AINE O’Connor is an amateur jockey who took on the role as recruitment officer in RACE in February of this year. As part of her new role, Aine works tirelessly to promote the trainee jockey course and Junior Academy activities through a number of different avenues. She regularly attends open days as well as reaching out to schools, guidance councillors, riding schools and pony club branches. She works with various community horse projects and keeps their online platforms up to date with news and ways to apply for the courses.

In recent years, RACE has been proactively engaging more with younger age groups and since Aine took on this role she has noticed the high level of interest in Junior Academy activities.

After a recent visit to Moyross Youth Academy, Aine was in awe of the work they do there on a daily basis. “These young people have worked hard to prove to everyone that they can achieve anything they put their minds to.”

Several young people who have completed the trainee jockey course have come from Moyross Youth Academy.

It is so important that young people know of all the options available to them and the courses in RACE are an excellent stepping stone for any young person looking to have a career in the racing industry.

It is important to note that not all courses in RACE are just for young people and aspiring jockeys. Although Aine’s role focuses primarily on young people and the trainee jockey course, the academy offers a wide range of short courses for people of all ages. For the more experienced riders they offer CARE-funded rider improvement and upskilling courses, an amateur schooling and progression course as well as a trainers licensing course and a Level 5 Horsemanship for the Thoroughbred Industry course to name a few.

They are very open minded and are willing to help out anyone who reaches out to them in any way they can.

Starting young

Since February, Aine has attended four different Kids Club days in Fairyhouse, Navan, Galway and Leopardstown. The aim of the Go Racing Kids’ Club is to educate the younger generation about horse racing in a fun way. These events have an average of 300 children at each which means Aine has had the chance to meet and speak to around 1,200 primary school children and tell them about the opportunities available to them at RACE. “It is a fantastic initiative from HRI and a brilliant way to get young people interested in racing.”

Aine attends these events equipped with a simulator from RACE: “For many children it was the first time they’ve ever even had their feet in a set of stirrups. They can try stand up and see what it feels like to ride a horse for the first time.”

It’s not all about the riding

When asked what advice Aine would give young people who would like to pursue a career in the racing industry she told The Irish Field: “Since I’ve started working in RACE, I realise that young people coming into racing need to have a good grounding and work at their all-round development. It is not just about what they can do in the saddle. You need to work on fitness, nutrition, have a positive mindset and be resilient, all while being a good communicator.”

The most important attributes the team at RACE look for when recruiting young people for their trainee jockey course is a love for horses, a high level of fitness and a good attitude – this means being a team-player and being coachable.