28 September 2023 , 21:00
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Children are being invited to meet the four legged stars of horse racing in a bid to make the sport more accessible.
The Jockey Club has launched a drive to introduce them to horses after research found 40% of 12-18 year olds would consider working with them. It has partnered with insurance broker and risk management firm Gallagher to host Youth Experience Days, which give children from disadvantaged communities an opportunity to visit racecourses and meet trainers and jockeys.
Last week 25 children from the Rio Ferdinand Foundation spent the day at Cheltenham Racecourse and at Gold Cup and Grand National-winning trainer Jonjo O’Neill’s stables. They fed the horses, watched them work on the gallops, train in the swimming pool and heard from legends of the sport Sir AP McCoy and Barry Geraghty, two of racing’s most successful riders.
(JOCKEY CLUB)The youngsters also learnt about the job opportunities available in the sport. Praise Wellington, 17, from Tameside, Greater Manchester, said: “It’s been such fun, I’ve never been to a stable before and it’s been very insightful. I’m learning a lot about horses and how they’re kept.
"They’re very much like humans with different personalities – they have treadmills, they go swimming and are very normal – it’s been really exciting.” Gary Stannett, Chief Executive Officer at The Rio Ferdinand Foundation, said: “Our mission is to create opportunities and pathways for young people and help them realise their true potential and initiatives like The Jockey Club’s Gallagher experience day allow us to do just that.”
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Nevin Truesdale, Chief Executive of The Jockey Club, said: “It’s really encouraging that two fifths of young people would consider a career working with horses, but what has become really clear is that we need to give them more access to horses and racing.”