How can i start working towards becoming a horse jockey?
Im 16yrs old and about 5’3 and 115lbs. Ive been around horses all my life. I used to have a thoroughbred who was off the track and got inspired to look into becoming a jockey. Unfortuantely, i live in las vegas nevada, so there are no tracks in the area and a very small equestrian community. how would i be able to start getting involved in racing?
Here is everything you need to know to become a jockey and what they get paid. Good luck to you.
You need to be at least sixteen years of age.
The first thing you need to know is as much about horses as possible. Know breeding aspects, training, how horses run under what conditions.
Get to know the industry, trainers, hot walkers, grooms, etc. Get to know other jockeys an get tips on how they got their start.
Watch your weight. In most countries a jockey can never weigh more than 115 pounds. You have to maintain weight in order to meet weight requirements..
Most jockeys start by working in other aspects of the training process. They hot walk horses (cool them down after training) grooming and participate in exercising duties long before they actually become a jockey. They get to know the profession and decide if this is the career they want to have.
You need to go to Jockey School such as Frank Garza Jockey School in Southern California. There are also jockey schools like Chris McCarons in Kentucky..
Going to jockey school is not required, but if you are not Grandfathered into
it, it is a big plus. If you can already ride and can pass the test by the
stewards, it is not necessary.
You start by running schooling races. These are races that help you get familiarized with racing and track facilities, and prepare you to become a jockey. Often this is required before you can obtain a jockey license.
You must have a license in order to be a jockey. Most racetracks provide applications and the license is good for any racetrack within a given area. Recommendation from a trainer to jockey school is a huge plus.
Jockeys are paid on a per mount (race) basis. The fees are between $30 per mount and $100 per mount depending on the purse structure at each particular track. Those are the fees jockeys receive if they do not finish first, second or third. The jockey of the winning horse receives an amount equal to 10% of the winning owner’ s share of the total purse. (The winning owner in most states receives 60% of the total purse.) The second place jockey receives 5% of the owner’ s share of the second place purse money. (The second place owner receives 20% of the total purse in most states.) The third place jockey receives 5% of the owner’ s share of the third place purse money. (The third place owner receives 15% of the total purse in most states.) The most successful jockeys can earn over a million dollars a year. The least successful will make less the $20,000 per year. The record for purse earnings in one year by a jockey is $23,354,960.00* set by Jerry Bailey in 2003. *These are the earnings of the horses, not the jockey. As a rule of thumb, a jockey’ s real earnings are approximately 7% of the horses’ earnings.
southpoint Hotel – Equestrian Center – Las Vegas, NV
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