How To Become A Jockey

We're going to briefly touch base on a few things you should think about before you even begin looking to get on a race horse. You should pay particular attention to the section regarding education. Enjoy!

Passion   When you ask successful athletes what made them successful, you're going to get a multitude of answers: Talent, Persistence, Intelligence, Will Power, Drive, Work Ethic or a Dream. Any one of these will help make you successful. I think most will agree.......... you've got to have "Passion". If you don't want to do it, really want to do it, you're never going to make it to the "Big Time".

  What can be said about Passion? When truly witnessed, it can bring crowds to their feet with tears of joy. It took men to the moon and let Secretariat win the Belmont by 31 lengths. Without it, Jockeys would never continue to fight weight and risk their lives.

  The most talented athlete will never excel without Passion!

Age   There's no age minimum when you can start dreaming of riding a race horse and winning the Royal Ascot, but there are a few laws that do apply. The UK government allows young adults to begin working at 16.

  The easiest way to find out, is to check with your school guidance counselor. If they don't know (and they should ), call your local board of education. Regardless of how old you are, until you're 18, you're going to need to get your parents or a legal guardian to sign off. No if, ands or buts.

Male or Female   A big percentage of young girls absolutely love horses, which can turn to the thoughts of becoming a Jockey. Boys generally don't entertain the idea until they're older, usually not until they realize that they're too small to play football or some other professional sport at a level they've dreamed of. Or someone may have even said ''Hey, you're small, have you ever thought about being a Jockey?''

  Any Jockey that has ever ridden against Julie Krone or any one of several other outstanding female Jockeys, will tell you that they can be just as fierce and determined as their male counterparts.

  The racing industry is largely biased towards male Jockeys for two reasons. The first is because that's the way it's always been, and the second is because race horses can be and generally are, quite strong. What's interesting is that they don't always respond to strength and in many cases don't like it. Which brings us to another interesting point. Most all successful Jockeys are blessed with a certain finesse that enables them to communicate well with horses without resorting to the need for strength. Riders that cannot learn the art of finesse, are usually not the riders who do really well.

Size  

If you really want to understand whether you have a fighting chance to be a Jockey, just look at your family. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, if you've got a big family, guess what? You’re going to be too big! You can't ignore genetics.

  Think about the weight limits that Jockeys must maintain. In your first year as an apprentice Jockey you shouldn't exceed 105 pounds, and for the first six months maybe only 102. Now, most young riders start at 16 to 17 years old, which we mentioned briefly earlier. If you're 12 now and you weigh 102, that should put you right at....too much by 16. If your parents blew by that when they were 12 years old, you're going to be pushing the envelope.

  Most journeyman riders can't exceed 113 depending on where they're riding. In a few states you can get away with a pound or two heavier, but for the vast majority, it’s 113 or less. And that's for the rest of your career. If you're not sure, talk to your family doctor. He or she should be able to help you assess your likely size.

  The reason that this is so important is that studies have shown that the severity of many of the injuries that Jockeys incur, are directly related to the degree of weight reduction they subject themselves.

Being a jockey is one of those careers that you really, truly have to want to be (notice I say ''be'' and not ''do''). In order to ''just make a living'' it consumes your life, so you'd better love it. You'll see from many of the interviews that most all the guys that have ridden for years absolutely love what they do. As we move through this section, I will be pointing out many of the downside characteristics of being a jockey to give you a better feel for the life you've chosen.

  How ever you come to the conclusion that being a jockey is something that strikes your fancy, be ready for a career that is very rewarding, very unpredictable and extremely dangerous.