On a drizzly, cold February afternoon, Lilly Pinchin is at ease surrounded by an entourage of animals in her family’s farmhouse nestled in picturesque Cotswolds surroundings. She sits with a dog on her lap for some of the interview and at another point interrupts our chat to fetch one of the resident cats, placing him behind the Aga – one of his favourite places.
Her bond with animals is clear as she reels off a list Old MacDonald would have been proud of. “I’ve got two horses, two dogs and about 16 ducks and chickens all together, and two cats. These two dogs,” Pinchin says, pointing at Noodles and Rufus, her two Jack Russells. “They are my life. They go to bed with me every night, they wake up with me every morning. Mum calls them my carers – and she always says they come to Grandma’s house for respite. But they are what keep me sane, all these animals.”
It is clear, despite the weather, that Pinchin’s family house is a place of comfort, although one that is difficult to find. The house is in a signal blackspot, one of many in the area, and Google Maps will only take you as far as a farm down the road. So it was only with the guide of a local farmer that I found the front gate.
The two horses, Dehradun and Let it Shine, have stables just next to the yard, which is populated by the resident chickens and a peacock named Percy, who Pinchin rescued from a local village and now sleeps on the roof.
Given her relationship with animals, including a “massive bond” with horses, it is not surprising that she pursued a career in racing, but the journey to becoming a professional jockey has not always been easy.
Pinchin was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder as a child and admits to being a “nightmare” growing up. She pays tribute to her “amazing” parents for their support, and although her ADHD is more controlled than when she was a teenager, it still does affect every aspect of Pinchin’s life and she has to take daily medication for it.
So what does it feel like? She laughs as she explains: “Do you know what? It’s like being p—-ed, that’s what my head is like, it’s like being constantly p—-ed – but tipsy p—-ed, not falling over. I can’t balance on a horse without my medication, because my brain is just going a million [miles an hour].”
Routine and structure is key, so she tends to rise at 5.30am and takes her medication every day at 6am. Lie-ins are not for Pinchin, who admits she has to ride out every morning or “it fries my head”.
Despite the daily battle with ADHD, which means she struggles to relax, being on a horse brings a sense of calm. As she says: “When I am on a horse I am very different. Today I was having a meltdown because I couldn’t remember every single bit of tech that needed to go on the horse and then I got on the horse and I was just like…” she trails off in a sigh of relief.
Racing is one of the only times when Pinchin’s mind goes quiet and becomes “so peaceful, it’s unbelievable. I’m just in the zone. It’s mad. It’s like they [the horses] are just so precious to me it’s almost like everything else disappears.”
Leaving school at 15 to pursue dream
Pinchin knew early that she wanted to be a jockey – an industry her family had no prior connections with – and pulled herself out of school at just 15 to focus on her goal. Reflecting now, she says her condition has helped her navigate the difficult world of being a woman in horse racing.
“If I didn’t have ADHD, I wouldn’t be the person I am today. I wouldn’t have ridden out my claim [the process by which apprentice jockeys qualify as professionals], I wouldn’t have become a professional jockey, I wouldn’t have done and made decisions and tried harder,” she explains.
“I was so driven. There was never a day when I didn’t get up and go to work, unless I was in hospital. I wanted it so badly I would never make an excuse to not be at work. I used to get up at 4 o’clock in the morning and go and muck out if I could ride out somewhere because I wanted to do well.
“So I suppose having ADHD has probably made my career because if I didn’t have it I wouldn’t be so driven.”
That drive and determination can have its disadvantages. After one fall when riding at home, she landed on her back but carried on working despite the pain and a few days later she passed out in the kitchen and was subsequently diagnosed with two kidney infections, which meant she spent two weeks in hospital.
“Now I’m a bit older I’ll be like ‘I’ll have a day off work it’ll be alright’, but back then because I was so driven and I wanted it so badly I would never make an excuse to not be at work,” says Pinchin, who also broke her back in seven places in a fall that prematurely ended her 2021 season.
Pinchin has not always been so open about her ADHD, but now she is fully professional she is willing to talk about her experiences and has even become the subject of a documentary focusing on it.
‘A Racing Mind’ – Preview
Over the last year we’ve been making a documentary following jockey @pinch1234 and her life with ADHD.
A short miniseries will follow on our social media, this will be released in the spring.
Here is a taste of what to expect… pic.twitter.com/Wh4GBiAxw2
— Cotswold Film Company | Racing (@CFCRacing) January 24, 2025
“Now I’m 26 and I’ve become a professional jockey, I’m open to talking about it,” she says. “There was a time when I was going through my claim to become a professional jockey I didn’t want to talk about it because I was scared that it would have jeopardised my career and that people would have thought I was nuts and they wouldn’t want to put me up on horses. It was a big thing I was really worried about.”
Pinchin, who is the only female jockey to have ridden over jumps for Queen Elizabeth II, says this year – the one after riding out her claim – is likely to be the hardest of her career, but has a simple plan: “To keep working hard.”
That drive is also evident in the way she wants to raise awareness of the realities of navigating the world of professional sport with ADHD.
Before the visit comes to an end, there is time for a quick tour around the farm, giving the horses some carrot tops, while the resident birds are treated to handfuls of peanuts. It is not hard to see why Pinchin is so at ease there, even in the February rain.
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