What does it feel like to be a jockey?

Question

i want to be a jockey and i want to know how it feels to be one. like when you win a race when you lose and when you fall off what is the first things to go through your head?

Answer 1

probably hurts

Answer 2

I'm not a jockey but I have fallen off of a horse many times.  I can tell you that there's not much thought going on while you're falling.  My mind always goes blank except for something along the lines of "sh*t!"  While you're falling, it's the same feeling that you get if you're walking down the stairs in the dark and you miss a stair... your stomach comes up into your throat for a second and all you want to do is hang on to the horse somehow and avoid hitting the ground.  Once you land if you're a jockey, I imagine that you'd be kind of annoyed and upset since your horse isn't going to win and you aren't going to win any of the prize money.  But you'll always want to get back on a horse, though you might ride tenatively for a while after you return to riding.

I imagine that losing wouldn't be that upsetting unless it's a major race.  When you first start out, you might lose a lot and losing might bother you because the jockeys with more experience will seem a lot better than you.  But once you win a couple races I think you'll love the feeling enough that you'll keep riding even when you lose.  As for major races, there will definately be some disappointment... I read Gary Stevens' book (A Perfect Ride) and he describes how he felt when Silver Charm lost the lead in the Belmont when he was trying for the Triple Crown in 1997... it was nothing short of terrible.  But then Gary came back and stole the Belmont from Real Quiet the next year when he rode Victory Gallop to win by a nose.  Winning and losing is part of the sport.  It will be less surprising once you've been riding for a while.

I know this is not really true preparation, but to practice with pace and guiding a horse and to experience winning and losing, there is an absolutely wonderful racing game at www.horseracegame.com  You can download the free trial and then you can race in 3 of the Breeders Cup races or a dream race with such greats as Affirmed, Alydar, Swaps, Nashua, and Bold Ruler!  download the game, turn it on, select the race you want to do, select the horse that you'd like to ride, click on "ride" then click "run race" and use your arrow buttons to control the horse.  it's a lot of fun and you really learn what a jockey deals with in racing.  if you're having trouble winning at first, race with Nashua (in the San Antonio) or Gotcha Gold (in the dirt mile)... I've found they're the 2 easiest to win with.  and remember to look at the horse's racing style before the race... don't send a horse that says "far back" go to the lead!  It sounds like I'm advertising for the company, but I'm really not... I downloaded it in December and I cannot stop playing it... it's really a lot of fun.

Answer 3

good question for gary stevens (tvg.com)