How do I get into racing?

Question

I'm 16 and I've been riding since I was pretty young. I used to own horses, however at the moment due to finances I no longer do. I have a lot of experience with English training and riding and I've trained several off the track thoroughbreds for the owner of my barn. I've always had a strong interest in thoroughbred racing and it's my dream to become a jockey or trainer and I'm thin enough to be a jockey. I've gotten an offer from a friend of my aunts to start exercising his Arabian racehorses. Anyways, I live in Michigan and they just opened a track near my house (the only TB track in the state).

How do I get into racing? I'd be happy with any job at the track, grooming, exercise riding, anything to get in the experience? So where do I start? How do I get myself in there?

Answer 1

If you care about horses i would not get into this industry, horses are sent to slaughter for simply not being good enough, they are injured sometimes fatally frequently. and often do not have good care. Volunteer at a Equestrian Center or ask to exercise horses in your area. The way horses are used to make money is sick, and the way they are treated is worse.

Answer 2

ok i dont want to be the one who bursts your bubble or craps on the party here but,

the tb industry is a cut throat business run by mainly men. i worked at a breeding farm here in pa for 2 years... we had 7 stallions standing stud all of them had won well over half a mil on the track.

getting into that business is HARD and you are young.I dont reccomend you going to the tracks to find a job.I would try to find a trainer or breeder who can help you get into exercising or grooming. dont do it on your own, you will probably get taken advantage of

Answer 3

well.. go to the track then and talk to some owners about excersicing [sp?] their horses or working for them...

could you please email me the address of the track? I also live in michigan and ive always thought that would be a really fun life but i dont know where the track is?

Answer 4

Go to the track and talk to some of the owners of the horses. thats the only way your going to find out. you may be to young to race but maybe they can give you some barn work to do.

Answer 5

Don't! The leather whips hurts the horse and they can over heat and DIE!

Answer 6

This is a question that is right up my alley. I have been involved with TB racing since I was a child as my uncle was a trainer, and I grew up in it. The other posters have pointed you in the right direction. Go to the track and go to the barns. If the trainer is not there, you can ask someone who you would need to talk to about it. You may luck out and be able to be an exercise rider. But you may need to wait another year or two because your age may be a liability. And just to give you a little more info, to be a jockey, you need to weigh no more than 126 pounds including the saddle. If they tell you that you are too young to ride, see if you can get your foot in the door by asking them if you could do something else until you are old enough. Hope this helps.

ONe more thing, to be a jockey you have to have a license.

Answer 7

start from the bottom and work your way up. . . like the first answer said, go to the track and ask around. . . it's hard work, but if it's what you want to do then go for it.

Answer 8

Start off grooming, and and after they see what a great work ethic you have, that you're willing to do whatever needs to be done, and that you're pretty good at handling horses (if you are), then let them know you're interested in becoming an exercise rider.

I know you think you have "a lot of experience", but at 16, that's pretty unlikely, no offense.  It feels like a lot to you, because you haven't lived long enough to look back with perspective (does that make sense?).  I thought I knew a lot when I was 16.  Well, you won't get what I'm saying until you're a little older, then you'll say "I remember that Azeri person on Yahoo Answers telling me. . . ."  I'm just saying, be careful about running around telling people how experienced you are because it comes across really cheeky, and if you walk into a TB barn with that attitude, you'll get knocked on your butt, figuratively and perhaps literally!

I've galloped for 17 years, started out grooming, learned a lot.  Most importantly, keep my mouth shut!  Let my abilities do the talking.  We can always tell the insecure and lousy riders because they brag a lot.  And it's never their fault when things go wrong.  Humility around horses goes a long way.  And if you don't humble yourself, the horses will do it for you.

Good luck, and go for it!

EDIT:  The fact that you have been around horses for X number of years will, indeed,  make a big difference.  You're right in inferring that no one would want some horse crazy kid (or adult) with no hands-on experience handling their horses.  You definitely have a good shot at getting into a training barn since you do have some experience.  I was just trying to warn you about being too cocky, as we've seen a lot of people come and go who thought they knew a lot more than they actually did.  Wasn't trying to offend you, and I hope I didn't.

Hope you succeed.