Donna Hillman

at the age of 14, sold her first 2 paintings to buy a horse, and so began a lifelong love affair with horses and art. She started walking hots and ponying horses in 1970 when jockey Tony Passarro began secretly giving her racing lessons and teaching her to communicate with the high-strung thoroughbreds. Donna’s dream was realized when she rode her first race at Belmont Park for trainer Johnny Campo on October 11, 1971. She was beaten a nose by the 6-to-5 favorite; however, she was hooked. Making a career out of racing proved difficult. She struggled

to get mounts, stay fit and keep her weight down. She finally got a break at Delaware Park winning her first race on July 28, 1972. Rapid-fire success followed as she traveled from track to track. In Atlantic City, she had the leading win percentage of all riders. In Jamaica she rode 12 races a day for 3 months, winning many daily doubles and earning the nickname, “Double Donna.” In 1973, she rode in New Guinea and represented the USA in the inaugural International Ladies Race in Brisbane Australia.  

During her riding career, other career doors opened, she appeared in commercials for Lady Clairol, Dutch Masters Cigars, A&W Root Beer,

and Burger Chef. She was featured on “To Tell the Truth” and “What’s My Line” and appeared in several magazines including “People” and Sports Illustrated.”

  Despite dozens of spills and broken bones, Donna continued riding until 1976 when she hung up her tack and devoted her energies to her other love, her art. Her paintings, mostly watercolors and oils, can be found in fine art galleries from New York to California. For more information on her paintings go to http://www.hipart.com/walsh1.html or to http://www.tmfineart.com/  Donna and her husband, Michael Walsh, reside in Grants Pass, Oregon with their horses, dogs, cats, and other critters.