ENGLISH TEXTS on horseback, I wasn’ t bothered, just more out of breath.” Being a pregnant woman galloping on the tracks earned Céline Lequien a lot of criticism, rarely expressed directly to her, but reported …“ Damien and I felt ready to have this child, even if in our profession there is never an ideal moment. The yard was doing well and if I hadn’ t been able to work anymore, I could have found help. But only my partner and I were legitimate to decide what to do.”
Economic and Psychological Pressure It is never easy for a woman business owner, especially in racing, to take time off work, as shown by Louisa Carberry, three-time winner of the Grand Steeplechase de Paris as a trainer. With her husband Philip, they became parents to Sophie, now eight years old.“ It is difficult for sportswomen to put their careers on pause, but we don’ t have our whole life to have a child! In our jobs it is never really the right time … I stopped jumping my horses as soon as I realized I was pregnant, at four months, but I kept riding until the seventh month. We know there is a risk, even the kindest horse can stumble, but we also know what we are capable of. I gained twenty kilos and had a C-section so I no longer had any abs. I started riding again three or four weeks after Sophie was born and struggled to get fit again.” For these women in exposed roles, whether trainers or jockeys, mental pressure does not drop when they are pregnant or on maternity / sick leave. It is often the opposite.“ Right after giving birth, my horses had a very bad weekend on the racecourses,” recalls Louisa.“ Owners tried to reach me. I texted them saying I was in hospital. Some warmly congratulated me, but I felt others weren’ t very understanding and didn’ t find it normal that I wasn’ t at the yard. As soon as I got home, I went back to checking the lots in the morning, partly by choice but also by necessity.” Hugues Leclercq, Director of Support for racing stable employees at AFASEC ¹, states that the birth rate is lower among women in the racing sector than in the rest of society, although he does not know to what extent. Indeed, Céline Lequien does not plan to have a second child:“ I got back in the saddle one week after giving birth, I had no trouble recovering my fitness. And my employee broke his arm at that moment so I went back full time! But for me it was unthinkable to leave Romy with a childminder. We had planned to do so, but it was too hard. My mother came to look after her at home. Romy wakes up at 2 a. m. to eat, I get up at 4 a. m. to start my day … it’ s intense. I wouldn’ t have enough time for another baby.” Same analysis for Louisa Carberry:“ As a good Irishman, my husband would have been happy to have six children! But Sophie already needs a lot of attention. She went to a childminder in Senonnes from three weeks old, from 6 a. m. to 1 p. m., Monday to Saturday. I had no choice and I told myself she was better there than with me at the yard. That allowed me to focus fully on my job. At first it was easy to take her in the stroller for evening stables, but as she grew up she started running everywhere with no awareness of danger. Those years were very hard to manage. Today Sophie is eight so it’ s easier, especially as she loves horses. Her early childhood has accustomed her to travelling and to meeting people.” Depending on the area in which these women work, it is not always easy to find childcare during unusual“ atypical” working hours. On major training centres, AFASEC has set up childminding houses run by registered childminders.“ We have six facilities for which we carried out the works to ensure quality standards,” explains Hugues Leclercq.“ Children are welcomed from 5:30 a. m. The houses each offer twelve places in Pau, La Teste, Chazey-sur-Ain and for trotting racing at Grosbois. In Cabriès near Marseille, we have a micro-crèche. A brandnew childminders’ house will soon be inaugurated in Chantilly.” Financial support is offered to families using an accredited childminder, depending on the parents’ situation, up to € 300 per month, in addition to existing social benefits. The racing industry is gradually adapting to the presence of women, all the more essential as many vacancies remain unfilled, due to a lack of candidates. Women must be encouraged to join the sector and remain in it, but progress is slow and the specific nature of the work creates additional challenges. Although no law specifies at what stage of pregnancy a woman must stop riding, doctors tend to put them on sick leave quickly to avoid any risk. Ideally, a pregnant woman could take on a less physical role, but this is almost impossible, as Hugues Leclercq points out:“ Groom work is also strenuous.
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