Annual Salary
£0 to £0
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
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Jockeys are licensed to ride racehorses in races for horse trainers and owners.
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
You could work: early mornings; away from home
There will be
0.5% more Jockey jobs in 2027.
On a typical day you could:
You could work at a race track or at a riding stable.
Your working environment may be physically demanding and you'll travel often.
You can get into this job through:
The first step to a racing apprenticeship is to apply for a residential foundation course. These are designed to see if you have the potential to succeed and for you to see if this is what you really want to do.
The residential training lasts from 14 to 18 weeks and includes how to look after and ride race horses, and health and safety. Training takes place at the National Horseracing College and The British Racing School.
If you do well, you may be offered the opportunity to work in a racing stable and start an intermediate apprenticeship as an equine groom. You would then go on to do a senior equine groom advanced apprenticeship.
Entry requirements
You can apply if you're aged 16 or over and work at least 16 hours a week in a licensed racing stable.
There are no qualification requirements. You'll study English and maths if you do not have GCSEs in those subjects.
You could start as a stable hand in a training stables and work your way up.
If you're already working in a racing yard, you could talk to your employer about applying for the racing apprenticeship programme.
You may be able to move into professional racing if you've got experience as an amateur jockey. You would need to complete training to get a professional racing licence.
You'll need to:
If you're young, you can get an idea of what it's like to race by trying a taster day at your local pony club. The Pony Racing Authority puts on training and races for riders of all abilities.
You can find out more about becoming a jockey from The British Racing School and careersinracing.
You could work for one or several trainers or owners as a self-employed jockey.
You could go on to work for stables in countries like Dubai, Japan and the USA.
You'll need: