I have some questions on exercizing race horses?

Question

Hey, I am a horse lover that knows alot about horse racing. I've really thought about doing it for an after school job. I wanna race them but I am too heavy. But if I get down to weight,I probly will. Oh,I'm talkin'about quarter horse racing, not thoroughbred racing just to let you know. Ok,about the questions... Is there a weight limit? Is 5'3" too tall? How much do they get paid? What requirements are needed? Is there anything else I should know?

Also, if you got any do's and dont's,that would be Very helpful. Thanx!

Answer 1

Well to start with, you either need to live near a race track or a  place where there is a training farm or farms. Then it would be a before school job esp. if it is a race track that you live near, for on the racetrack the training takes place only very early. the track usually opens for training at 5:00 a.m. and closes at ten or 11:00 a.m. ....but before you even get to this point, you need yo learn how to ride a race horse. Riding a race horse (quarter horse or a thoroughbred) is completely different than riding any other horse, so no trainer will let you walk into his shedrow and ride a racehorse. But there are plenty of other jobs you can in order to earn your stripes to ride a racehorse.

Now if you are willing to be at the barn at 5:00 a.m. you can clean stalls, walk hots (hot horses after training) clean water buckets and feed tubs, be an extra hand or a goofer. Then after a few months, 3,4 or 5 or 6 months of this you will begin

to earn the rite to sit on the quite horses around the shedrow only and slowly you move up to become a galloping boy\girl.

the weight limit to gallop in the morning there is no such limit, but each trainer has there own limit, usually it falls around 125 lbs. to 165 lbs.

No 5'3" is not too tall for a galloping boy/girl

how much do they get paid? that depends on how good you can ride.

These are loose figures because it depends on your skill and how far you take it and who you work for. , but if you work for a stable your on salary, and you are expected as a exercise boy/girl to ride, and clean  tack, after all the horses are out. And on salary, you could be expected to work the afternoons as a poneyboy/girl taking the horses racing that day to the post,

There is also what is called a freelance gallopingboy/girl and they get paid by the mount, and that depends on the track and the purse money at that particular track. When I was a kid galloping horses, the price was 2 dollars a horse, and these days I think it is around 8 to 10 dollars a head.

the requirements first you need to know your horsemanship and thus your horses. When you walk into a trainers shedrow be honost, because any trainer will see within minutes your horsemanship skills. trust me you not gonna fool anybody. Even if you lived on a large cattle ranch and rode since you could walk, on the racetrack, you gonna most likely start on the bottom, you'll just work your way up the ladder faster.

Also, you have to be 16 years old to step on to the racetrack.

I was galloping at age 12, on the racetrack, but that was 38 years ago and my father was a horse trainer for thoughbreds, so my case was different. At that time the racetrack security turned a blind eye to these type of cases.

Then there are also farms, a different world, but certain aspects of it are the same, such as the training, for the most part gets done in the morning to the early afternoon. But the good news is that where there are horses, racing horses, there is work all day long.....in some form or another.

Is there anything else you should know? Yeah there is a ton of information you should, but it is very specific and is always changing. So to speak in general terms.

It is dangerous...it's exciting to have the priviledge to sit on a creature so powerful and fast...I loved every minute of it.

Yeah, there is a lot you should know,but you have to learn it from the horses and jockies and trainers you will encounter on the job, you say you know a lot about horse racing, but I know you don't, just from your questions. You might know....well how can I express to you...

lets say you know a lot about cars the models and makes the years the were produced, but you've never driven a car or took an engine apart. so you could say you know a lot about cars, but your never gonna get a job as a mechanic or a race car driver. So your knowledge will help a little. Use it as a platform to leap from. If you would like a phone # of a very good retired jockey who lives in florida, he is my brother, e-mail me back at [e-mail]