It is no secret that the life that we lead today is not healthy. We are surrounded by technology, and we spend a lot of time in our homes and workplaces, sitting comfortably in our chairs, watching Netflix, and enjoying ourselves, whilst not getting all the physical activity that our bodies need. Blue-collar jobs are good in that aspect, because they usually keep you active enough throughout the day, compared to white-collar jobs, but by far, the healthiest option for anyone is professional sports. However, even there, not all sports are equal, and not everyone likes being cooped up in a room with other sweaty players, breathing down each others’ necks. In that aspect, horse racing is a fantastic choice for future athletes, and here is how to become a professional jockey.

Why horse racing?

As we mentioned, it is one of the rare sports that allows you to breathe the fresh air and enjoy nature at its finest. Also, if you are a fan of speed, this is a great way to combine it with your love of animals, as you push yourself and your horse to the limit, creating a perfect symbiotic and synchronic relationship that is unmatched in the world of sports. 

Your stamina and general physical condition

If you want to pursue this sport even as an amateur, you need to be in good shape, as riding a horse can be a strenuous workout. You might even consider hitting the gym, as keeping balance on the animal requires a tremendous amount of core strength, especially at great speeds. Also, you might also want to adjust your diet accordingly, because galloping for an hour burns off as many as 650 calories! You need to adjust your own weight too, as you need to be as light as you can possibly be for your races, without compromising the strength you need to control the horse, which means very little snacking and eating junk food from now on.

Start visiting horse races early on

Very few jockeys have the luxury to own and race their own horses, which is why you should start attending races and making connections among horse owners, so as to make it easier to find employment once you develop your riding skills. You will also need to follow closely other jockeys and horses, as you never know when an opportunity might arise for you to step in as a rider, which is why you need to dedicate a significant portion of your time to explore the racing world.

Practice

Of course, practice makes perfect, but if you have never ridden a horse, you might be in store for more practice than you thought. It takes hundreds of hours of practice for a novice to gather enough experience to start galloping away on his own. In that aspect, you can compare horse racing to airplane riding. 

Learning

The sole fact that you have to rely on another living being that is not human leaves very little space for chance. You need to acquaint yourself very well with the anatomy and the physiology of the horse, as well as the psychology and the individual temperament and habits of the very animal that you are riding so that you two will be able to have the best possible output on the day of the race. Once you have all these things mastered, there will be very few obstacles on your way to becoming a professional jockey.