Being a jockey

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kevster241

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Hello, so I'm 17 years old(18 in January), lightweight(naturally weigh <54kg) and for a while now I have thought about about working in horse racing but the thing that I definitely would want the most is to be a jockey.
I have no experience with horses or have any background with them but absolutely love them especially racehorses. I am quite a shy person but can speak to people when I need to

I just would like to know a few things..

1. What are my realistic chances of becoming a jockey? Is it too late for me to start?
2. Would you recommend it to somebody like me? Or should I do something else
3. What is life like being a jockey, do they get paid well and is it stressful?


If I was going to decide right now, I think that trying to becoming a jockey is probably a bad idea but really I am not too sure.



Thanks a lot in advance :)
 
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Orangehorse

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You will never know unless you try. Unless you can buy your own racehorse, you can go to the Racing Schools where you are taught to ride thoroughbreds. Even people who can ride have to adapt their riding and they take people who cannot ride. You find out if the racing life is for you. Then you get a job in a trainer's yard and have to look after the horses - get up very early in the morning and go and muck out stables, groom the horses, and then take them out for exercise, clean tack and clean up round the yard. If the trainer considers someone good enough to ride in a race they will get their chance but all the other young grooms will be wanting their chance too.

You have to be able to work hard, be on time, take orders and obey them to the letter (there is a very good reason why things are done in a certain way), and do things with good grace. You have to be light yet strong and fit and get on well with the horses. There is a proper pay structure in racing now, so the pay isn't bad, or so I believe but you don't really do it for the great wages.

Of course the very successful top jockeys are well paid, but I don't know what the average is. Read some books - Frankie Dettori's autobiography is very interesting.
 
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Shay

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Look at British Racing School https://brs.org.uk/

You don't need experience - you don't even need to be able to ride. You just need the passion to make this your heart - and determination.

Your realistic chance - 100%. As much as anyone entering into this industry.

Would I reccommed it? Yes - 99%.. There are mental illness issues within the profession. It is highly competative. But that is also recognised and there are programmes in place to support folk.

What is life like - sorry not qualified there. I've seen a fair few PC folk into racing school and they are happy, a couple doing seriously well. But I'm not qualified to tell you what life is like. Best thing to be honest is to try.

Is it well paid? Well yes at the top. But this is a passion not a profession. You have to get into it becuase you love it. Not becuase you want to get a living from it.

Is it stressful? Yes. This is competiiton. You are only as good as your ride and to attract a good ride you have to be good. And if you get broke you are less good. Anything competative is stressful. But even if that level of competative stress is not for you there are still careers within racing. I have an ex-PC kid I knew as a DC who is making a very serious living as an accomplished stallion man (gender irrelevant - that is the term). There are loads of roles in racing - not just jockey. Well worth looking into.
 
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kevster241

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Hi guys so if anybody is still here, sorry I decided not to do it, mostly due to my experience being up against me and I have a lot more doubts than positives. I don't think I would enjoy the life of waking up extra early and basically having your whole life around horses., I do like them a lot but I have a big feeling that I would soon get sick of it (again due to my experience of never being around horses) and there are probably a lot better people out there who would do a better job than me and don't mind the life.
On top of that if I was to become a jockey I would probably become the one that usually rides at Wolverhampton as it seems to me that jockeys will stay at the same level and it's very hard to advance from there and after all, it is a sport and I will be up against people who have been riding etc since their first day. Sorry if i sound negative lol but just wanted to let anyone know especially people who wanted to do the same thing as me. I believe especially in covid times it is even harder
Cheers again for the replies though and that thread about the other guy, helped me with the decision
 
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