Page 96 - June 2017

by John Moorehouse
Staking out a successful career in the world of Quarter Horse racing is a challenge that requires dedication and countless hours of work.
There can be additional hurdles for females in the industry.
“It’s definitely a very male- dominated world,” jockey Samantha Perry noted.
That doesn’t mean that females can’t excel. Ladies like Stacy Charrette-Hill and Cynthia Guadalupe Gonzalez have compiled standout careers as trainers, following in the footsteps of names like Janet VanBebber—the leading female trainer of all time with total earnings
of more than $13.7 million. Females also have thrived as breeders and executive roles; there have been multiple females to hold the office of AQHA President. Meanwhile, 12 women have been enshrined into the AQHA Hall of Fame.
What’s it like to be a female in Quarter Horse racing? We spoke with three women currently on the rise in the field. All work in different roles in the sport and provided insight into their perspectives.
Jockey Samantha Perry: Living The Dream
Samantha Perry is an anomaly in the world of Quarter Horse racing, in more ways than one. In a business filled with second- and third-generation owners, breeders, trainers, and jockeys, Perry comes from a family with no other horsemen. She also is a female jockey— another relative rarity in the sport.
Making her debut last May, Perry still is finding her way as a rider in competition. Through the end of April of this year, Perry had posted one win in 20 total starts.
“I would say I face more challenges being a new rider than a woman,” Perry said. “More people are willing to give a male new rider a
shot opposed to a female. The line I get is, ‘You’re too pretty to be out here, you’re too smart to be out here, go get a desk job.’ I hear that a lot. You just ignore that and keep going.”
Just getting going was a challenge for Perry, who dove into her new career after graduating from the University of Central Oklahoma with a degree in Strategic Mass Communications. She compared the struggle to claim an opportunity as a new jockey to the paradox many college graduates face.
“They want to hire someone with experience, but you can’t get experience until you get a job,” Perry said. “When I first got
94 SPEEDHORSE, June 2017