I think at this point I was just trying to breath...
Notice my jockey seat compared to the rider behind me... and yet I'm still struggling!
Phew! A quick rest!
All in all, I had so much fun! :)
Friday, April 25, 2014
Pictures from the Jockey Academy
Here are a few pictures from my two weeks at the jockey academy. As you can tell from my face in many (most) of the pictures, the struggle was real. I discovered just how physically UNfit I am and just how much hard work it will take for me to get into shape. Believe you me, I'll be hitting the gym when I get home. Which, by the way, is in TWO DAYS!
Sunday, April 20, 2014
True Gusto: What it takes to be a jockey in South Africa
First I would like to wish all of my wonderful readers a Happy Easter!
I hope your Easter is blessed with family, friends and good food :)
Now down to business. I had the privilege of spending two weeks at the South African Jockey Academy learning just what it takes to become a professional racehorse rider in South Africa. First of all, let me just say how fortunate and grateful I am to have had this experience. I had the pleasure of meeting the academy's headmaster, Graham Bailey, at the Summerhill Ready to Run Sale back in February and he invited me to spend a week at the academy. I most certainly followed up on the offer.
My "one week training as a jockey" quickly turned in to two weeks. During my two weeks at the academy, I learned very quickly just how much hard work, dedication, bravery and commitment it takes to become a jockey. I also got to see the behind the scenes workings of South African Thoroughbred racing, as well as meet some pretty incredible people with incredible stories.
My first week at the academy I spent getting to know the 5th year students. These guys are already riding races as apprentice jockeys. Being an apprentice means you are not yet a "professional" jockey, but you are still learning. There is an advantage to being an apprentice jockey, however. In horse racing, weight is one of the most important aspects. All horses must race carrying the same weight depending on their class and age, among other things. The advantage of being an apprentice jockey is that you are allowed to ride underweight, thus giving the horse an advantage. Here in South Africa, apprentice jockeys either have an allowance of 4kgs or 2.5kgs depending on how many wins they have. Being able to ride underweight offers an incentive to trainers to put the less experienced apprentices on their horses.
Most of the apprentices at the academy at the moment range from ages 17-22. The life of a South African apprentice jockey is intense. Every day (rain or shine) they wake up around 4:30am and pile in an academy bus that takes them to one of three different training centers where they will spend their morning riding work for various trainers. They ride from about 5am to 9:30am. In a typical morning, they can ride anywhere between 15-30 horses. One major difference between racing in South Africa and racing in the U.S. is that in South Africa no one gets paid to ride work in the morning. (What?!?) In the U.S. some people make a living from work riding alone. I don't doubt that the apprentice jockeys could make a pretty decent living if they were paid for all the riding they do. The payment for riding work in South Africa is that hopefully the trainers you ride for in the morning will let you ride their horses in the races. Racing usually takes place on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. On these days the apprentices will ride work in the morning, go back to the academy to have lunch and pack their kits (saddles, weights and riding equipment), put on their official South African Jockey Academy suits and ties and load up in the van. They will ride in as many races as the trainers have put them in. That can range from 1 race to a full card (8-9 races). Races usually start around 1pm and go until 5:30pm. Now thats a long day!
On race days, the apprentices are going nonstop from 4:30am to 5:30pm. I rode along with them for track in the morning and then went to the races in the afternoon. I never once sat on the back of a horse all day, but I was completely exhausted. And after all of that, they get up at 4:30am the next day to do it all again! Racing is not a sport for the timid or weak. You have to be strong and resilient and willing to work really (really!) hard. Besides exhaustingly physical hard work, the jockeys also face the threat of injury. If you've never been around a Thoroughbred racehorse, then you should know that they are not like most other horses. They're like high strung sticks of dynamite that can explode at any second. In other words, they're dangerous. Just walking them from the paddock to a stall can be difficult, but imagine riding them! These apprentices ride many different horses everyday. They ride the dangerous ones and the chill ones. They ride the babies and the experienced old timers. That means injuries are not a matter of if, but when. Most apprentices have broken at least one bone, if not multiple and had many nasty falls. It's just part of the job. You have to accept how incredibly dangerous it is to ride racehorses. Every race is a life and death situation. To be a jockey, bravery is essential.
During my time spent at the races with the academy, I had the privilege to see "behind the scenes." Not many people have the opportunity to go up to the announcers box and listen while the announcer calls the race, or go to the start of the race and watch as they load the horses into the gate and feel the ground shake as the horses gallop off at full speed. I sat in the boardroom and watched the stewards and officials start the race, watch the replay and make comments about each horse's trip. I heard the inside scoop on the horses running and meet some of the most significant people in South African racing. I also got to know the jockeys at the academy pretty well.
One particular apprentice jockey that I became very good friends with, Jose Barnes, certainly stands out in a crowd. Jose is a 5th year apprentice jockey with 22 wins under his belt. That's an impressive amount of wins, but what really makes him stand out in a crowd is not the number of winners he's ridden. You know the saying "dynamite comes in small packages"? Well, Jose is the epitome of that saying. He stands at an unimpressive 4 feet, but he himself is none-the-less impressive for his size. He lives up to his nickname, "jalapeño" in every way. He is the smallest Jockey in all of South Africa, but he holds some of the toughest and strongest horses out there. During his first few years at the academy, many thought he wouldn't make it as a jockey. They thought he was too small. But Jose never gave up. While sitting at the parade ring one day at Clairwood Racecourse, one of the officials came up to talk to me. Jose happened to walk by on his mount for the race. The official pointed toward Jose and said, "That kid is pure determination. Pure determination." Despite his size, Jose is an excellent jockey. He's only 19 years old, but he has already made a name for himself in racing. I look forward to staying in touch and following his career! He has been an inspiration to me, as well as a very good friend.
On my third day at the academy, a photographer came to take a picture for the back wall of the cafeteria. They had all the apprentices put on their academy polos and saddle up one of the training horses. I got to be in the photo too! Jose lent me one of his polos (which was actually a bit small believe it or not) and we rode the horses to the Summerveld training tracks. We lined up the horses between a row of trees. There were about 10 horses. I got to see a copy of the photo before I left and its very neat! I'm honored to be in a picture that will hang on the wall at the academy. I will post the picture on the blog just as soon as I get a copy. After we took the photo, the riding masters told us to take the horses down to the track and gallop at a strong canter. To say the least, riding with 9 other apprentice jockeys on ex-races was a bit intimidating. I was on the verge of panic as we rounded the corner to the shoot onto the track. Luckily, Jose realized that I was nervous and he helped me as much as he could. He stayed back with me and went slow and showed me how to hold my reins in a proper bridge. I made it to the bottom of the track and sighed a big sigh of relief. Later on in the week, we went for a ride through the sugar cane behind the academy. It was a beautiful trail ride with some spectacular views. The trails lead to a beautiful view of the valley that lies behind the academy. I so wish I would have had my phone to take a picture! The spectacular views were made even better with a few uphill gallops that really make your blood pump. My first week was exhausting getting up early and keeping up with the apprentices, but I had no idea what I was in for in my second week at the academy.
I was invited to stay a second week so I could ride with the first year students, who had been on holiday the week before. These students range in age from 15-18 and have either been riding their whole lives, or just learned 3 months ago during their first term at the academy. The academy is not only a school to learn how to ride as a jockey, but it is also a high school. Many of the jockeys go to school while also learning to ride races. I spent my second week as a fist year jockey in training and got an excellent glimpse at what it really takes to become a jockey in South Africa.
A typical day for the first years starts at 4:30am. We reported to the stables at 5am and began our daily routine of cleaning the horse's stalls. Each student cleans the stall of the horse they will ride that morning. I was given a spade and a burlap bag, which I have to say is not the easiest or most efficient way to clean a stall. I may or may not have been cursing under my breath the first few days while I attempted to wrangle the spade and get the poop into the bag without having it fall out all over the place. I kept repeating, "Only in Africa, only in Africa." But I got over it, and learned how to clean a stall with a spade and burlap bag like a pro. By the end of the week, I was an expert. After cleaning the stalls, we tacked up the horses and were in the arena ready to ride by 6am.
This is the part of the experience that made me doubt that I have what it takes to be a jockey. It just so happened that the academy was hosting 2 riding masters from the Cape that had come to "whip" the first years into shape and let me tell you, they did just that. If you've never ridden in short irons, then you don't know what real torture is. I had done minimal riding in short irons before, but they were really more like semi-short irons. First things first, we had to put our irons up while we were trotting. Of course all of the first year students had done this a million times before, and then there was me in the back struggling like crazy. I'm used to pulling into the middle of the arena and having my Dad or my trainer come and fix my stirrups for me and then check to see if their even. Well, thats not how its done in racing.
It took me almost until Thursday to get both of my irons up without stopping. But when I did get it, I felt like I had won a gold medal! It was a good feeling. Now I can put my irons up in a split second without out stopping or even thinking about it. Success! After we put our irons up, the riding master continued on with the torture making us trot in short irons for what felt like forever. We rode for two hours and I think we only walked maybe 2 or 3 times for maybe 5 minutes. I quickly discovered how grossly unfit I am. I struggled to the point of sitting when I was on the other side of the arena where he couldn't see me because I was literally pushed to my physical limit. Then after we posted the trot in short irons until our legs felt like our they were going to fall off, he made us sit in our jockey seat. Now, the jockey seat is what really did me in. Sure on TV when you watch the races the jockeys make it look easy, but in reality it takes all the strength you have. The horse is not doing all the work for you. You are supporting all of your own weight and you have to balance while straddling a horse, who obviously has a mind of his own. After about 5 seconds in the jockey seat (mine wasn't even that great) my legs were burning. I was ready to throw in the towel and stick to an office job the rest of my life. But after hitting the "wall," so to speak, I kept pushing and made if for another minute and then had to sit down. After my first ride, I realized just how physically demanding it is to be a jockey. Oh, but that was just the beginning.
Everyday for 5 days straight I got up at 4:30am, reported to the stables by 5am, cleaned my horses stall (still with a shovel and bag), got him fresh water and hay and was in the saddle by 6am. My legs were so sore I had difficulty walking and sitting down. I actually worried that my legs would give out and refuse to continue working. Luckily, my legs cooperated and amazingly the soreness and pain started to diminish the more I rode. At 6am we began posting and we continued posting in our short irons until he told us to sit in our jockey seat. We held our seat for at least 5 minutes, which is pure torture. Just when you can't hold it any longer, the riding master would yell and tell you to "get low," which made your legs and back and arms and neck ache even more. After our two hours of endless posting, jockey seating and getting low, we untacked our horses, took them out for a roll and groomed them until they shined. At 8am we reported to gym where you are expected to work out as much as you can. I stuck to yoga stretches in an attempt to stretch out my screaming muscles, but the other students were running on the treadmill, lifting weights and doing planks. All before breakfast!
Of course, jockeys must always watch their weight. So, the first years are just now learning how to maintain their weight. Breakfast is one of the largest meals of the day were almost all of the students, first years and apprentices, come to eat. After lunch, the first years that are still in high school go to class (this is the part of the day where I took a nice long nap ;) ) I felt a bit guilty taking a nice long nap while the others were slaving away at school, but I have to admit the nap was a lifesaver. They will be in class from 10:20am until 2:30pm, taking a break to have a light lunch (very light, as in crackers and salad. Remember they have to watch their weight) and bring in their horses. After they spend 4 hours in school, they report back to the stables to saddle up for the afternoon ride. The afternoon ride was just as torturous as the morning ride, but a bit shorter. After we did our customary posting and jockey seat we would get off our horses, roll them, brush them, feed them and then report to the equisizer so the riding master could perfect our jockey seats. They would force us (pushing our backs down) until we were in the ideal competitive jockey seat, which made every muscle in my legs burn. They made us hold it as long as we could. My face was red as a tomato and I was covered in sweat. I was exhausted.
I don't think I've ever been so physically exhausted in my entire life. After the equisizer, we made sure our horses had enough fresh hay and water to last the night. After all that, I thought thank goodness the day is over! But I was wrong. After we finished with out horses, the riding master tells us to take off our boots and go to the sand track. Yes, he made us run around the SAND track twice. I was already at the point of complete physical exhaustion and now this crazy man wants us to run around in the sand! I really didn't feel like running in my bare feet so I kept my boots on, which according to the riding master was my own handicap (haha very funny). Just for future reference, if you ever see me running, other than on a treadmill, you should probably be running too because I'm most likely trying to escape something thats trying to kill or eat me. I hate to run anywhere but on a treadmill. Running on the sand was even worse. I struggled hardcore. I came in dead last and all the other students had to stand and wait for me as I huffed and puffed my way around the track. To make matters worse, the peanut gallery (the 5th year apprentice jockeys) just happened to be playing soccer on the lawn just in front of the track. I'm sure they throughly enjoyed egging me on yelling out "Come on American!" "Do it for your country!" "Barack Obama!" (I liked that one especially.... ugh). But I made it, regardless.
This routine continued for 5 days. Although I was physically exhausted and tired pretty much the entire time, I still had time to make some great friends. I was especially friends with the only three girls at the academy. Being a successful female jockey in South Africa is quite a feat. There is only one female jockey riding in South Africa at the moment. The racing game is not an easy task for females in any country, let alone South Africa. Tayla, Teneal and Laiken are all optimistic about their futures in racing. They realize how difficult it is for women and they see it as motivation to do their best. I was inspired by their commitment and determination. They have the potential to be the Chantal Sutherland or Rosie Napravnik (highly successfully female American jockeys) of South Africa. Having the title of the first highly successful female jockey of South Africa is still up for grabs, and they all know it.
My week was winding down as Thursday rolled around. Lucky for me, one of the apprentice jockeys had his first win the week before. As a tradition, every time one of the apprentices rides their first winner they celebrate with a braai (a South African cook out). The food was delicious! It was a blast hanging out with all my new friends and enjoying some very delicious food. It was quite humorous to see how excited the students got to have soda! They usually only have water, tea and coffee to drink so they were very happy to have soda even if it was Coke Zero. :P
As my time at the academy came to a close, my legs rejoiced and my brain was ready to sleep in as long as possible. I learned so much in just two weeks. Its hard to put in to words exactly how I felt after my time at the academy. First and foremost, I met some wonderful people. I got to see the inside workings of South African Thoroughbred racing and the people who have committed their lives to it. It really gave me an appreciation and respect for these people who live and breath horses. I was inspired to continue to pursue my dream to work in the racing industry. I have to be honest and say that another thing my two weeks at the academy gave me was an enormous gratefulness for my college education. My reality is quite different from many of the jockeys. Some jockeys only have their ability to ride horses, which is an incredible ability that can make them a lot of money. However, if they are injured and unable to ride they have nothing to fall back on. That's a very difficult reality for many jockeys. Being a jockey for me is a dream, but not something I have to do. I'm very grateful to have options.
At this point, I've decided to take it one day at a time and see where I end up. I have an advising appointment at the North American Racing Academy in Kentucky right after graduation in May. There are also a few other possibilities on my radar. My time at the South African Jockey Academy was priceless. Moving forward with my career, I have a very good idea of what it will take if I do decide to pursue a career as a professional jockey. Even if I don't decide to ride, I will always have an incredible respect for the men and women that pore their lives into horse racing. A life in racing is only for people who have incredible dedication, strength, self-discipline, courage, and a whole lot of gusto.
I can't believe how fast my 3 months in South Africa have gone. I'm down to my final week here at Summerhill. I leave for home next Sunday and will be home with my family and favorite sassy grey cat by Monday! I'll be spending my final week here at Summerhill wrapping up my work for Butler and spending as much time as I can with my favorite South African friends. Once I'm home, I won't have much down time. I'll have a week at home, then I'll head down to Indy to prepare for graduation! There may also be a big adventure for summer brewing... stay tuned!
Here are a few pictures from my time at the academy:
There were a few pictures taken of me riding at the academy and I will upload them just as soon as they're sent my way!
As always thanks for reading and as they say here in Africa,
Cheers!
I hope your Easter is blessed with family, friends and good food :)
Now down to business. I had the privilege of spending two weeks at the South African Jockey Academy learning just what it takes to become a professional racehorse rider in South Africa. First of all, let me just say how fortunate and grateful I am to have had this experience. I had the pleasure of meeting the academy's headmaster, Graham Bailey, at the Summerhill Ready to Run Sale back in February and he invited me to spend a week at the academy. I most certainly followed up on the offer.
My "one week training as a jockey" quickly turned in to two weeks. During my two weeks at the academy, I learned very quickly just how much hard work, dedication, bravery and commitment it takes to become a jockey. I also got to see the behind the scenes workings of South African Thoroughbred racing, as well as meet some pretty incredible people with incredible stories.
My first week at the academy I spent getting to know the 5th year students. These guys are already riding races as apprentice jockeys. Being an apprentice means you are not yet a "professional" jockey, but you are still learning. There is an advantage to being an apprentice jockey, however. In horse racing, weight is one of the most important aspects. All horses must race carrying the same weight depending on their class and age, among other things. The advantage of being an apprentice jockey is that you are allowed to ride underweight, thus giving the horse an advantage. Here in South Africa, apprentice jockeys either have an allowance of 4kgs or 2.5kgs depending on how many wins they have. Being able to ride underweight offers an incentive to trainers to put the less experienced apprentices on their horses.
Most of the apprentices at the academy at the moment range from ages 17-22. The life of a South African apprentice jockey is intense. Every day (rain or shine) they wake up around 4:30am and pile in an academy bus that takes them to one of three different training centers where they will spend their morning riding work for various trainers. They ride from about 5am to 9:30am. In a typical morning, they can ride anywhere between 15-30 horses. One major difference between racing in South Africa and racing in the U.S. is that in South Africa no one gets paid to ride work in the morning. (What?!?) In the U.S. some people make a living from work riding alone. I don't doubt that the apprentice jockeys could make a pretty decent living if they were paid for all the riding they do. The payment for riding work in South Africa is that hopefully the trainers you ride for in the morning will let you ride their horses in the races. Racing usually takes place on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. On these days the apprentices will ride work in the morning, go back to the academy to have lunch and pack their kits (saddles, weights and riding equipment), put on their official South African Jockey Academy suits and ties and load up in the van. They will ride in as many races as the trainers have put them in. That can range from 1 race to a full card (8-9 races). Races usually start around 1pm and go until 5:30pm. Now thats a long day!
On race days, the apprentices are going nonstop from 4:30am to 5:30pm. I rode along with them for track in the morning and then went to the races in the afternoon. I never once sat on the back of a horse all day, but I was completely exhausted. And after all of that, they get up at 4:30am the next day to do it all again! Racing is not a sport for the timid or weak. You have to be strong and resilient and willing to work really (really!) hard. Besides exhaustingly physical hard work, the jockeys also face the threat of injury. If you've never been around a Thoroughbred racehorse, then you should know that they are not like most other horses. They're like high strung sticks of dynamite that can explode at any second. In other words, they're dangerous. Just walking them from the paddock to a stall can be difficult, but imagine riding them! These apprentices ride many different horses everyday. They ride the dangerous ones and the chill ones. They ride the babies and the experienced old timers. That means injuries are not a matter of if, but when. Most apprentices have broken at least one bone, if not multiple and had many nasty falls. It's just part of the job. You have to accept how incredibly dangerous it is to ride racehorses. Every race is a life and death situation. To be a jockey, bravery is essential.
During my time spent at the races with the academy, I had the privilege to see "behind the scenes." Not many people have the opportunity to go up to the announcers box and listen while the announcer calls the race, or go to the start of the race and watch as they load the horses into the gate and feel the ground shake as the horses gallop off at full speed. I sat in the boardroom and watched the stewards and officials start the race, watch the replay and make comments about each horse's trip. I heard the inside scoop on the horses running and meet some of the most significant people in South African racing. I also got to know the jockeys at the academy pretty well.
One particular apprentice jockey that I became very good friends with, Jose Barnes, certainly stands out in a crowd. Jose is a 5th year apprentice jockey with 22 wins under his belt. That's an impressive amount of wins, but what really makes him stand out in a crowd is not the number of winners he's ridden. You know the saying "dynamite comes in small packages"? Well, Jose is the epitome of that saying. He stands at an unimpressive 4 feet, but he himself is none-the-less impressive for his size. He lives up to his nickname, "jalapeño" in every way. He is the smallest Jockey in all of South Africa, but he holds some of the toughest and strongest horses out there. During his first few years at the academy, many thought he wouldn't make it as a jockey. They thought he was too small. But Jose never gave up. While sitting at the parade ring one day at Clairwood Racecourse, one of the officials came up to talk to me. Jose happened to walk by on his mount for the race. The official pointed toward Jose and said, "That kid is pure determination. Pure determination." Despite his size, Jose is an excellent jockey. He's only 19 years old, but he has already made a name for himself in racing. I look forward to staying in touch and following his career! He has been an inspiration to me, as well as a very good friend.
On my third day at the academy, a photographer came to take a picture for the back wall of the cafeteria. They had all the apprentices put on their academy polos and saddle up one of the training horses. I got to be in the photo too! Jose lent me one of his polos (which was actually a bit small believe it or not) and we rode the horses to the Summerveld training tracks. We lined up the horses between a row of trees. There were about 10 horses. I got to see a copy of the photo before I left and its very neat! I'm honored to be in a picture that will hang on the wall at the academy. I will post the picture on the blog just as soon as I get a copy. After we took the photo, the riding masters told us to take the horses down to the track and gallop at a strong canter. To say the least, riding with 9 other apprentice jockeys on ex-races was a bit intimidating. I was on the verge of panic as we rounded the corner to the shoot onto the track. Luckily, Jose realized that I was nervous and he helped me as much as he could. He stayed back with me and went slow and showed me how to hold my reins in a proper bridge. I made it to the bottom of the track and sighed a big sigh of relief. Later on in the week, we went for a ride through the sugar cane behind the academy. It was a beautiful trail ride with some spectacular views. The trails lead to a beautiful view of the valley that lies behind the academy. I so wish I would have had my phone to take a picture! The spectacular views were made even better with a few uphill gallops that really make your blood pump. My first week was exhausting getting up early and keeping up with the apprentices, but I had no idea what I was in for in my second week at the academy.
I was invited to stay a second week so I could ride with the first year students, who had been on holiday the week before. These students range in age from 15-18 and have either been riding their whole lives, or just learned 3 months ago during their first term at the academy. The academy is not only a school to learn how to ride as a jockey, but it is also a high school. Many of the jockeys go to school while also learning to ride races. I spent my second week as a fist year jockey in training and got an excellent glimpse at what it really takes to become a jockey in South Africa.
A typical day for the first years starts at 4:30am. We reported to the stables at 5am and began our daily routine of cleaning the horse's stalls. Each student cleans the stall of the horse they will ride that morning. I was given a spade and a burlap bag, which I have to say is not the easiest or most efficient way to clean a stall. I may or may not have been cursing under my breath the first few days while I attempted to wrangle the spade and get the poop into the bag without having it fall out all over the place. I kept repeating, "Only in Africa, only in Africa." But I got over it, and learned how to clean a stall with a spade and burlap bag like a pro. By the end of the week, I was an expert. After cleaning the stalls, we tacked up the horses and were in the arena ready to ride by 6am.
This is the part of the experience that made me doubt that I have what it takes to be a jockey. It just so happened that the academy was hosting 2 riding masters from the Cape that had come to "whip" the first years into shape and let me tell you, they did just that. If you've never ridden in short irons, then you don't know what real torture is. I had done minimal riding in short irons before, but they were really more like semi-short irons. First things first, we had to put our irons up while we were trotting. Of course all of the first year students had done this a million times before, and then there was me in the back struggling like crazy. I'm used to pulling into the middle of the arena and having my Dad or my trainer come and fix my stirrups for me and then check to see if their even. Well, thats not how its done in racing.
It took me almost until Thursday to get both of my irons up without stopping. But when I did get it, I felt like I had won a gold medal! It was a good feeling. Now I can put my irons up in a split second without out stopping or even thinking about it. Success! After we put our irons up, the riding master continued on with the torture making us trot in short irons for what felt like forever. We rode for two hours and I think we only walked maybe 2 or 3 times for maybe 5 minutes. I quickly discovered how grossly unfit I am. I struggled to the point of sitting when I was on the other side of the arena where he couldn't see me because I was literally pushed to my physical limit. Then after we posted the trot in short irons until our legs felt like our they were going to fall off, he made us sit in our jockey seat. Now, the jockey seat is what really did me in. Sure on TV when you watch the races the jockeys make it look easy, but in reality it takes all the strength you have. The horse is not doing all the work for you. You are supporting all of your own weight and you have to balance while straddling a horse, who obviously has a mind of his own. After about 5 seconds in the jockey seat (mine wasn't even that great) my legs were burning. I was ready to throw in the towel and stick to an office job the rest of my life. But after hitting the "wall," so to speak, I kept pushing and made if for another minute and then had to sit down. After my first ride, I realized just how physically demanding it is to be a jockey. Oh, but that was just the beginning.
Everyday for 5 days straight I got up at 4:30am, reported to the stables by 5am, cleaned my horses stall (still with a shovel and bag), got him fresh water and hay and was in the saddle by 6am. My legs were so sore I had difficulty walking and sitting down. I actually worried that my legs would give out and refuse to continue working. Luckily, my legs cooperated and amazingly the soreness and pain started to diminish the more I rode. At 6am we began posting and we continued posting in our short irons until he told us to sit in our jockey seat. We held our seat for at least 5 minutes, which is pure torture. Just when you can't hold it any longer, the riding master would yell and tell you to "get low," which made your legs and back and arms and neck ache even more. After our two hours of endless posting, jockey seating and getting low, we untacked our horses, took them out for a roll and groomed them until they shined. At 8am we reported to gym where you are expected to work out as much as you can. I stuck to yoga stretches in an attempt to stretch out my screaming muscles, but the other students were running on the treadmill, lifting weights and doing planks. All before breakfast!
Of course, jockeys must always watch their weight. So, the first years are just now learning how to maintain their weight. Breakfast is one of the largest meals of the day were almost all of the students, first years and apprentices, come to eat. After lunch, the first years that are still in high school go to class (this is the part of the day where I took a nice long nap ;) ) I felt a bit guilty taking a nice long nap while the others were slaving away at school, but I have to admit the nap was a lifesaver. They will be in class from 10:20am until 2:30pm, taking a break to have a light lunch (very light, as in crackers and salad. Remember they have to watch their weight) and bring in their horses. After they spend 4 hours in school, they report back to the stables to saddle up for the afternoon ride. The afternoon ride was just as torturous as the morning ride, but a bit shorter. After we did our customary posting and jockey seat we would get off our horses, roll them, brush them, feed them and then report to the equisizer so the riding master could perfect our jockey seats. They would force us (pushing our backs down) until we were in the ideal competitive jockey seat, which made every muscle in my legs burn. They made us hold it as long as we could. My face was red as a tomato and I was covered in sweat. I was exhausted.
I don't think I've ever been so physically exhausted in my entire life. After the equisizer, we made sure our horses had enough fresh hay and water to last the night. After all that, I thought thank goodness the day is over! But I was wrong. After we finished with out horses, the riding master tells us to take off our boots and go to the sand track. Yes, he made us run around the SAND track twice. I was already at the point of complete physical exhaustion and now this crazy man wants us to run around in the sand! I really didn't feel like running in my bare feet so I kept my boots on, which according to the riding master was my own handicap (haha very funny). Just for future reference, if you ever see me running, other than on a treadmill, you should probably be running too because I'm most likely trying to escape something thats trying to kill or eat me. I hate to run anywhere but on a treadmill. Running on the sand was even worse. I struggled hardcore. I came in dead last and all the other students had to stand and wait for me as I huffed and puffed my way around the track. To make matters worse, the peanut gallery (the 5th year apprentice jockeys) just happened to be playing soccer on the lawn just in front of the track. I'm sure they throughly enjoyed egging me on yelling out "Come on American!" "Do it for your country!" "Barack Obama!" (I liked that one especially.... ugh). But I made it, regardless.
This routine continued for 5 days. Although I was physically exhausted and tired pretty much the entire time, I still had time to make some great friends. I was especially friends with the only three girls at the academy. Being a successful female jockey in South Africa is quite a feat. There is only one female jockey riding in South Africa at the moment. The racing game is not an easy task for females in any country, let alone South Africa. Tayla, Teneal and Laiken are all optimistic about their futures in racing. They realize how difficult it is for women and they see it as motivation to do their best. I was inspired by their commitment and determination. They have the potential to be the Chantal Sutherland or Rosie Napravnik (highly successfully female American jockeys) of South Africa. Having the title of the first highly successful female jockey of South Africa is still up for grabs, and they all know it.
My week was winding down as Thursday rolled around. Lucky for me, one of the apprentice jockeys had his first win the week before. As a tradition, every time one of the apprentices rides their first winner they celebrate with a braai (a South African cook out). The food was delicious! It was a blast hanging out with all my new friends and enjoying some very delicious food. It was quite humorous to see how excited the students got to have soda! They usually only have water, tea and coffee to drink so they were very happy to have soda even if it was Coke Zero. :P
As my time at the academy came to a close, my legs rejoiced and my brain was ready to sleep in as long as possible. I learned so much in just two weeks. Its hard to put in to words exactly how I felt after my time at the academy. First and foremost, I met some wonderful people. I got to see the inside workings of South African Thoroughbred racing and the people who have committed their lives to it. It really gave me an appreciation and respect for these people who live and breath horses. I was inspired to continue to pursue my dream to work in the racing industry. I have to be honest and say that another thing my two weeks at the academy gave me was an enormous gratefulness for my college education. My reality is quite different from many of the jockeys. Some jockeys only have their ability to ride horses, which is an incredible ability that can make them a lot of money. However, if they are injured and unable to ride they have nothing to fall back on. That's a very difficult reality for many jockeys. Being a jockey for me is a dream, but not something I have to do. I'm very grateful to have options.
At this point, I've decided to take it one day at a time and see where I end up. I have an advising appointment at the North American Racing Academy in Kentucky right after graduation in May. There are also a few other possibilities on my radar. My time at the South African Jockey Academy was priceless. Moving forward with my career, I have a very good idea of what it will take if I do decide to pursue a career as a professional jockey. Even if I don't decide to ride, I will always have an incredible respect for the men and women that pore their lives into horse racing. A life in racing is only for people who have incredible dedication, strength, self-discipline, courage, and a whole lot of gusto.
I can't believe how fast my 3 months in South Africa have gone. I'm down to my final week here at Summerhill. I leave for home next Sunday and will be home with my family and favorite sassy grey cat by Monday! I'll be spending my final week here at Summerhill wrapping up my work for Butler and spending as much time as I can with my favorite South African friends. Once I'm home, I won't have much down time. I'll have a week at home, then I'll head down to Indy to prepare for graduation! There may also be a big adventure for summer brewing... stay tuned!
Here are a few pictures from my time at the academy:
Jose "Jalapeño" Barnes winning his first race with Paxmak
Jose and I after my first ride at the academy
Teneal and Tayla, two of the three female jockeys in training and I
Laiken, the other female jockey in training, Tayla and I
At the start
The starting gate just before the horses were loaded
Beautiful Scottsville Racecourse
Nico, a first year student, making his horse "talk"
Me practicing on the equisizer
A beautiful sunrise during morning work
Naturally, I became very good friends with Copperfield the resident academy cat
He made himself quite at home on and in my bed
There were a few pictures taken of me riding at the academy and I will upload them just as soon as they're sent my way!
As always thanks for reading and as they say here in Africa,
Cheers!
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