Janell Lehman is a "bug" rider -- jock slang for a rookie. She's had 17 winners, but the bug label will remain until she wins another 23. Janell is 28 and was raised in Victoria. She loves her job, loves getting paid to play in the mud and dirt. If she had any spare time, she would use it to race mountain bikes, dance country-and-western and sing karaoke. "Goodbye Earl" is her favorite. Between her shoulder blades is a new tattoo of a black stallion surrounded by red roses and a horseshoe.
However, Janell would not encourage other young women to follow her. "It's a tough life. I broke my leg, I've separated my shoulder," she says, proudly contorting that shoulder into an unnatural position. "It's not a nine-to-five job. It's seven days a week, all weather. If someone came to me for advice, I'd say don't do it."
Deron Neblett
Deron Neblett
Deirdre Panas got some improvements for the women's jockey quarters at Sam Houston.
Related Content
More About
She would have the same advice for a man. Janell, one of the new breed of female jocks, shrugs at the question of whether it's tougher for women. "I don't think of myself as a girl," she says. "When I go out there, I'm a rider."
Jan Rogers, standing nearby, cocks her head. "But you gotta admit there's discrimination," the veteran says.
"I leave the skirt and heels in a bag," Janell replies. "I'm going out there to win just like everybody else."
Deirdre has just popped herself in the eye with a stirrup while unsaddling her mount at Sam Houston. She'll have a shiner tomorrow. Tonight, though, her only thoughts are on female riders past and future.
Pioneering woman jockey Tomey Swan, the new president of the national Jockey's Guild, named Deirdre to chair a "women jockey concerns committee." The first thing Deirdre asked the union for was a count of licensed women jockeys. They're still working on it.
Deirdre wants to get more women into the union, and to get union women more active. She wants better marketing for women riders. She wants a listing of the pros and cons of all racetrack facilities. As recently as two years ago, Deirdre was worried about getting a decent horse to ride. Now she's demanding better amenities for the women of Sam Houston Race Park -- and getting them.
"I've had so much success recently, it gave me a confidence that I wasn't used to," she says. "Texas has changed my career, my life. I got the track to buy us new blankets and sheets." After last season's chill, she's demanded a heater for the women's room. "They have heat in the guys' rooms. When I mentioned it and they tried to fix the heat back here, they found out that it didn't exist."
Tomey has agreed to put Deirdre's issues on the agenda at the Jockey's Guild convention next month in Austin. "I know I'll have all the guys rolling their eyes," Deirdre says. "I guess I'll just wear something tight and low-cut."
