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NINE riders recently completed the CARE Exercise Rider Course at RACE before taking up full-time employment with racehorse trainers.
This four-week residential course was targeted at people who wished to improve their riding skills and learn the daily routine of a racing yard in preparation for full-time work as exercise riders. All of the riders embraced the training they were given and by the end of the four weeks they demonstrated marked improvement in their riding ability.
The physical nature of working with racehorses is often a shock to new starters and so this course also included regular fitness classes to help prepare participants for their future careers.
This course was funded by HRI through CARE (Careers And Racing Education) as part of HRI’s commitment to attract and train new entrants into the racing industry.
REAL DESIRE TO LEARN
Patrick Ryan, industry education and training co-ordinator at CARE oversaw the running of this course and said: “We were really delighted with how the students applied themselves. From day one they demonstrated a real desire to learn and improve their skills and their progression was clear to see. The team at RACE did a great job with them.
“We were very pleased to be able to secure all nine students, who graduated, placements or trials with trainers and this is a course that we hope to grow and improve year on year.”
Here's what three of the students had to say about their experience.
Stephen Mooney
As a schoolboy I used to ride out for trainer Pat Martin on the weekend and during summer holidays. When I finished school I worked for him full-time for a year. Then I heard that Damien English was looking for an apprentice jockey and I went working for him.
I was with Damien for about a month before he recommended that I do this course in RACE. The whole experience helped me big-time. In a racing yard the trainers don’t have a lot of time to help you improve your riding, so having daily tuition from the four instructors at RACE was massive.
They caught all the little things I needed to improve on and that really made a huge difference. Barry Walsh [instructor] said he saw a massive improvement in me over the four weeks and said that I was ready to go race-riding, which was the whole aim for me.
Paddy Flood gave me a lot of help on the simulators – to get advice from a former jockey was great, they have so much insight and advice to offer. Since returning to work for Damien, I have noticed a huge improvement in myself and I think Damien has too – the proof is there.
I really think this course is for anyone. It covers so many aspects of racing that there is something for everyone. Nobody knows everything so it’s well worth availing of the service.
Lauren McClave
I went to CAFRE, Enniskillen Campus, and that’s where my interest in racing really developed. They have a racing yard on campus and qualified riders are allowed to ride the college horses in point-to-points. But a lot of students just get involved in the daily work and care of the horses to gain experience and that’s what I did.
My main goal was just to learn the necessary skills to ride out racehorses because it was completely different to riding sport horses, which is what I was used to. I wanted to challenge myself and learn as much as I could and I really enjoyed it.
After graduating in June I heard about this course and I felt it could be a good opportunity to take my training a step further so I applied.
The course at RACE is step-by-step, they don’t skip anything, so even if you have very basic riding skills they will guide you forward and help you to improve.
We received expert fitness tuition twice a week and this was hugely beneficial. Fitness really is important and you might not realise it until you get started but you will quickly realise it’s something that you have to focus on and continually work on to improve, because ultimately the fitness does play a big part in your riding.
I start work with Alan Fleming on Monday. I’m looking forward to it now – it’s going to be a great experience and a chance to put my new and improved skills to the test. That’s my main focus going forward.
Ian Montgomery
At the beginning I think I had less experience than anyone else on the course. I always had an interest in horse racing but more so as a spectator at the races – I had very little riding experience.
Doing this course was really just about me giving riding a shot and seeing if I could break into the racing scene. I have a degree in business management but I just wasn’t sure if I could see myself in an office for the rest of my life and racing is something I love.
RACE were very accommodating and catered for people of varying skill sets. To be honest, it was some of the more simple things that I struggled with most, like learning the names of different pieces of tack and equipment. The staff were great, they would give us one-on-one tuition to help improve on certain areas.
They aim was for us all to finish the course at a certain level but how we progressed to that level differed from person to person and the staff were excellent in terms of that.
The facilities at RACE were excellent, I’ve never been anywhere like it. I’m really excited to have been given an opportunity to work with Noel Meade. From having barely sat on a horse before taking this course to now being capable of working for a trainer like Noel Meade, that says it all.
I’d love to keep riding as long as I physically can and I have my degree then if I want to pursue different avenues within the industry.
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