Carrie Ford
- Charities, Current or Former Jockey, Emotional Resilience, Racing Yards, Racing Yards and Teams
Carrie Ford has over twenty years’ experience working directly in the horseracing industry. Having studied thoroughbred horse management at Witney College, she went on to gain valuable experience working for leading trainers in Ireland, Canada, America and New Zealand prior to setting up a racehorse training establishment in the North West with her (former) husband Richard Ford.
She combined her assistant trainer role with holding an amateur rider/professional Jockey Licence, 1987-2005. During that time she was twice Champion Lady National Hunt Amateur Rider, and six times North Western Area Point to Point Champion Lady Rider. Winning just under 100 races in total, from over 700 rides, her most notable achievements in the saddle are winning The Foxhunters’ Chase, Aintree in 2004 on Forest Gunner (10 weeks after having a baby) and finishing 5th on the same horse in the following years Grand National, becoming only the third female Jockey to complete the course. She also represented Great Britain in Amateur Flat Races in Austria, Bratislava, Czechoslovakia and Malta.
In 2014, Carrie was awarded an Honorary Master of Arts degree by Chester University, in recognition of her outstanding contribution to British Horseracing.
She is currently the northern region Education Officer for Racing to School; a charity which runs several Education Programmes and delivers free outdoor learning activities for young people at racecourses, studs and trainers’ yards across the country.
Meet the Women in Racing Mentors
Yvonne Carr
- Administration, Education, Former Amateur Rider, Former Permit Holder, Personal Development, Racing Yards, Racing Yards and Teams, Working with Boards
Baroness Dido Harding
- Change management, Corporate Governance, Current or Former Jockey, Former Amateur Rider, Leadership, Politics, Working with Boards
Helena Flynn
- Corporate Governance, Education, Equestrian Sport, Leadership, Personal Development, Working with Boards
Debbie Knott
- Administration, Charities, Health and Wellbeing, Leadership, Personal Development, Racing Yards, Tech
Hetta Harris
- Education, Emotional Resilience, Leadership, Maternity Support, Mentors for Mums, Racehorse Trainer, Racing Yards, Racing Yards and Teams, Safeguarding
Ali White
- Career Coaching, Education, Maternity Support, Mentors for Mums, Personal Development, Racing Yards, Racing Yards and Teams, Safeguarding
Heather Johnson
- Education, Equestrian Sport, Leadership, Maternity Support, Mentors for Mums, Personal Development, Racing Yards, Racing Yards and Teams, Safeguarding
Cheryl Caves
- Administration, Bloodstock, Leadership, Maternity Support, Menopause, Mentors for Mums, Networking, Personal Development, Working with Boards
Dominique Tortice
- Education, Equestrian Sport, Leadership, Maternity Support, Mentors for Mums, Personal Development, Racing Yards, Racing Yards and Teams, Safeguarding
Rose Grissell
- Corporate Governance, Diversity and Inclusion, Health and Wellbeing, Maternity Support, Mentors for Mums, Safeguarding, Working with Boards
Alison Horan
- Bloodstock, Charities, Global Industry, Leadership, Marketing, Working with Boards
Anne Lambert
- Career Coaching, Charities, Corporate Governance, Leadership, Working with Boards
Charlotte Osborne
- Career Coaching, Corporate Governance, Education, Equestrian Sport, Leadership, Personal Development, Safeguarding
Chloe Martin
- Bloodstock, Charities, Education, Leadership, Media, Personal Development, Safeguarding, Working with Boards
Claire Kubler
- Bloodstock, Equine Science, Personal Development, Racehorse Trainer, Racing Yards and Teams
Claire Sheppard
- Bloodstock, Charities, Corporate Governance, Education, Leadership, Politics, Racecourses, Safeguarding, Working with Boards
Clare Blakely
- Insurance, Leadership, Mentors for Mums, Networking, Personal Development, Racing Yards, Recruitment, Working with Boards
Dawn Laidlaw
- Bloodstock, Career Coaching, Diversity and Inclusion, Education, Leadership, Personal Development, Working with Boards
Dena Merson
- Bloodstock, Career Coaching, Diversity and Inclusion, Emotional Resilience, Leadership, Personal Development
Di Farrell-Thomas
- Change management, Corporate Governance, Diversity and Inclusion, Education, Emotional Resilience, Equestrian Sport, Health and Wellbeing, Leadership, Personal Development, Politics, Racecourses, Safeguarding, Working with Boards
Dr Eleanor Boden
- Career Coaching, Charities, Diversity and Inclusion, Education, Personal Development, Safeguarding
Eileen Harte
- Bloodstock, Career Coaching, Charities, Leadership, Personal Development, Racing Yards and Teams
Emma Sayer
- Charities, Current or Former Jockey, Education, Equestrian Sport, Personal Development, Racing Yards, Safeguarding
Gemma Waterhouse
- Change management, Charities, Corporate Governance, Equestrian Sport, Leadership, Safeguarding, Working with Boards
Helene Sharrock
- Career Coaching, Diversity and Inclusion, Emotional Resilience, Health and Wellbeing, Leadership, Mental Health Support, Personal Development, Working with Boards
Jayne Greenman
- Career Coaching, Corporate Governance, Diversity and Inclusion, Emotional Resilience, Health and Wellbeing, Leadership, Mentors for Mums, Personal Development, Racecourses, Safeguarding, Working with Boards
Lisa Hancock
- Charities, Corporate Governance, Current or Former Jockey, Leadership, Racecourses, Safeguarding, Working with Boards
Louise Stewart
- Career Coaching, Corporate Governance, Leadership, Personal Development, Racecourses, Working with Boards
Lucy Attwood
- Career Coaching, Change management, Corporate Governance, Diversity and Inclusion, Emotional Resilience, Leadership, Personal Development, Working with Boards
Lucy Gurney
- Charities, Education, Equine Facilitated Learning, Leadership, Mentors for Mums, Racing Yards and Teams, Working with Boards
Lynn Tomkins
- Career Coaching, Change management, Diversity and Inclusion, Education, Leadership, Personal Development
Pip Kirkby
- Career Coaching, Charities, Equestrian Sport, Leadership, Racecourses, Working with Boards
Rachel Flynn
- Bloodstock, Current or Former Jockey, Leadership, Legal, Racehorse Trainer, Racing Yards and Teams
Sarah Guest
- Emotional Resilience, Leadership, Mentors for Mums, Personal Development, Racing Yards, Racing Yards and Teams, Safeguarding
Simone Sear
- Career Coaching, Charities, Corporate Governance, Diversity and Inclusion, Health and Wellbeing, Leadership, Mental Health Support, Personal Development, Safeguarding
Susannah Gill
- Betting Industry, Diversity and Inclusion, Emotional Resilience, Media, Mentors for Mums, Networking, Personal Development, Politics
Tallulah Wilson
- Betting Industry, Bloodstock, Corporate Governance, Diversity and Inclusion, Mentors for Mums, Personal Development, Working with Boards
Zoe Elliot
- Charities, Diversity and Inclusion, Education, Leadership, Maternity Support, Menopause, Mentors for Mums, Personal Development, Safeguarding