September Profile: Janet Menzies

Although I first went hunting at the age of 11, I never saw equestrianism as a possible career.  As a city girl growing up in Liverpool, I didn't even know game shooting existed. So I became a Fleet Street journalist, starting out at The Daily Telegraph.  As soon as I could afford to buy a share in a racehorse, I did so, eventually becoming a non-executive director of the Racehorse Owners Association.  Styling a fashion shoot about clay pigeon shooting got me interested in shooting and not long afterwards my then husband and I started our own game shooting syndicate.  I hosted an all-female driven day in the late-80s.  We did allow some men on the field, providing they wore skirts - or possibly kilts!

 It wasn't until The Field magazine published a fairly dismissive column about women shooting (in the 1990’s!) that I began actually writing about field sports. I wanted men to stop patronising women in the field, in all the country sports.  As I write, women in equestrianism and shooting have brought home a fair few medals in the Olympics which is great.   

Women have always had a strong position working dogs in the field, with the late Queen Elizabeth II as a wonderful role model.  She once told me that my little cocker was her favourite!  This inspired me to write Training the Working Spaniel, and its sequel, The Cocker Spaniel.

I am currently researching and writing a book about horse racing gambling which is proving rather exciting.  I'm also hoping to qualify one of my horses to compete in the Badminton Grassroots Eventing Championship - though I doubt if I would actually dare to ride there!