversity project for the horseracing industry and the 2020 Racing Home study. Kate’s research specialism is in gender equality within organisational structures, and she is particularly interested in promoting progressive institutional change. She is also an activist, and supports a women’s educational charity in Oxfordshire.

Lyndon Roberts

Lyndon Roberts is a seasoned professional with over a decade of experience advancing diversity and inclusion within the sports industry. Throughout his career, he has championed initiatives that foster equity, representation, and inclusivity, particularly for women in sports. His insights have contributed to creating more inclusive environments across various sports governing bodies including football, rugby, netball and currently in motorsport. Lyndon brings an experience of Horseracing having been Head of D&I for 12 months at the BHA and a strong commitment to driving positive change in the sector.

Tara Warren

Tara is an Independent Non-Executive Director, at the British Horseracing Authority. Tara formally took up her appointment on 1 December 2023, having been acting in an observer capacity on the BHA Board since May 2023. Tara is an Executive Director and Board member at West Ham United Football Club. She has a strong commercial background and extensive experience in digital marketing. Tara leads the delivery of the club’s strategic and commercial priorities, including its broadcast rights, stadium and stakeholder management, domestic and international growth and digital and data functions. She is also the Director responsible for the club’s equality, diversity, and inclusion strategy. Tara is the BHA Board’s Diversity & Inclusion Champion.

A regular racegoer, prior to joining West Ham, Tara held a number of marketing, commercial and business development roles, including with estates management company, Savills UK, Romford-based shopping and leisure centre, The Brewery, and Morgan Stanley.

Panel discussion:

As a sport where female jockeys compete on equal terms with their male counterparts, British racing has been ahead of many other sports in terms of participation. Women are trailblazing at the highest levels competitively and in the boardroom and circa 70% of racing school intake is female. We ask – how can we better support and retain our female workforce, and strive to lead the sport industry in enabling women to succeed?

During the discussion our expert panellists will cover: progress and areas to celebrate, what are the gaps, how can the sport retain more of its female workforce and what are the issues? The panel will also explore Dr Eleanor Boden’s PhD research summary ‘Where did all the girls go?’, published in December 2023.

This free webinar is available to all, regardless of gender or WiR membership. Book your place here.

Baroness Dido Harding joins WiR Mentoring Programme

Women in Racing (WiR) is delighted to announce that Baroness Dido Harding, Senior Steward of The Jockey Club, has joined its flagship mentoring programme.

As an amateur rider Dido rode 25 winners in point to points and hunter chases, and her horse Cool Dawn won the 1998 Cheltenham Gold Cup. She has been a member of the Jockey Club since 2004, and previously sat on the board of Cheltenham Racecourse and Racecourse Holdings Trust (now Jockey Club Racecourses).  Beyond racing, Dido’s career spans retailing with Sainsbury and Tesco, telecoms as CEO of TalkTalk and the public sector in the NHS and Bank of England. 

Dido can support mentees on strategy, business change and transformation, sitting on and chairing boards and on juggling career, family and riding.

The WiR mentoring programme is the only official initiative of its kind in the racing industry. A free benefit to all WiR members, applying to take part in the programme is simple via the WiR website mentoring page. Since its inception the programme has supported the growth and development of 125+ mentoring partnerships. Its alumni includes women working at the highest levels of the sport.

With more than 40 mentors based across Great Britain and beyond representing all aspects of racing, and giving their time and expertise for free, it is a fantastic opportunity for women working in the industry to seek advice on their careers, increase their network and professional development.

Each mentoring partnership is supported in confidence by Cheryl Caves on the WiR committee, who said: “We are delighted to be welcoming Baroness Dido Harding to the programme as a mentor, following our successful event at Dalham Hall in August where she gave fascinating insights as part of our panel discussion.

“We were extremely grateful to Dawn Laidlaw and the team at Godolphin for hosting and providing a wonderful backdrop to the day, and to our panellists who gave up their time. The panel discussion touched on broad themes of mentoring and women’s experiences in the racing industry and the panellists gave honest, and entertaining, answers. We have received several new mentoring enquiries following the event and of course we encourage anyone who is interested in finding out more to get in touch. I’m very much looking forward to hosting similar events in 2025.”

Find out more about our mentors here.