Durban - As merrymakers prepare to pop the corks and feast on exquisite platters at the Hollywoodbets Durban July today, spare a thought for the jockeys who have to rein in their appetites before their races.
Ryan Hutchinson from the National Horseracing Authority says being a jockey is one of the most gruelling disciplines in elite sport.
In addition to starting their lengthy days as early as 3.30am, jockeys also have to maintain a riding weight of 50 to 60kg, which includes all equipment.
“On race days we provide them with sweat boxes to take off one of two kilos,” said Hutchison, the chief stipendiary steward of the KwaZulu-Natal racing region.
He says jockeys have to maintain strict diets and most people don’t know what extent they have to go to stay within the weight limits.
An online search shows that the internet is replete with stories focusing on the demanding side of being a jockey, with some experiencing anorexia, bulimia, using diet pills, laxatives and several other extreme methods in an attempt to lose weight.
Hutchinson says if jockeys don't race, they don't get paid.
“I think jockeys underestimate the discipline it takes to stay in the racing world and make a living out of it.”
He says being a jockey is a dangerous profession because of the physical and mental strength required, and says a study found that jockeys and boxers were the fittest athletes in the world.
“The public doesn’t see what it takes,” says Hutchison.
He says youngsters usually take up their jockey academy apprenticeship at 13 or 14, and at the start they are weighed, their feet measured and bone structure examined to determine how tall or heavy they are likely to become.
If they think that you will grow too big or too heavy, they cut you loose..
“It’s the most horrendous thing to live on lettuce or a tomato,” says Hutchinson.
It’s hard for a fully mature man to maintain a weight of 60kg, while women jockeys typically encounter challenges after puberty when physical changes have taken place, says Hutchinson.
He says while women are more disciplined when it comes to their weight, the challenge for them is that the sport is aggressive and needs a lot of physical strength.
He says this strength is crucial because a racehorse weighs about 500kg, 10 times the weight of the rider who should be able to control the horse.
This is one of the reasons why horse racing is a male-dominated sport.
Hutchinson says jockey Rachel Venniker stands out as exceptionally strong, mentally and physically, and why she would’ve been the first female rider in the century-old race this year had she not been injured last week.
He says it’s a five-year journey through the jockey academy but Venniker started much later than usual, which makes her story even more exceptional.
He stressed that while men and women were given the same opportunities in the industry, the physical requirements made it harder for women to stay in the field.
The Independent on Saturday