Jockey
🏇Rides out racehorses and competes in races: daily gallops, strict weight control, a bond with the horse. Falls come with the job.
Prospects & pay
What the work is like
💼 Job market
🇺🇸 $111.7k a year on average · +5.5% jobs by 2035 · 2,200 openings a year
Athletes and sports competitors — US: Census ACS 2020–24 (full-time), BLS projections 2025–35
🤖 AI & automation
AI analyses horses' form, but staying in the saddle at 60 km/h and feeling the horse is something only a jockey can do.
Who it suits
Interests: 🐾 Animals, 🏃 Sport and movement, 🏕️ Outdoor work, expeditions.
Key strengths: strength and stamina, organisation.
Where to study
- Apprenticeship Apprentice jockey with a licensed trainer after racing school (British Racing School, Northern Racing College, US racing academies)
Key school subjects (A-level / IB / AP): PE, Biology.
🧗 Racing school (British Racing School or Northern Racing College in the UK), then work for a trainer and an apprentice jockey licence. Low weight matters (about 50–55 kg). Top jockeys earn a share of prize money.
Things to know
⚠️ Real danger to life🩺 Strict medical checks🛢️ Dirt, noise, smells
Similar careers
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