Frost v Dunne … The Awkward Truth.

I’m a woman. I work in a male-dominated, testosterone-filled sport. I’m also a feminist. Not the bat shit crazy kind. Just your normal average feminist that would like not to be scared to walk to my car at night, to have my drink spiked or, to be intimidated by men. But would like the same opportunities. Regardless of my gender.

When I started working with motorbikes I soon realised that an industry can be both male-dominated and inclusive. I felt celebrated and supported most of my career. On the occasions I have been bullied by a man, I’ve dealt with it my way. Sometimes publicly. But always affording them anonymity. Over the years I’ve realised that men are clumsy when it comes to sexism. Often underestimating how intimidating they can be. Unable to see that a woman can be both strong and gentle at the same time.

I’m relatively new to horse racing. I don’t work in the industry but I do live with someone who has worked in the industry as both an amateur jockey and head lad, for over 25 years. I’ve been surprised by lots of things in the racing industry. The rocketing mental health issue from trainers to stable lads and lasses. How stable staff have been treated by racecourses. The lack of true grassroots support from the main industry press.

Horse racing is a rich sport. It’s one I love more deeply the longer I spend near it. I feel great being on the yard here, seeing how loved the horses are. How hard and passionately the stable staff work. How dedicated they are to the animals they serve.

I’ve seen so many highs and lows in this sport. I ignore the vegans and activists who claim the sport is cruel to the horses. I’ve seen plenty of horses stand at start-lines and say ‘I’m not running’ or hit the second fence and say ‘not today, thanks’

I’ve also seen countless jockeys pull up horses because they aren’t right.

I’ve seen horses that absolutely love racing, and horses that clearly don’t. The latter don’t last long in sport and so far, at the yard I’m on, 100 per cent of the latter have ended up in fantastic homes, happily enjoying a new life. Mostly, over-loved!

I’ve seen the care and concern from trainers, trainers partners, and stable staff when one of their horses falls. How the first concern is always that the horse and jockey come home safely. Above anything else.

I’ve seen the extra carrots popped in feed buckets. I’ve even seen grooms outside in their pyjamas at night, filling a bucket full of grass for a returning favourite, not because they won, but because they gave their all in a race. I’ve seen all the live-in staff, including trainers, stand in the middle of the night with a horse that has colic. Not all of them needed, but all of them fully invested.

I’ve also seen a huge, large, and often disfunctional family. Brothers and sisters supporting each other, arguing with each other. The black sheep. The goody-two-shoes. The patriarch. Matriarch. The heroin and the villain. At the very heart of racing, there is a family. All connected by one thing. Passion. For racing, for thrills, for horses, for victory and mostly, for each other.

This industry at the base level is full of love, respect, and care. It’s joyous. However, like most families, it is flawed.

Twice in the last year, I’ve seen the industry be thrown into a bad light. I refuse to write about Gordon Elliot in detail. I’ll never understand how a person can be forgiven for removing all dignity from an animal in death. It’s amazing, isn’t it? What money can afford you. He’s back training again now … although it never really felt like he was away. His actions, I believe, put the care of our horses and the love, dedication and kindness of trainers and stable staff, in the most negative light. To me, it was hugely damaging to the sport. A slap on the wrist from mummy wasn’t enough. But … I digress.

Recently I find myself in one of those awkward situations that male dominated sports put me in. Sitting on a fence working out which side I’m on and realising that actually, both sides have been let down.

Bryony Frost is a woman who has done some great things in this sport. Regardless of whether you’re a fan or not, she’s a woman at the top of her game and that is a tough place to get to. Without ANY DOUBT she will have endured plenty of sexist, outdated remarks. Ones she’ll have used to empower her. Or forgiven, or shrugged off because that’s what we women do. Often. Mostly we know that guys don’t mean harm. That their views are old fashioned and they just haven’t caught up yet.

However, recently she feels she’s been bullied. Repeatedly. Unfairly. By one man. Robbie Dunne.

The black and white of this would be that Robbie’s comments, actions and lack of remorse show me all I need to know. Bryony would have my support. Fully. If I am honest? I don’t like his behaviour at all. I feel his lack of accountability over his actions highlight a dangerous absence of remorse or empathy. Clearly not understanding how others may feel intimidated by him. This isn’t good for women or any youngsters coming up in the sport.

However, when you start to look a little deeper things become far more complicated. For a start, National Hunt racing is incredibly dangerous. In a sport like this passion will make tempers flare. I am a strong believer that what is said in the weighing room, should stay in the weighing room. Of course, there are caveats to this. One would hope, once tempers cool, apologies will be made.

One might understand a jockey using foul and abusive language, in the heat of the moment, if their horse had died as a result of a fall they deemed someone else responsible. Or if they feel they lost a race due to another jockey’s mistake.

Robbie Dunne has been given an 18-month ban. He’s a 36-year old man. By the time he’s able to return to the sport he has dedicated his entire life to, he’ll be touching 40.

With two years out of the saddle, a reputation in tatters, no matter how much support he has now, the industry will move on. The BHA decision has ruined his career. The big question is, does the punishment fit the crime? When everything is taken into consideration, scratching beneath the surface, is this a fair outcome?

Bryony Frost is in a no better situation. She’s already been isolated. There is a lot of bad feeling towards her. Many won’t want to work with her and will withdraw from her. For me, it is heartbreaking to watch a woman be placed in a situation like this. Again, regardless of your feelings towards either jockey, Frost has been strong enough to come forward and say enough is enough. She will have known the risk of coming forward.

Being a woman in a male-dominated sport is, I can assure you, pretty lonely. Even in an inclusive environment. For Frost now, that is the reality.

This whole situation has been handled in such a toxic and shambolic way it’s not helped anyone. Both parties have been let down, repeatedly and quite dramatically.

I say that with a heavy heart because truth be known, I want to stand by Frost and say ‘well done for being brave where others haven’t’

But I just can’t. Because when I look at Robbie I see a victim too.

The BHA had a great opportunity in this case. To effect change. What they’ve done now is drive the resentment and old school toxicity deeper into the shadows. They’ve not made this better, they’ve made it worse.

Bryony had a chance here to effect change. But she’s been made into some kind of industry whistleblower. Egged on by an over-excited media team that see numbers or headlines over reality. They don’t have to live with the aftermath. Frost does. It already looks ugly.

Robbie is a victim of his upbringing. Surrounded by men in a male dominated sport from a young age. He’ll have seen guys punching other blokes on the nose, then heading off to the pub for a drink together. He’ll have probably been called every name under the sun, twice. Men used to deal with problems differently. Give a lad a good pasting behind the muck heap then move on. We know that’s not ok in today’s day and age however, if you grew up in that environment, it is hard to shake the old habits and learn new ways of dealing with things.

The answer to an industry riddled with outdated cultural norms isn’t to use one man as a smoking pariah. It’s to effect change through education and the environment. This starts at the top.

Firstly. It’s not 1930 anymore. We have so many female jockeys. Amateur and professional. So why are women’s facilities still so poor? Every course should have female changing rooms equal to the men.

This will protect both men AND WOMEN from accusations. It’s alleged that Robbie waggled his willy in the male changing room when Frost was there. But it’s a male changing room. Men waggle their willies at each other more often than they care to admit. I’ve spent far too much time in men’s changing rooms. They are obsessed with bums and willies. Standing in a room full of naked men is neither erotic nor intimidating. It’s as if when they come together and take their clothes off, they remove their brains too. As a woman, it’s more tragic to watch than anything else. But hey! if guys want to behave like that in their own changing room, who am I to judge?

The failure here isn’t Robbie acting like a bloke in a blokes changing room, it’s that Frost has been exposed to that environment because the courses haven’t supplied her with an equal alternative. Frost shouldn’t have to be exposed to the mind boggling experience of being around men and their waggling appendages. The fact she has isn’t the fault of either jockey. They have BOTH been failed by the industry. How can the BHA find fault in a jockey’s archaic attitude, when its own attitude to women seems pretty archaic? Women deserve the same facilities as men. We exist.

Before this situation got out of hand, it should have been dealt with. Behind closed doors. Dunne was essentially tried by the media. Before it got to the BHA’s independent panel. This was all over the industry press and let’s face it, hearing a man call a woman a ‘slag’ or a ‘whore’ is always going to get people’s backs up.

As with most disciplinaries of this type, it should have been highlighted and a warning should have been given. Maybe a warning and a fine. Maybe a warning, a fine and a short ban if they felt it was correct. Let’s face it, there are enough governing bodies knocking about the sport these days. Surely one of them could write up a decent complaints procedure based on exactly this situation? If there is one, why wasn’t it used, why wasn’t it acted upon. How did it end up going on so long and ending up in such a disastrous conclusion for both parties?

The Frost Dunne case wasn’t a secret. It’s been talked about for months. Why didn’t any authority step in, mediate and issue a warning shot? Nipped it in the bud?

Even at the final hurdle (pardon the pun) BHA and their panel fell short. Handed the perfect situation to help solve the old fashion traditions, views and culture of racing, they did nothing positive with it. Instead? They used a whole load of offensive words, insulted virtually all the jockeys, then made the whole thing far more toxic and solved nothing.

I don’t believe that racing is out of touch with today’s social beliefs. Some great strides are being made. I also do not believe it is a rancid culture — what an awful word to use. I do believe that most people over the age of 30 have been exposed to those old fashioned cultural norms for a long time and therefore accept more. The under ’30s (or as we so cruelly label them, snowflakes) are far more able to see those outdated views for what they are.

Education is the only way forward here. Punishing someone for something they’ve always done, been or had surrounded them will not solve the issue.

So how did the BHA miss the opportunity to effect change? Firstly, by working against the PJA instead of with them. These two bodies could have found a solution to help bring this situation to a satisfactory end, last year. Both Dunne and Frost could have come out of this in a far more positive place. Secondly, once it had got this far they could have presented Robbie with a choice of a ban or to attend educational courses on anger management or equality in business and sport? Any one of these options would have been better for Dunne, allowing him to learn from his mistakes, and supplying him with the tools he needs to navigate the world we are in today. While ensuring his career wasn’t ended. They could also have used him as someone to continue to effect change. Robbie is a well-known figure that many people care for and like. He could have been so entirely powerful if they got him on board to drive forward the message that there are other ways to deal with this type of situation between jockeys.

This action wouldn’t have driven resentment deeper into the shadows.

It would have allowed Frost to come out of this more positively. Because she wouldn’t be known as a woman that ended a man’s career.

If he chose not to apologise for his actions, to be accountable and try and change or manage his behaviours, then he gets the ban and that’s on him for being stubborn and ridiculous.

There’s one more situation I consider. Which leaves me feeling utterly despaired.

Last year Robbie was a pallbearer, along with my partner and many others, for his friend Liam Treadwell. After Liam’s death, it became very apparent that concussion and depression were linked. The pandemic lockdowns should also have shown us that isolating someone that has potential depression or mental health issues, can have catastrophic results.

Whether Robbie and Frost communicate it or not, both will have suffered falls and concussions during their careers. We know that men make up 3 out of 4 suicides. Men don’t talk about their mental health. They isolate. Women talk more. Process better.

Does the BHA think that pushing a man into the shadows, isolating him from the sport he’s dedicated his life to, branding him as an unapologetic, bullying narcissist and essentially ending his entire career, is going to have a positive impact on his mental health?

The Frost Dunne case is without doubt controversial. But, if you want to point your finger of blame at anyone. Perhaps it’s time to aim higher.

Toxicity starts at the top and trickles down.

Money leads to corruption.

This industry needs to change from the top, it needs to do that through positive action. It needs to protect the vulnerable, and understand that most of its jockeys and stable staff are, in one way or another, vulnerable. Brain injury, mental health, lack of formal education or financial oppression. Many factors should be taken into consideration.

The BHA needs to work with the PJA, not against them.

To me. Whatever way you package this. No matter what ‘side’ you are on. Both Dunne and Frost have been let down by their industry. Both will suffer. Neither will prosper.

They have been failed, as have all the other jockeys and racing staff, by the powers at the top who can say the right things, but have no idea how to truly effect change in an industry that is crying out for it.