How to Become an Apprentice Jockey
Known as a “bug boy” because of the asterisk that follows his name in the racing program, an apprentice jockey works and trains to become a professional riding jockey. According to Animal Planet, apprentice jockeys receive a 10-pound weight allowance—their horses initially carry 10 pounds less than other horses in the race. After an apprentice wins his fifth race, the allowance drops to 5 pounds. An apprentice becomes a “journeyman” jockey—and is considered a professional—after one year or running 40 races, whichever comes first.
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Things You'll Need
- Horseback riding knowledge
- Ability to maintain your weight
- Prior experience at a thoroughbred training facility
- Apprentice jockey’s license
Instructions
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Learn how to ride a horse in English tack at all four gaits: walk, trot, canter and gallop. As a jockey, you will be riding English style at a fast, flat-out gallop and you need to know how to stay on the horse.
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Maintain your weight around 110 pounds, according to the International Racing Bureau. Jockeys in the United States typically weigh around six pounds less than jockeys in the United Kingdom and other countries, as added weights also tend to be lighter.
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Obtain a job as a groom or “hot walker” at a thoroughbred training barn. Grooms clean and brush the horses and take care of tack, while hot walkers walk the horse to cool him down after races or training sprints.
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Move up to a job as an exercise rider. Exercise riders ride racing horses during daily training sprints in preparation for a race according to the instructions of the trainer. You may also be asked to “pony” the racehorse to the track on the day of the race—lead the racehorse by the halter while mounted on another horse.
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Attend a certified apprentice-licensing course that will teach you racehorse care and management and how to ride safely and successfully in a horse race. Several programs, both in the U.S. and the U.K., are dedicated to this endeavor.
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Obtain your apprentice jockey’s license from your state racing commission. Racing stewards may require you to demonstrate your ability to ride and control a horse by riding in at lease two races before your license is granted. In some states, including Oregon, a conditional license may be issued in order for the stewards to assess your abilities.
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Tips & Warnings
Some states require licensure for exercise riders and/or pony riders for you to be allowed to work at any racetrack in that particular state. For example, Minnesota requires licenses for these positions or from another jurisdiction, if the exercise rider has prior approval from the Minnesota Racing Commission’s Board of Stewards.
You must be at least 16 years of age to join a trainer, enter an apprentice school and/or enter a competitive race. In some countries, Spain included, amateur jockeys can compete from the age of 14 and become professional at 16, says the International Racing Bureau.
Jockeys must maintain a low body weight in order to continue riding in races. Because of this requirement, many jockeys resort to bulimia and drugs to lose weight, and, in consequence, lose their licenses and their jobs.
Horseracing can be a dangerous job. Animal Planet reports that the average jockey gets injured three times a year and is unable to work for a time. It also states that “approximately 50-60 jockeys have been totally and permanently disabled at any given time, and more than two jockeys a year are killed in North America.”
References
Resources
- Photo Credit race horse & jockey image by Clarence Alford from Fotolia.com
