Top Requirements To Become A Jockey

Recently updated on October 25th, 2022 at 11:28 am

While some sports are easy enough to enter and take part in for yourself, this is not the case with horse racing. In order to become a jockey, you need to be able to meet a specific set of criteria, which we are going to discuss in more detail in the following blog post. This way, you can get a much better idea of whether or not you have what it takes. 

1. Weigh Yourself 

When looking at the riders that you can bet on horse racing today you’ll notice that the majority are fairly small. To have a chance in this profession, you need to be able to hit the strict weight limit requirements. This is simply because horses can only carry a certain amount of weight when they are racing at speed.

For this reason, jockeys are often on the shorter side as well. When you weigh yourself, you need to remember that the final total includes how much you weigh with all of the kit on, which can be quite heavy in itself. 

2. High Fitness Level 

You may think that sitting on a horse does not require that much of a high level of fitness, but this is certainly not the case. After all, you will find yourself needing to control a horse that is running at an extremely fast speed.

Strength and endurance are two of the qualities that you require in spades. If you get up to a high level of horse racing, you are likely to find that you have to meet some test requirements revolving around cardiovascular and strength tests. Horse racing is an all-over workout, including your lower and upper body.

3. Riding Ability 

It takes time until you will feel comfortable enough on a horse to be able to control it. After all, the two of you need to be working closely alongside one another and have a close understanding. This is usually why a jockey tends to ride the same horse time after time.

Ultimately, if you are not comfortable on a horse, you are better off building up your abilities until you take on something that is so potentially dangerous. 

4. Respect for Animals

While jockeys have to be at the peak of physical fitness, this is also true of the horses themselves as well. So, jockeys need to have great respect for animals and feel fully comfortable with them. This is because you have to know how hard you can push them and when you are crossing the line. After all, this can be a highly dangerous event for the horses as well. 

If you can meet the four different requirements above for becoming a jockey, you give yourself the best possible chance of being successful at it. Ultimately, it requires a certain type of personality, as well as a particular body type or level of fitness. If you think that you tick all of the boxes above, now may be the time to give it a go and see how far you can go.