If you see yourself as budding Flat or Jump Jockey, further information on Jockey courses and the experience required to become a Jockey are provided by the British Racing School and the Northern Racing College. Their respective websites also detail useful and helpful information on a career as a Jockey, which you can visit by clicking on the logos below:
The Northern Racing College
The British Racing School
Horseracing's current champions of the saddle reflect on life as a Jockey
“A Jump Jockey’s life is never dull, no day the same as another. There are plenty of challenging moments, but when you reach a high it far outweighs the lows. One minute you can be riding a horse into the winner’s enclosure after the world’s greatest horse race – the Grand National at Aintree - and in the next race you can be off a horse. Despite the physical and mental demands that require total commitment, it is a wonderful life full of excitement.”
AP McCoy Champion Jump Jockey - 1995/1996 to present day
“There’s no greater thrill than winning races on the Flat and I was lucky to be crowned Champion Jockey in 2010, and savoured victory in my first Group 1 race. A career as a Flat Jockey is certainly not a nine to five, Monday to Friday job. It’s highly competitive, combined with a demanding schedule. Days begin early riding out on the gallops for trainers; then it’s on to the races, which can take you all over the country, from Ayr in west Scotland to Folkestone in east Kent. It’s hard work, but I wouldn’t change it for anything.”
Paul Hanagan, 2010 Champion Flat Jockey
“Race riding is an incredible adrenaline kick and winning is an even bigger one. A Jump Jockey has to take the rough with the smooth and be willing to learn in order to earn their stripes within the sport. It’s a fantastically exciting life and one in which I’m determined to succeed for years to come. But nothing can ever be taken for granted. If you are prepared to work hard the opportunities for young Jockeys are endless, including riding internationally”.
Sam Twiston Davies, 2010/11 Champion Conditional Jockey
British Horseracing Education and Standards Trust (BHEST)
Please
click here to download a copy of the 2010 Annual Review of the British Horseracing Education and Standards Trust. The Review highlights the success of every aspect of the charity’s work from qualifications and training through to the learning opportunities offered by the Racing to School education programme.
To keep up to date with the activities of the Racing to School programme, please
click here to download a copy of the Summer edition of the Racing to School newsletter. In 2010, BHEST supported over 10,000 children to experience the thrill of racing and to apply their learning in the unique and exciting environment of a racecourse.