There are few feelings, if any, that can compare to when one dreams and lives to see that dream comes to reality.

To become a professional jockey and to cross that finish line in front of the pack while being cheered on by a massive crowd is the utimate outcome of the reinsman fostering that dream.

With the right drive and determination, the sky is the limit.

However, making it to the top of the game is easier said than done, and only those who put the proverbial shoulder to the wheel will reap success. The reality is, to become a top racehorse jockey in a competitive arena will require, but not limited to, exhausting hours, strict weight management and the ever-present risk of injury.

Veteran jockey Trevor Johnson, who resides in the community of Portmore Villa, Gregory Park, St Catherine, and has spent 43 years in the saddle, shares his story of living this special but difficult life as a jockey.

“The decision to become a jockey is normally made at a very young age. I got involved in the sport through a friend whom I was learning a trade with at the time. I, at first, wanted to become a tailor but one visit to Caymanas Park changed my mind forever. Before I even went to Caymanas Park I would go with my friend to bet on English racing and there my first love for horses developed.

“I went to Caymanas Park with my friend in 1972 and that day I didn’t go home, I stayed at the track for about three months. I was staying at the stables of Harry Jaghai at that time. I eventually got my jockey’s licence in 1979. After I got my riding licence, I struggled as I wasn’t getting the rides and when and if I did get a ride, the horse was always a long shot,” Johnson reflects.

But it was only a matter of time before the hungry Johnson got his breakthrough.

“I eventually won my first race aboard a horse named Cree Princess in 1992. It felt nice winning my first race, but even after that win, I went on to struggle again and won my second race four years later in 1996. I think I won around eight races during my career. Honestly, I don’t feel any way about winning that small number of races compared to other riders winning over 1,000 races,” he recollected.

“I am grateful for what I have achieved because there are plenty of riders before and after me that don’t even win a race yet. Some do not even get rides and so I am grateful for my eight winners, it could have been better but I am happy,” Johnson added.

He recounted that the life of a jockey is not a bed of roses.

“People think that jockey’s life is a good one, especially if you are winning a lot of races but they don’t realise how hard it is. They don’t know what you have to go through each day, plus the amount of sacrifices one has to make to reach any form of success.

“From the moment you go around a racehorse, that is a risk. Racehorse can weigh up to well over 1,000 lbs and can sustain 40 mph for over a mile (1,600m) and while riding these fast horses, we as jockeys don’t sit in the saddle. We stand on our toes that are pinched into stirrups and the rest of the body hovering over the horse,” he noted.

Johnson reminded that a jockey flirts with danger, injury, even death, every time he or she mounts.

“If jockeys lean a few inches too far forward or backward, they will surely fall and when you fall, depending on the nature of the fall, that’s it for you. It’s rough sometimes as a jockey, but you have to be very dedicated and committed to do the hard work to stay in the game,” he stated.

Johnson, who last rode a winner on Saturday, August 31, 2019 aboard the Lance Richards-owned and trained Locomotive over 5 ½ furlongs (1,100m), said that the downfall of most riders is battling weight.

“Life off the horse is gruelling and, at times, dangerous. The spectre haunting almost every rider is extra weight. Each horse in a race has to carry a certain amount of weight. To make sure that it does so, all jockeys must weigh out before a race to make sure they and their kit (including the saddle) are the right weight. If a jockey is lighter than the weight the horse has to carry, the difference will be made up by thin lead weights in a special saddle cloth.

“Once the jockey has weighed out, he hands the saddle to the trainer or the trainer’s assistant to saddle up the horse. After the race the jockey must weigh in with all his kit, to confirm that the horse carried the right weight. To keep my weight down, I resorted to a strict diet and drink a lot of water. I am always riding my bicycle and so I am always exercising,” he said.

Having lean times visited upon him, due to his infrequent visit to the winners’ enclosure for the past three years, has put a dent into the pocket of Johnson, who has triggered a trail of financial hardship.

“I have been out of the saddle for quite some time now, and to be honest, it is very hard. It is very hard and I am really struggling financially at the moment. It is very difficult each day to support myself. You know I don’t really learn anything else in my life other than riding horses. Horse racing is my life.

“I used the little money I get to buy some food and make the food keep me until I can hustle some more. Is just food I take the money and buy and I am grateful as in these times we need to survive. I also put down a small portion of the money each time and make it up and pay my light bill at the end of the month. It is very hard, but one has to know how to survive still. I just keep the faith and tough it out,” said Johnson.