Long and winding road to a ticket to ride

Not many students have to get up at the crack of dawn to start their studies, but at the Northern Racing College it is the norm.

Learning to ride a horse can be a daunting experience at the best of times but if your mount happens to be a highly-strung thoroughbred that has spent most of its life on a race track, putting your foot in the stirrup for the first time is an even greater challenge.

However, for several young students embarking on the foundation course at the Northern Racing College in Doncaster this is exactly how their riding careers begin.

Thirty per cent of the students who attend the college have never sat on horses before, but despite this they have chosen to embark on a career in the racing industry, where ultimately they will be riding some of the fastest and most expensive horses in the country.

Twenty-year-old Dean Moore from Sheffield is one of these students and before coming to the college he was more at home on the football pitch, yet two weeks in to the 12-week course he has hung up his football boots and already has plans to be a jockey,

“I have always wanted to learn to ride and although it was a bit nerve-wracking at first I am really enjoying it now and I can’t imagine doing anything else,” he said.

Like all new students Dean is currently learning the ropes in the relative safety of the college’s indoor school but as soon as he is ready he will be out on the gallops, where his new found skills will be put to the test.

“I am enjoying all aspects of the course but the riding is definitely the most fun, even though I had my first fall the other day, it is all part of the learning process and there is always someone to help pick you up!” Dean adds.

The college operates a “buddy scheme” where those new on the course are teamed up with a more senior student who is able to show them the ropes and offer them advice and support based on their own experiences.

Dean has been paired up with fellow aspiring jockey, 18-year-old Matthew Still from Wakefield, who has always had his heart set on becoming a jockey, but like Dean he had never ridden a horse before.

In spite of this his determination to succeed saw him out on the gallops just two weeks after his first ride and since then he has proven to be a natural in the saddle.

“My dad worked as a stable lad and I grew up going to race meetings with him, so I have always known that this is the career for me.

“You can’t beat riding out on the gallops, but I love everything about the course and the work, even the early mornings and the mucking out, I enjoy it all,” explains Matthew.

So whilst many 18-year-old students are enjoying their lie-ins and late night boozing, Matthew understands that a career in racing is more of a way of life than simply just a job and long days and hard work are all necessary to succeed as an apprentice.

He is now almost at the end of the 12-week diploma course and is hoping to get a placement on a yard where he can continue to work towards his goal of becoming a successful flat jockey and follow in the footsteps of his racing hero, Frankie Dettori.

One of the staff team responsible for inspiring these young students to succeed is Malc Bygrave, the college’s foundation course manager who was also one of the college’s first students – in 1984.

After a career in the racing industry, Malc took up a post at the college in 1993 and feels so passionately about his work that he has remained at the college ever since.

“The racing industry is my life and as a former student myself I love helping these young people to achieve their potential.

“Like Matthew and Dean, our students come from all walks of life and it is humbling to see just how hard they are prepared to work to get to where they want to be.

“For me nothing beats seeing kids who have never ridden before and their faces after their first canter on the gallops,” says Malc.

Whilst on the course students experience everything from learning to race ride and understanding equine behaviour to life skills including cookery sessions and support with managing finances, not to mention basic skills such as using a washing machine, which many students lack as they have always had their parents to look after them.

This enables students to be as fully prepared as possible for a career in the racing world.

“Our overall aim is to provide the industry with good qualified staff and from there it is down to the students – their drive and ambition will take them as far as they want to go in their chosen career,” added Malc.

The college, based at historic Rossington Hall seven miles from Doncaster, is one of two dedicated training centres in the UK accredited by the British Horseracing Authority and supported by the British Horseracing Education and Standards Trust.

The facilities have been developed through funding from the racing industry, generous donations and grants from statutory and charitable sources and with the help of the Friends of NRC.

For budding jockeys like Matthew and Dean the college is the first step in realising their dream in becoming future stars of the turf, as Matthew says,

“Before I came to the college I knew I wanted a career in racing but I didn’t know if I would even be able to sit on a horse. Now I feel that I could be a real asset to a yard and I am looking forward to riding my first winner one day.”