Stable Lass: Tales from a Yorkshire Racing Yard

'Poignant and compelling, an equine Bridget Jones' Racing Post

Being a stable lass is probably one of the hardest jobs in the country, and yet for Gemma Hogg it is the most rewarding. It's the life she's loved since she started work at Micky Hammond's yard at the age of sixteen, in the village of Middleham - where racehorses have been trained for over 250 years.

Like most stable lads and lasses, Gemma arrived in her yard as a teenager fresh out of racing college and had to cope with living away from home for the first time, as well as adapt to the brutal long hours and often treacherous weather. She describes falling in love with Polo Venture, the first racehorse in her care, the pure exhilaration of riding him on Middleham Gallops and what happened when the growling gelding Valiant Warrior took against her! She brings to life the characters around the yard, from straight-talking boss Micky Hammond, to the wealthy owners and the other stablehands who come from a range of different backgrounds.

Stable Lass is a unique look into the world of horse racing filled with heart-warming stories and amazing thoroughbreds.