Hello,
my name is Ada Higgins Corrigan and I’m from Kildare. I am 16 years old and I’ve
been riding for 13 years. I’ve been going hunting for 4 years. I am the only
person in my family who has an interest in horses. I have one pony.
My
Mam told me about RACE and when she told me about it, I thought it was the
perfect place for me to go, to pursue my dream of becoming a jockey. I went to
an open day in RACE in first year to look around, I then came back in third
year to apply for the course.
I
completed a trial week in July, it was very tough. The fitness was the hardest
part for me. When I got the letter to say I was accepted for this course, I was
overjoyed, it was a dream come true. I stay in the blue dorm with Chloe and
Jessica, it’s great craic, we would sometimes just sit in the halls and listen
to music and talk.
When
I started in RACE I didn’t know what to expect as I don’t come from a racing background
and I hadn’t ridden racehorses before. I have settled in now and got used of
the racehorses. I find it weird to go back on the weekends and ride my pony, as
they are so different and have different temperaments.
I
was sent out on the second week of January on work placement to Michael Halfords.
He is a flat trainer and is a lovely man. I was quite nervous to go out to the
yard, I was worried I would do something wrong, but everyone in the yard was
very helpful including Mr. Halford.
I did a fitness test a couple of weeks ago
and in the beep test I got 10.00. This was a vast improvement from my first
beep test. My fitness levels have gone up as I can now run for longer and I am
not getting out of breath when riding.
I still hope to improve my fitness levels
and my riding skills before I graduate in June.
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| On Maddenstown Gallops |
