# Professional jockey at 176 cm?



## adelexx (Jan 21, 2017)

Hei! (Sorry for grammar mistakes, I´m from Norway)

I´m a girl who works at a harness racing stable and ride horses there. I´m 17 years old and I have been riding for more than 10 years. 6+ times a week for the past 4-5 years, so I´ve been in the saddle for thousands and thousands of hours with difficult horses. I´m going to get amateur licence for harness racing.

But my dream has always been to be a galopp jockey. But i´m 176 cm and 60 kg. It´s no problem to lose weight. I am in good physical shape. I run 3000 meters for 11.50 min, and I´m strong. I can trot/galopp without saddle, and ride in steep hills up norwegian mountains without saddles. I know that I can be an amateur jockey, but i would like to be good internationally.
*
Am I too big to compete on an higher level? How much should a jockey weigh?* What is minimum weight?


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## IndiesaurusRex (Feb 23, 2011)

Hiya,

As a disclaimer - I have never worked in the race industry, but I am good friends with several people that have, and my final dissertation was on the industry. Also, I'm in the UK :lol:

First off, whilst you are fairly tall (5'7, for anyone who does feet) for a jockey, you aren't on the "no way" end of the scale. You are also a good weight for your height, which will put you at an advantage. According to the internet (so taken with a pinch of salt), the minimum rider weight in the US is 53kg (116lbs), although I'm not sure what level of racing this is true for.

If you are serious about wanting to be a successful jockey, I would get into a flat yard, ASAP, rather than wasting time at a harness yard. I'm not sure how prevalent flat/jumps racing is over in Norway, so it might mean you have to move. In the UK, we have the British Racing School, who offer a huge number of courses and qualifications to help you on your way to professional, and a huge number of flat/jump yards who are always looking for apprentices/stable hands, where you can work your way up. The British Racing School have a pretty good website if you want to take a look, as does Careers in Racing.

Good luck!


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