Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-03-13
NOT ALL CLOVER FOR
THE LITTLE JOCKEYS
Vincent Powers Shows the
Life of a Race Rider
Is Hard.

Vincent Powers, the New York boy who
headed the list of American Jockeys In
1908 and 1909, is inclined to discourage
ambitious youngsters who are anxious to
become race riders. In a recent issue oil
The Chicago Racing Form, Powers was
quoted in this manner:
litter taking seven iong years to climb
the ladder of jockeyship fame, / am del
uged with letters from ambitious boys
who desire to become riders. 1t is Inn
possible to answer the inquiries. Ny
answer 20 them all may be summed up ir
one word-dont. There is no method ir
Inc world TO teach boy to learn how tc
ride If it is not In the blood then one
had best spend his time in other di-
rections For every boy who amounts to
anything in the Jockey line there are
thousands who fall by the wayside.
The training Of Jockey is hard. It
requires steady practice, long hours and
constant work. Many boys think that a
Jockeys career is one round of pleasure.
Believe me, there is no play attached to
The profession. The minute boy begins
TO take matters easy he Immediately
starts on the toboggan, and his career
winds up quickly. To be a successful
rider one has to keep his mind strictly on
his work. No matter how good he is.
there Is always room for improvement.
And it Is only by plodding that a lad can
reach the stage where owners strive for
his services
Il have been more successful than the
average rider IN this country. But when
/ retire any boy who wishes to take my
place is welcome to 1t. True. the years
when | headed the list OF winning Jockeys
have been pleasant ones. But the days
when l was preparing for the saddle were
very hard. My training was no different
than that of any other lad No matter
who you are, or what you are, all boys
so through the same school. When a
youngster attaches himself to a stable he
has to roll up his sleeves and keep very
busy.
While the world is fast asleep the
stable is wide awake You are in the
midst of your dreams at o'clock in the
morning when the stable foreman comes
around and hustles you out of your bed.
You slip into your clothes and creep
downstairs only half awake. You sum-
hle out in the dark to the pump, where a
few dashes of cold water chase away the
remains of your sleep. The foreman then
tells you to gallop such a horse for three
quarters. You hunt up the rigging, sad.
die your mount and start out on the
track.
The first morning you are ordered out
d
wonder how you are going to avoid get
ting thrown or killed. Clingtng to the
lines. you give the horse his head. He
starts ON a slow gallop. and you turn him
toward the spot where you know the SIX
furlong post Is. Suddenly out of the
darkness you hear a voice shout. Wait a
secondr Then you know that the trainer
is also on the job. He yells. Go! and
you dash out through the darkness. won
dering where you will land.
THE horse is wiser than you are. He
dashes around the turns without falter.
AS you pass the different posts they fash
MP like spirits. You are being carried
down the homestretch as on a gale OF
shout, Pull up slowly You wrap the
lines around your hands and gradually
the horse slows down to walk. By
that time your heart Is back in Its prop
er place. .,.u
you are ordered to take out another
horse. This goes on for an hour and
half. The flights through the air and the
exercise have given you an appetite nj
for a horse. There is still another wait.
until they are thoroughly cooled out and
then put back into their stalls.
xx4
Before you get your little legs under
the table you spend many busy minutes
carrying water and feed to the horses.
When they are ready to eat you get at
the breakfast Many don't know that
in a racing stable the horse comes first.
Until he Is comfortable there Is nothing
doing for the help. The morning meal
over you trot back to the barn and help
clean up the stalls.
When this work is finished the sun Is
beginning to peep through the clouds In
the east The horses that are keyed up
xrysf "
saddled and given short dashes to keep
the edge on their speed. BY this time
the track is alive with horses. Then
boy has to be careful This Is especially
the two-year-olds are being educated.
These babies are fretful and wonder
what all the excitement Is about You
may be coming along at fast gait
when a youngster In front Will suddenly
bolt TO the fence. That's when your
brain has to work, and work fast The
least mistake and you either bang into
the youugster or perhaps hit the renee.
That may mean a horse hurt Tor weeks
or possibly injured so seriously that he is
ruined And at the same time you may
go over the fence OF go to the ground
with broken arm or leg.
The morning gallops over. you have
chance to rest until race time. Then the
starters must be looked after. Just be-
fore the event you take the horse out
and give him breather. After the
race you walk your charge around until
he il cooled off. Then comes the labor
OF fixing the horses UP for the night.
This means the old routine OF carrying
the water. feed and other minor jobs.
When this work Is over you sit down
to supper. BY the time this meal is over
your bones ache and your eyelids persist
tn blinking. AT o'clock the foreman
comes around and orders you to bed.
Compare this life with that of the aver
age boy and you must admit that 1t isn't
a he'd of roses. The Unborn love for
horse is the only thing that will enable
a youth to stand this steady and monoto-
nous grind. AS ] said at the start. II
you were not born to be Jockey. out
feel that you wish to learn-don't.