Racing Has the Appetite for These Conversations. Now It Needs More of Them.
More than 60 people registered for a free webinar on safeguarding in racing last month. That number alone tells you something.
"Safe to Say: Turning Concerns into Conversations", hosted by Women in Racing on 24 June, was built around a deceptively simple idea: that everyone working in or around the sport deserves to feel safe, respected and heard. Led by Annabel Timmins and supported by the British Horseracing Authority, the session examined the barriers that stop people from raising concerns, what good listening looks like, and the practical steps that can begin to shift culture from the inside.
The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. But perhaps more telling than what people said afterwards is the fact that they showed up in the first place. In a sport that has not always found it easy to talk openly about welfare and inappropriate behaviour, that kind of engagement is not nothing. It is a signal.
Cheryl Caves, Chair of Women in Racing, recognised it as such. "Everyone has a role to play in creating safer environments, and this webinar is one part of building momentum towards that goal," she said. "We hope that starting the conversation in this way has both increased awareness and empowered people to keep talking. It was truly encouraging to see so many people come together to attend."
For Annabel Timmins, the turnout confirmed what she had suspected. "The level of attendance and engagement showed there is a real appetite to have these conversations," she said. "When people are willing to talk openly about inappropriate behaviour and how to challenge it, we take an important step towards creating a safer, more respectful racing industry for women."
The appetite is there. The question now is whether the sport's governing bodies and organisations are willing to meet it. Events like this do not happen by accident. They require someone to decide that welfare is worth investing in, that a conversation facilitated well is worth an afternoon, and that the people working in racing deserve the tools to speak up and be heard. Women in Racing made that decision. Others can too.
To find out more about the work Women in Racing is doing on welfare and safeguarding, or to get in touch with the team, visit womeninracing.co.uk/contact.
Women in Racing's next event takes place on 17 July at The National Stud in Newmarket. "Beyond the Title: Redefining Leadership in Horseracing" brings together a panel discussion, networking lunch and stud tour. Find out more at womeninracing.co.uk/events.
