The job of a horse jockey can be challenging and exciting. It requires great stamina, focus and determination to be successful in this profession. A horse jockey needs to be physically fit as well as mentally alert during the race. The horse jockey is responsible for controlling his horse during races and instructing it on how best to win against other horses in its category. He uses tactics like pulling back on the reins when approaching turns or making sudden movements with his body while riding that confuse opponents and cause them to lose focus on their own performance at hand. If this sounds interesting to you, let’s dive deeper into this intricate profession and see what it takes to be a horse jockey.
Training and race prep
If you are a casual observer, it could seem to you that jockeys don’t need to be fit as all they do is sit on a horse and let the horse do all the work. This couldn’t be further from the truth! As a jockey, you need to be in good shape. The rigorous nature of horse racing requires you to be able to withstand the rigors of riding and competing with other horses. You’ll need to be able to communicate with your mount so that he or she will respond quickly when necessary (and it will be!). As a jockey, you’ll also need quick reflexes—you may have just seconds from when the gate opens until your horse hits top speed.
Horse racing
The jockey’s job is to ride the horse in such a way that it can win or place highly in races. This means that they must ride the horse in their correct racing position, which varies from breed to breed but is generally on all fours and leaning forward with their upper body, sitting down on an invisible saddle. The weight of both parties is borne by their hands and feet, with only minimal contact with any part of the horse’s body. This also means that jockeys should develop a good bond with their horses so that they can communicate with it more effectively and predict its movements.
Being a horse jockey requires sacrifices
Being a horse jockey is hard work and just like any other sport, this one requires the person to make a lot of sacrifices. Jockey train vigorously and they spend a lot of time with horses. They often have to say no to going out with friends so that they can wake up early and practice in the morning hours. More often than not, they also need to keep a strict dietary regime because it is crucial for them not to gain weight as it can affect their performance and speed.
Conclusion
Being a horse jockey is hard work and requires great stamina. The job requires a lot of training, but the rewards are worth it! If you think you got what it takes, I would encourage you to give it a try and I promise you – you will fall in love with being a jockey despite all the hardships.
