Racehorse trainer Margaret Parchment conditioning horses is considered a man's world, a woman will get more out of a horse. - Colin Hamilton/Freelance Photographer
Orville Clarke, Gleaner Writer
Margaret Parchment has the distinction of being the only female trainer at Caymanas Park, but despite the many challenges, she is holding her own in a male-dominated sport. Given her undying love for horses, the 68-year-old trainer says she will continue to train, quitting only when she is physically unable to move around. In addition to training horses on a daily basis, she runs a small stud farm in Bushy Park, St. Catherine, along with her partner, Vin Lumsden.
She says it's hard work but the fact that she trains for herself makes the experience worthwhile. "Although conditioning horses is considered a man's world, a woman will get more out of a horse," she contends. "We have greater patience and more often a horse responds better to a woman's touch," added Parchment, who was the first supervisor/riding instructor at the Jamaica Racing Commission's Jockeys' School from its inception in 1980 up to 1985.
She presently trains eight horses, including WEE GLITZ and VALID FARE along with an unraced three-year-old colt, FULL FARE who is due to make his racecourse debut later this month. She also conditions a handful of two-year-olds, while she has nine horses on the farm, including five broodmares, not to mention goats, cows, fowls and eight dogs. During the little spare time at her disposal, she relaxes by watching television and reading books on topics such as Native American history, psychic phenonomen and others pertaining to horses. Parchment, who hails from Worcestershire in the English midlands, developed a love for horses at a tender age, having grown up on a farm.
Notable successes
In her teens, she competed in show jumping contests and rode in point-to-point races in Britain before coming to Jamaica in 1968. She has two sons, one of whom took up training at Caymanas Park and had some notable successes before migrating to Florida in the late '90s. Today, Wayne Parchment is a horse dentist in Ocola. Parchment sees a need for more women to get involved in horse racing as was the case not long ago.
Up to five years ago, the training profession was graced by only three women: Parchment, Emma Chen and the legendary Eileen Cliggott - Jamaica's first lady of racing. "I would like to see other women get involved in training ... it's a bit lonely. I'm trying to encourage the visiting Canadian trainer Donna McCullough to come aboard, especially seeing that it's woman time now," she quips.
Cliggott, one of the finest trainers of all times with over 900 winners, trained well into her eighties before fading health forced her to call it a day in 2002. Chen followed shortly after, leaving Parchment to keep the filly's flag flying.
Prior to obtaining a trainers' licence in 1989, Parchment was preceded by four women in the profession - Cliggott, Chen, Pauline Dwyer and the late Bev Rhoden.
But few women would be willing to put in the heavy work-load associated with training horses and running a five-acre farm called Crazy Horse. "It's a seven-day-a-week undertaking and I have little or no time to do anything else," she said.
"There was a time many years ago when I would attend show-jumping and polo matches at the Caymanas Polo Club on a regular basis, but I can no longer afford that luxury.
"As things now stand, there's just too much on my plate," she confesses.
Parchment explained that most mornings she has to be at the track from 5 a.m. in order to take the horses through their paces at exercise. By 9 a.m. she has to return to her stables on the Caymanas Park compound, before returning to the farm later in the day.
"I thank God for the assistance of my partner and companion, Vin Lumsden, without whom I would be unable to continue. Neither of us can leave the farm at the same time so we end up sharing the work which makes things less difficult," said Parchment.
But times have changed and save for Parchment, racing is, more than ever, a male-dominated sport. She was quick to add that she has some issues with the claiming system (implemented in 1993), as well as
the direction of racing and the flooding of her stables whenever it rains heavily.
"Many trainers embrace the claiming system, but in my opinion it prevents the owner or the trainer from developing a close attachment to the horse who moves from yard to yard when claimed. She believes the industry needs someone like Chris Armond to realise its full potential through his vision and established promotional skills.
To date Parchment has saddled 25 winners, best of which was the former 'A1' campaigner PALMITTO who won the Pringle Cup in 1991.
Among her other winners over the years are GAZA STRIP, VINCERO, BEST YOU, VAQUERO, BUCK'S ORCHID, MAVIC, STARATHERCOMMAND, SANDRA'S CHARM and in the past four years, ANNIE'S ONE BUCK, PHOENIX RISING (twice), NAVAHO TRAIL (twice), SPEED HOWARD (twice) and the most recent, WEE GLITZ who won back-to-back in September of last year.
