Would this be good training?

Question

Hello everyone I want to get ready to be a jockey or at least an excersize rider at the racetrack.
I am 12yrs old and I have a horse that is a Q horse and SHE is 18. I want to get a young 4 or 5 year old horse that is tall and fast. I want a young horse because I want to start training to be a jockey/excersize rider like I said. So I thought that if I got a young fast horse it would help me practice because I'll stand low in the saddle and make the horse go fast and practice like that instead of like going on a real thorobred and getting my-self hurt.
But I don't know if it would work okay because horses are my life and I want to be a jockey really bad! ( you don't know how bad) PLUS! The other thing is, is that we board my horse so i don't get to spend a lot of time with it. But we should be moving in around 1yr.
Please give me suggestions!!!! I want to be one so bad! The other bad thing is, is that i'm tall for my age because I'm 5'2" and 100lbs! PLEASE HELP!! Thank you so much.

Answer 1

Well, I don't know how long you've been riding or how far your riding has progressed, or what style of riding you've been doing to this point. If you have a decent amount of experience you might be safe with a 4 or 5 year old... but it's not safe if you mix a beginner rider and beginner horse.

Rather than running out and getting a new horse right away (which will be expensive), I suggest you work with the horse you have for a while. I know she's older and not as fast as a young horse would be, but she'll be safer while you're learning.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm getting the impression that you have ridden your horse, but probably cantered around in (hopefully) your english saddle. If you become a jockey you'll be in a much smaller saddle with much shorter stirrups. And you won't be sitting a canter, you'll be two pointing a gallop. So here's what I would do...

First, tack up your horse like normal. You can sit the walk to warm up, then at the trot do a little bit of everything: sit, post, two point, and try standing straight up and down in the stirrups (you might want to practice at the walk first... it can be hard if you've never done it because it requires a lot of balance). Then once your horse is warmed up and ready go to a canter and try two-pointing the entire time you're at the canter. If you're comfortable with that, try standing straight up and down in the stirrups.

The reason that I want you to start here is to make sure you have excellent balance before going on to the next step... because the next step is to shorten your stirrups (not just one hole... go up 3 or 4 I think to start with... it's whatever you feel comfortable with. if the distance between your holes are bigger and you're standing way out of the saddle, don't start with them so high. if the distance is smaller and it hardly makes a difference that you shortened the stirrups, then shorten them a little more)... when your stirrups are shorter, your center of balance is going to be a lot higher... that's why I want your balance to be great before you do this... if you're not well balanced and your center of gravity is higher you can fall off, and I don't want you to get hurt. when you shorten the stirrups you won't have so much of your leg down around the horse to hold you on, so everything depends on your balance. So make sure you're ready before you go to this step!

And once you have shortened the stirrups, do the same things as normal... walk a bit, trot: sitting, posting (make sure you don't post too high... stay close to the saddle), two point (keep a vertical line from your hip to your heel), and stand up (not too straight, but straighter than the two point... you know how jockeys straighten their legs out and stand up a little after the race is over and they're not asking the horse to run as fast anymore... it should be kinda like that). Then you can practice the canter. You don't know how your horse will react to your being higher off of her back, so take it easy at first. Stay closer to the saddle so if she speeds up you can sit and ask her to slow down a little. So start with a half seat... hover just slightly out of the saddle with your upper body slightly tipped forward. When you and your horse are confident with that, you can move up to a two point at the canter. then when you're really comfortable, stretch your legs straighter. Remember to keep your knees in and your heels down during all of this.

Continue the process by moving the stirrups up a little bit more. Always be careful when you're trying something new. You won't be comfortable and your horse won't be quite sure what you're doing either. if your stirrups don't go up that high, maybe you can find a kids saddle... the seat will be a little small, but you won't be sitting very much anyway.

When you are super super confident with your horse and you look like a jockey on her, you can try a different horse. But you don't want to be trying something new that you've never done on a horse that you've never ridden, particularly a young horse you've never ridden.

About get a 4-5 year old QH... I'm not sure how that would work out. horses that age are in training for a specific purpose... if you buy one with training it knows that it's supposed to be doing what it was trained for... by asking it to run around as fast as it can, you're untraining it and all it will ever know how to do is run around fast. At the same time, you can't get an untrained horse and expect to just get on it and run... that's not safe. And I don't want to tell you to get a TB racer because even though they're trained for racing, they're a lot more hot tempered than your 18yo QH is.

So I think I'm out of things to tell you. At that point, you're going to need someone who knows racehorses to help you. I don't know if they have jockey trainers or anything like that. I guess your best bet would be to go to a local racetrack and start asking people. You can invite them to your barn to watch you ride your horse so they can see how far along you are before they put you on a different horse.

If you do end up getting a different horse and you're going to ride it by yourself without assistance, make sure you go back to step 1! Always start with the thing you're most comfortable with, especially on a new horse you haven't ridden before. When you're comfy with WTC sitting, then go to your two point and move up the ladder like you did before. It will be easier and go faster to move up on your new horse because you will already be confident with what you're doing... you just have to feel out the horse and make sure he is confident with it too.

As I said, I don't know what your current riding ability is. If you're already galloping your mare in a jockey saddle, it's fair to say you can skip some of the steps. But I can't stress enough that you have to be safe with what you're doing. If you've never had your stirrups where the jockeys ride, then don't start there. Always start with what you know and you're confident with, then add something new that you haven't done. When you're confident with that, add something else new. And don't be afraid to go back a step if you're not comfortable yet. Riding like a jockey is absolutely completely different than any other kind of horseback riding that you've ever done. Even if you're a championship hunt seat flat rider and 4 foot jumper, you can't just get on a TB and race. Take it slowly! And when in doubt, ask for help.

About the height weight. you can't control how much you grow. so long as you don't grow past the upper middle of 5 foot, you should at least be able to be an exercise rider. And it's a good idea to keep your weight down, but don't starve or hurt yourself like that either.

I admire your vigor. I love that you want this so badly and you'll do anything for it. I really hope you follow your dream. I'll be looking for you on Derby day in about 15 years. Be safe!

Answer 2

I'll tell you what a good jockey friend told me. Start out learning on an older horse. So if I were you start out on the 18 year old Quarter Horse. When you feel ready then find you a nice newly retired racehorse that is 4 or 5 years old to work with. If you can't afford to buy one try find a horse trainer that will let you ride of their horses and be willing to help you. How much time do you get to spend with your horse? If you are really serious about becoming a jockey or even an exercise rider you need to be spending as much time as you can in the saddle. You only get as good as the time you put forth to learn. It takes practice to get good. I know a gal who wants to be an exercise rider. She got a respected trainer to teach her but because she doesn't work at it but when she wants to and causes wrecks out on the track because she can't handle the horses thus the track stewards won't approve her to get her license. All I can say is get started and practice. Don't worry about your height, that doesn't matter. With jockeys it is all about weight because you can't weigh more than 112 lbs. But if you can't maintain that weight don't worry you still have a chance at becoming an exercise rider.

Answer 3

dont worry about your height. I believe a jockey called richard jolly in australia won the perth cup on saratov and he was more or less 6 feet tall. Eat healthy and if your weight stays within acceptable limits then you should be ok. As far as getting a younger horse than the won you have, that would be a good idea. However, you dont want a horse that is too young and too inexperienced when you are trying to learn. Well behaved, recently retired and healthy horses are the best to learn on. Good luck!

Answer 4

Train Kept a Rollin. I'm an Aerosmith fan. But you forgot Crazy Train! Edit: Okay, since someone said Crazy Train already, I'll add Love Train by Wolfmother.

Answer 5

If you are serious about it there are a couple of college programs that will train you to become a jockey.
One is at Olds College in Ablerta Canada and the other program is out of Kentucky run by a formeer jockey.
Check the out.
Other than that you should look at getting a job working on a breeding training racing farm. That is how I got started.
I rode as an exercise rider and worked with the trainer on the farm riding the horses in training.

Answer 6

I'm a jockey by trade,and Ive got to say I've ridden with Richard Jolly,I've been riding in country Australia for 27 years,If you are 50 kgs don't worry that's a pretty good weight just go for it and keep your head screw on straight.Listen and learn and you will make some good money..
Dont worry how tall you are,just keep the weight down.
I'm 41 years old and I still ride at 53kgs,I am 5'6" but believe me it gets harder when you get older.
Good luck with your career..

Answer 7

Hi, i don´t speak english but i can say U that you could be a good trainer in the future. Jockey is a dangerous job, trainer is a hard job both need too look. There so many jockeys "tall" 5´6" and 110 lbs weight If you parents are tall, forget it you can not be a jockey but U can be a trainer.
Thanks