Category: Racing Home

Women in Racing, in collaboration with Racing Home, proudly launched Mentors for Mums (M4M) at the Women in Racing Summit at York Racecourse on 14 May. This new initiative is an expansion of WiR’s flagship mentoring programme and is designed to offer dedicated peer-to-peer support for mothers working across the racing industry.

M4M connects women with mentors from all areas of the racing sector – from grassroots roles to corporate leadership – and at every stage of motherhood. Whether planning a family, navigating pregnancy and maternity leave, returning to work, balancing career with childcare, or guiding teenagers through key life transitions, M4M offers a supportive network of experienced peers who understand the unique challenges of raising a family and parenting within the industry.

Dana Mellor, Racing Home Project Lead, commented: “Mentors for Mums, Women in Racing’s latest initiative, represents a vital step forward in supporting mothers in racing. Sometimes the greatest impact comes from simply knowing someone is in your corner. With M4M, no parent working in racing needs to navigate this path alone.”

Cheryl Caves, WiR Mentoring Lead, said: “We are incredibly grateful to the Racing Home team for identifying this important area of need within our industry. Women in Racing is proud to offer Mentors for Mums as a natural extension of our established mentoring programme, which has successfully supported and guided women in racing for over 12 years.

M4M is one of several benefits open to all WiR members, and the depth of knowledge and lived experience within the mentor network is truly unparalleled. As someone who has worked in the racing industry for 25 years – and as a mum to two young children – I know just how valuable it is to have a friendly, understanding voice on the other end of the phone during those demanding early years.”

M4M is available to all WiR members at no cost. Applications for support should be made via the WiR website.

More information here

Women in Racing (WiR) has become the latest signatory of IWG’s Brighton plus Helsinki Declaration, highlighting their on-going commitment to supporting and developing the British horseracing industry’s female employees.

The Declaration is an internationally recognised treaty comprising 10 principles to support the ongoing development of a more fair and equitable system of sport and physical activity, fully inclusive of women and girls. The signing took place during the Women in Racing Summit at York Racecourse, with IWG’s Secretary General Lisa O’Keefe MBE also joining a panel discussion on “Work, Life & Winning: balancing career ambition, personal life and wellbeing”.

WiR is a network of professionals working across the sport of horseracing with the aim to enhance the profile and development of their peers, with a goal to introduce more women into racing and enrich the sport. Amongst their work, WiR offers an events programme, a bursary to support personal development and a mentoring programme with over 50 mentors from across the industry and beyond. They initiated the first piece of industry research that looked at equality and diversity in the sport in partnership with Oxford Brookes University and have since developed a research and implementation programme called Racing Home that pro-actively supports work-life balance and parenting in the racing industry. They have also recently been funded to conduct research into menopause in the horseracing industry, an industry first.

Lucy Gurney, Chair of Women in Racing, said: “We’re delighted to sign the IWG Women and Sport Brighton plus Helsinki declaration to further underline our commitment to supporting British horseracing’s female workforce.

“As WiR continues to grow we look forward to supporting more women through our mentoring and bursary programmes, events and research and culture change projects, including Racing Home and Menopause.”

Lisa O’Keefe MBE, Secretary General at IWG, said: “It was a pleasure to attend the Women in Racing Summit today, and to welcome WiR as the latest signatory of IWG’s Declaration.

“It was fascinating to hear what WiR understand about the experiences of women in their industry, and in particular the challenges at different life stages which result in so many women leaving the sport.  It was also impressive to hear what WiR and the racing industry are doing to address that loss of talent through the creation of resources and programmes to tackle the issues head on.

“As the global ‘network of networks’, our role is to ensure that knowledge of what works flows through the networks. WiR is a brilliant example of a network working collaboratively with the industry and its members to address the challenges and opportunities which have come to light through research, and not from anecdotes. They are striving to meet the needs of women from across the industry, providing useful resources for both employers and employees. Creating environments where women can thrive and talent is retained is not only the right answer, but it simply makes good business sense.

“I’m so pleased we are able to share the work of WiR with the wider IWG network.”

The Women in Racing Summit was generously sponsored by York Racecourse, RWK Goodman and Tattersalls and saw the launch of Mentors4Mums as part of the Racing Home programme, and the announcement of the industry’s first Menopause Workshops, led by Dr Kate Clayton Hathway and funded by FDJ United (Unibet) as part of a wider research piece focussing on menopause and mid-life.

The Horseracing Industry People Board (HIPB) has secured funding from the Racing Foundation and Horserace Betting Levy Board (HBLB) to support the implementation of its immediate programme of activity for 2025.

The funding approval follows the publication earlier this year of Our People, Racing’s Future – an industry-backed strategy to attract and retain a highly skilled and well supported workforce across British racing and breeding.

The Racing Foundation and HBLB have agreed funding grants of £489,929 and £269,438 respectively – a combined contribution of over £759,000 – to ensure initial activity for 2025 can start to be delivered.

These grants will support several new initiatives and provide continuity funding for ongoing programmes of work, including:

• A substance misuse pilot – Building on the work of the Newmarket Substance Misuse Support Network to pilot drug and alcohol testing, education and support in training yards and studs. This work is being led by the National Trainers Federation, National Association of Racing Staff and Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association.
• Mentoring training and qualification pilot – Standardising and aligning existing programmes by introducing an industry-recognised standard for training and qualification in mentoring. Training will be rolled out as part of the Racing Staff Development Programme, with skill-sharing opportunities and peer-to-peer support.
• A workforce analysis and forecast – Developing a better understanding of the industry’s existing skills level, with an initial focus on training yards, to more accurately identify and predict development opportunities and industry recruitment priorities.
• Racing Home (continuity funding) – an ongoing project to improve the working lives of parents and carers, with a particular focus on encouraging and supporting women to work and remain working in the industry.
• JETS jockey coaching (continuity funding) – to support the enhanced training element of the jockey coaching programme while the HIPB works with the Jockeys Education & Training Scheme (JETS), British Racing School and the Racing Staff Development Programme to develop an aligned industry approach to coaching and training provision.

Alongside the specific initiatives, the funding will support additional roles in the HIPB programme team, based within the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), with new recruitment into key delivery positions and existing personnel retained to oversee the successful implementation of the three-year strategy.

The bolstered team will be led by newly appointed Programme Director Jon Pett, who will take up his role in early May. Jon has a strong background in sport, having worked in senior leadership and performance director roles at Pentathlon GB, British Cycling and Table Tennis England.

He will oversee the coordination and delivery of the activity identified in the workforce strategy as an immediate priority for 2025, including in the following areas, where work is already underway or soon to begin:

• Expanding vocational training to equip new entrants into the industry with essential skills
• Reviewing and redesigning the trainer licence course
• Developing a rider development pathway
• Strengthening mental and physical wellbeing support services
• Creating and embedding clearer, more consistent employment standards
• Analysing and building data sets to inform ongoing decision-making.

The funding from the Racing Foundation and HBLB forms part of an overall £4.2 million contribution to wider people-related activity across British racing and breeding during 2025.

Julia Tyson, Chair of the Horseracing Industry People Board, said:

“We are very grateful to the Racing Foundation and Horserace Betting Levy Board for providing this vital funding to support the HIPB’s immediate programme of activity for 2025.

“This is a significant additional investment in racing’s people, which will allow us to deliver new activity and accelerate work already underway, with an immediate focus on supporting those in horse-facing roles.

“I am also delighted to welcome Jon Pett to the role of HIPB programme director. Jon is a highly experienced leader, with an impressive background in sport and a strong track record of workforce programme management and delivery.

“He will work closely with the industry people team within the BHA and industry stakeholders as we implement our strategy and start to make a positive and meaningful difference to the lives of racing’s workforce.”

Tansy Challis, Chief Executive at the Racing Foundation, said:

“The Racing Foundation is pleased to support the Horseracing Industry People Board (HIPB) and its partners with this collaborative grant of up to £489,929. This funding ensures continuity for vital programmes such as the Jockey Coaching Programme and Racing Home, while also piloting new initiatives in mentoring and substance misuse support.

“Supporting these programmes alongside key individuals responsible for delivering crucial elements of the HIPB strategy, in alignment with the British Horseracing Authority, Industry Programme Group and other industry funders, emphasises our commitment to the wellbeing, development and long-term sustainability of the racing workforce.”

Alan Delmonte, Chief Executive of the Horserace Betting Levy Board (HBLB), said:

“The Horserace Betting Levy Board has awarded grants of up to £269,438 for 2025 to support the Horseracing Industry People Board (HIPB) staff costs and the ‘Workforce Analysis and Forecast Project’. The Board has supported the HIPB since its inception and has agreed further support during the implementation phase of the workforce strategy.”

Lucy Gurney, Chair of Women in Racing, said:

“We are grateful to the HIPB and the Racing Foundation for continuing to support our work on Racing Home. This important programme of work supports parents in our industry to thrive, through the Racing Home portal (rights, entitlements and more guidance), through podcasts, videos, events and of course the free-to-access return to riding rehabilitation programme. Join us at our WiR Summit at York next month to find out more about the programme. With thanks to Simply Racing who deliver Racing Home and co-funders FDJ United (Unibet) and RWK Goodman.”

Women in Racing is delighted to announce receipt of further funding from the Racing Foundation for the pioneering ‘Racing Home’ Project. This funding will enable the project to continue its crucial objective in supporting employers, employees, and the self-employed who are trying to balance professional demands with familial responsibilities.

Racing Home, founded with the primary objective of supporting the workforce in horseracing, has received universal acclaim for the support it is giving to the racing community, particularly working mothers. Now, with renewed funding, the programme is poised to further expand its reach and effectiveness, benefiting both employees and employers alike.

The Racing Home Programme has consistently demonstrated its commitment to addressing the unique challenges faced by parents and carers in the sport. In offering tailored support, resources, and signposting, www.racinghome.org.uk, the programme seeks to advise and support both employers and employees wishing to thrive in the industry.

Accompanying the announcement of continuity funding, Racing Home unveils its latest video, offering a compelling insight into the future path of the project. Capturing the essence of Racing Home’s vision and aspirations, the video showcases innovative strategies aimed at helping sustain and retain people in the industry while fostering a culture of inclusivity and support within the horseracing community. Through poignant narratives and powerful visuals, the video demonstrates Racing Home’s unwavering commitment to drive positive change and enhance the well-being of all those involved in the industry.

As Racing Home embarks on its next chapter, it remains steadfast in its commitment to championing work-life balance in the horseracing community and caring for the people who are the bedrock of the racing industry. With unwavering support and dedication of so many people who have participated in the programme, Racing Home looks forward to continuing to shape a brighter, more equitable future for all involved in the sport.

For more information about the Racing Home Programme and to view the latest video, please visit www.racinghome.org.uk

Lucy Gurney, Women in Racing Chair, said: “Women in Racing is so proud of Racing Home; this video showcases just part of the programme and some of our wonderful ambassadors. We encourage racing’s employers and employees seeking more information around parenting and caring to visit www.racinghome.org.uk and also listen to the excellent podcast episodes. Thanks go to the Racing Foundation for their ongoing support and to the Simply Racing team.”

Tansy Challis, Chief Executive of the Racing Foundation, said: “Supporting and retaining working parents and carers is a vital component in ensuring a sustainable workforce for British racing. The Racing Foundation is proud to be supporting the continued development of the Racing Home programme, having contributed to the set-up, pilot, and initial phases of the project. Feedback has been extremely positive, and we look forward to seeing the impact it will have on both employees and employers through further expanding its reach.”