MY name is Sophie McDonnell, I am 17 years of age, from Cashel, Co Tipperary, and I recently completed the pilot ‘Elite Jockey’ course at RACE.

Before starting on the course, my experience with horses would have been through pony club, hunting, and cross country, which I feel gives anyone a really good grounding before starting to ride racehorses.

I spent the two years before the course assisting as a stable hand and rider at Sam Curling’s yard and I really enjoyed the buzz of helping to prepare horses and seeing them do well at point-to-point races. It really gave me the feeling that this is something that I would love to pursue as a career.

I attended trials at RACE last July and I was delighted to have been selected as one of the seven riders for the new HRI Equuip-funded pilot ‘Elite Jockey’ programme. Joining the course has been one of the best decisions I have ever made.

During the first stage of the course, which was six weeks on-site at the RACE campus, the days consisted of intensive rider coaching from Paddy Flood and the team at RACE. It has been a great opportunity to gain experience riding and schooling different horses at the Curragh training grounds and I really feel that my riding has improved considerably.

We also had the opportunity to ride in a schooling bumper at Tipperary racecourse and spent a morning riding out for Willie Mullins, which was a great experience and will really help to prepare us before we ride in a race in the future.

Fitness focus

As well as the rider coaching during the initial six weeks, we had regular gym sessions with Wayne Middleton, the strength and conditioning coach who trains a lot of top jockeys. Wayne really improved our knowledge of fitness plans and the importance of maintaining a healthy weight and fitness level to prevent injury and help us perform at our best.

It was also of great benefit to have several guest lectures from speakers such as Dr. Jennifer Pugh and Gary Shaw (IHRB), Lisa O’Neill (HRI), Alex Carins (ITM), and we attended training in financial literacy, media training and CV and interview skills. As well as these sessions, we also worked towards gaining an accredited QQI Level 5 certificate in ‘Racehorse Care and Exercise’ and attended practical training to improve our knowledge of the management and care of the thoroughbred racehorse.

For the second stage of the course, we were all allocated to different racehorse trainers around the country for a work placement stage for a further six weeks. This included bi-weekly training days back at RACE.

For my placement, I attended Paul Nolan’s yard in Co Wexford. Through Paul, James and all the staff, I have been gaining a great deal of experience and I have had great opportunities to improve my riding with lots of schooling over fences and riding young horses.

I am really enjoying the experience, the staff are very friendly, the horses are very well cared for and it’s a relaxed yet professional environment.

Final stage

The course culminated last week on Thursday November 30th. To mark our final day, we had the chance to take some of the horses from RACE to The Field Equestrian, Cross Country Course in Co Laois. It was a great way to celebrate our last day on the course - the horses loved it. Later that afternoon we were joined by our families, RACE and HRI staff for a graduation ceremony where we received RACE certificates.

From improving my riding skills, style, and confidence on a horse to getting stronger and fitter in the gym, to gaining a greater knowledge of the thoroughbred racehorse and the racing industry, I do believe that any young person hoping to become a jockey would really benefit from completing the course.

I have made great friends with my six peers; Abigail (based with James Motherway), Danny (Willie McCreery), Donagh (Conyngham Lodge), Conor (John O’Donoghue), John (Willie Mullins) and Shay (Joseph O’Brien) and I am sure that we will be a great support to each other as we progress in our careers in the industry.

I am hoping to gain my amateur jockey licence shortly and put what I have learned on the course into practice.

Coming to RACE to complete the course has been a fantastic opportunity and I would like to thank the staff at RACE and HRI Equuip for their support during the course.