Meet the trainees - Lee Shanahan

My name is Lee Shanahan. I am 16 years old.  I am from Tallaght in Co. Dublin. Me and my Da had horses all our lives.  I started out hunting and cross country. It was with horses that I met one of my best mates, together we always sat down and watched horse racing on telly and we would always talk about becoming Jockeys one day.

 It was when I started secondary school that I really wanted to be a jockey.  So when I came to one of the RACE open days, in first year, I knew that this was what I wanted to do.  When I was finished 5th year I came to the trial week here at RACE and worked my hardest and thankfully I was accepted.
When I had to get up at 8am every morning for school, I couldn’t get up out of bed. Even my Ma and Da were saying “you won’t get up at 6am every morning” but because I know I am getting up to muck out and ride out I can spring out of bed like its 2pm, instead of dragging myself out at 8am knowing I was going to sit in a School.

At the Moment I am working in Dermot Weld’s main yard, Rosewell House. There are 30 odd riding out most mornings.  All the lads I work with do help me out and give me tips on my riding, they have tidied me up and made me look a lot neater on a horse then when I first started. Mr Weld does help me out as well telling me where I can improve and how. Love what I am doing now and much rather riding out than going to School.

I hope to become a Champion National Hunt Jockey in the future, well that’s the plan anyway!

Lee was placed in Dermot Welds on 21st November 2016

Lee schooling over fences in the Indoor Arena at RACE

Meet the trainees - Lee Quinn

My name is Lee and I am from Limerick. When I was 7 I got on a horse and I really liked it so I carried on doing what I liked.  When I was 10, my uncle Tommy helped to keep me and my friend, Alan out of trouble. Alan came through RACE and now look at him he is living his life over in California! My uncle sent him up to RACE and he did the same with me, trying to make my life as good as Alan’s.

I have lived with him (Tommy) for 4 years and I love it because when I leave RACE at the weekend I go straight home to my horses and I groom, feed and ride them out.  I have trotting horses so I go out in the two wheeler with Tommy and his kid and pull into the shop. I was in the Garda Youth Project and they send a few young lads up to RACE and they got me the forms and helped me get my spot on the course.

 I tried out for RACE last year too but I didn’t get in. I said I was going to keep my head up and make my family, friends and the lads in the club proud.  I decided to give it another go and I came up and worked so hard to get were I am and I am so proud of myself and thankful to all the people that keep me were I want to be.  I am so happy to be here. I never used to get up for school and I am getting up at 7am every morning and I really enjoy this course and the people in it and the staff.
Since being in RACE, I have learned a lot and learned how to put on tack because it was my first time in a yard like RACE and I have good friends that always help me when I get stuck and that’s what I like about RACE, the groups of friends that are always there when you need them and I thank them a lot and the staff are so helpful, they might give out but they want you to learn from your mistakes.

I want to be a jockey and I am in the right place to get what I am hoping to get and I will work so hard to get what I came up here for.  Thanks to everyone that helped me through this and thanks to my Uncle and his wife and the youth workers. Bring on the future!

Lee was placed with Conor O’Dwyer on 27th February 2017

 

Lee riding on RACE Gallops for Family Day 2016

Meet the trainees - Vicky Kalverboer

Hi everyone,

My name is Vicky Kalverboer, I am 18 years old from the Netherlands.  I was on a horse before I could even walk but I got into competitions with my pony when I was 14.  I did dressage, show jumping and eventing, I loved the speed!  This is what got me interested in horse racing.  The first time I got in touch with horse racing was when we went to France for the holidays, I was only 9 years old, and went to a race meeting.  From that moment on I told my mum that I wanted to become a jockey. 

I came to the Open Day last year in April with my mom and I immediately knew I wanted to come to RACE.  I was really happy when I found out that I was accepted for the course. 
We are in RACE for 6 months at time writing this, time is flying by!  It is nice to live with the same people here on the campus, we all became friends.  I got sent out to John Oxx’s yard, it is a lovely place to work!  The people are really friendly and the horses are lovely to work with, I am learning a lot.  It is great how my family, my friends and everybody in RACE support me to follow my dream.  In the future I hope to become an apprentice and take out my licence to become a professional flat jockey.  I want to say to you all: follow your dreams and work hard to achieve them.

Vicky riding Private Server on the sand gallops on the Curragh