Jenny Pitman

Jenny Pitman OBE is a legendary racehorse trainer and author. She was born in 1946 and grew up on a farm in Leicestershire. She told her father that if she couldn't spend all her time with horses, she'd join a circus and at the age of 15 she left school and began working - in stables.

In the 70s, Jenny Pitman opened her own stables and began her career as a national hunt racehorse trainer. Her toughness and plain-speaking helped her to penetrate a world where a woman trainer was unheard of and unwelcome. After her first marriage failed, she was left with two young sons and considerable financial difficulties. Her talent and determination paid off and with her innate understanding and patience with horses and the help of her second husband she became an unrivalled success as a trainer.

Her horses have won two Grand Nationals and she was the first woman to train a Cheltenham Gold Cup Winner in 1984 and went on to win the race a second time in 1991. Jenny Pitman's talent as a racehorse trainer has brought her many awards and in 1998 she was awarded an OBE. Jenny Pitman’s other achievements include becoming Racing Manager to Robert Hichins, a national newspaper columnist, author and a guest speaker.

A thyroid cancer survivor, she has recently turned her attention to philanthropy and has become a patron of the British Thyroid Foundation. She has also become a member of the Disciplinary Panel and Licensing Committee of the British Horseracing Authority in 2017.