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| Nikita schooling over hurdles on the Curragh Schooling Ground for Assessment week |
Well lads! My names Nikita Kane I am 19 years old and I am from good auld County Offaly .I’ve had an interest in horses ever since I was 2 years of age. I picked up my love for horses from my Mother and two Uncles who are a Riding Instructors and Yard Assistant Trainer, so from then on I started my journey with horses.
I began riding in Birr Equestrian Centre and I was always a horsey mad child who’d run around and jump fences and play pretend horses. I started hunting from the age of 8 I did pony club, flapping, show jumping. As the years went on I did eventing and in TY (Transition Year), for my work experience, I went to work in Shane Broderick’s (JP Broderick) Racing and I still work there. I loved going out every morning and riding out and being around Jockeys and seeing how they cope everyday and I thought yeah I want to have this as my career once I am done school. All the great support I get from Shane really helps. I’ve always wanted to become a jockey like Nina Carberry or Josephine Gordon as these women inspire me, I looked up to them and one day wanted to be like them.
I started flapping at the age of 12 with the midlands pony racing and from then on I knew I had to follow my dream. It just felt like who I should be and who I was meant to be. No amount of broken bones or critical injuries will hold me back now because that’s the risk we take and I am prepared to take any jump or leap to achieve my goal. My Mother was like ‘why would you want to be a jockey? its dangerous?’, but as I say, ah sure it’ll be grand, life’s too short so give her welly and whip drive her on to the finish!, because no one knows when your time’s up so make it last.
I decided to do a pony racing course day up here in RACE back in 2014. After that I came to an open day for the Trainee Course, but I went back to complete my Leaving Cert and then try to get on the course, which I did and I was delighted to have gotten accepted.
From the help of RACE Instructors, I’ve been shown how to work around Racehorses and they taught me what I needed to do and what to work on to improve my riding and look and ride more like a work rider. It helped me get a better understanding of what the work is really like and we were put through our paces in the toughest of disciplines to achieve the best results that we can to making it in the Horse Racing Industry .Now I am out on work experience with Adrian Keatly, the 2016, 1000 Guineas Winner. I enjoy working there and learn lots every day and have come on a lot in my riding and handling since I’ve started. Now I am a step closer to where I want to be with only a short time left to go and I am excited to see what my future may hold, with determination and a fighting soul you can make it!
Nikita was placed with Adrian Keatly on the 21st of November 2016
