Would you choose a career as a Jockey? or a career in Sporthorse?

Question

Which career would you rather do.

A jockey?

Or.. a Sporthorse career which is (dressage, showjumping, hunter, eventing). And why would you rather do it over the other.

Answer 1

sporthorse because those things are fun and arnt that dangeruose because when ur a jockey u race horses meaning that horses can die because of bad engerese

Answer 2

I rode as an exercise rider/apprentice jockey at Thistledown racetrack for a few years.

Needless to say, I'd pick sporthorse for sure.

Being a jockey is no easy task UNLESS you are of course a top knotch rider with great connections and excellent standings-you make very little to no money, you ride horses you watch being abused, and the overall 'scene' behind the tracks is a nightmare-Drugs, crime, it just is not a fun place. You work your butt off, and you get paid hardly anything. There are no benefits-no health insurance, no worker's comp, no vacations, nothing like that. If you fall off a horse, get an injury-well, you're just SOL. The worst part is riding for trainers who don't give two cares about their horses, and there is nothing you can do about it other than try to take it easy on the horse, and then have the trainer fire you because you weren't beating the daylights out of that horse.

That's not to say there aren't ANY nice folks at the tracks-there are a fair ammount, but not as many as there SHOULD be. I think it's safe to say that 85% of the trainers and jockeys I knew out at the track were some of the worst folks ever. I learned a ton from them, but it wasn't pleasant. Riding the horses itself is fun and was a learning experience for sure, but everything else is just very messy and 'bad things' tend to be ignored behind the tracks.

It's such a shame, the sport used to be so wonderful.

Sporthorse is much more enjoyable. You're not dealing with all the miserably shady business. Although I'm sure every sport has it's down sides, I don't think sporthorse things compare at all to the track.

Answer 3

I'd rather be in a career in Sporthorse. Because I'm too tall to be a jockey and I'm not used to galloping really fast on a horse.

Answer 4

I would much rather riding Sport Horses etc...because you can gallop them as well as alot  of other things...you dont get bowed legs for the rest of ya life...you dont have to be really short and light...and if you gallop racehorses every day you don't enjoy galloping your horses as much...my friend who is a jockey rathers to walk her horses most of the time because she gallops horses 6 out of 7 days for a couple of hours and it gets boring

Answer 5

If I were short enough, I'd pick jockey! But since I'm not I have to do a sporthorse career. :)

I'd pick Jockey because they are some of the best riders out there. They know their horses, and they ride by feel - not by looks. That, and who DOESN'T enjoy galloping their horse? :D <3