How to Meet the Requirements of Being a Jockey

Horse lovers dream of becoming jockeys, and the sound of thundering hooves at the start of every race can easily get into your blood. But being a jockey requires a great deal of dedication. Professionals speak of jockeying as a life, not a job, and spend most of their waking hours working with the horses and preparing for races. If you wish to meet the requirements of being a jockey, you need to commit to it--body and soul.

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

1. Know horses. Above all, a jockey must know the world of horses inside and out: breeding, training, what distinguishes a champion from an also-ran and how different horses respond to different styles of racing.
2. Understand the racing scene. Like other sports, professional horse racing has its own ins and outs, which a jockey needs to learn if he's going to succeed. Know the trainers, the owners and the types of horses involved. Get a feel for the different racetracks and the peculiarities of each. Meet other jockeys and learn who has the inside track for the best horses to ride.
3. Watch your weight. In most countries, a jockey can never weigh more than 115 pounds. You must possess both the discipline to maintain your weight and the sense to keep the pounds off without endangering your health.
4. Train. Most jockeys start out working other parts of the training process at racetracks and breeding stables, and learn many of the requirements of their profession that way. They "walk hot" (helping to cool a horse down after training), groom the horse and engage in exercising duties long before they actually become a jockey. In the process, they study the particulars of the profession, the techniques to become a successful jockey and whether or not that kind of life is a good fit for them.
5. Attend a jockey school, like the Frank Garza Jockey School in Southern California (see Resources below). If you cannot work at a proper training facility, there are schools that prepare riders to become jockeys.
6. Run in schooling races. These are unofficial races designed to familiarize jockeys with key elements of racing like the starting gate and the press of horses around the track. They provide invaluable experience and are often a requirement to get licensed.
7. Get your license. Jockeys must be officially licensed in order to race. Applications are available at most racetracks, and the license is good for any other racetrack within a given area.

Tips & Warnings

• In most countries, jockeys need to be 18 years old before they can work professionally. Although you can train and prepare for the work before that, you should wait until you are of age before formally trying to meet the requirements of being a jockey.