F EATURE THE CHELTENHAM AND SOUTH WEST SYNDICATE
We are ocially into the Jump Season ‘proper’, as they say… The Syndicate
A ll three of the Cheltenham and South West Syndicate horses have had their rst runs of the season, and we are set for an exciting few months. You can nd out more about the syndicate at thejockeyclub.co.uk/cheltenham . Docpickedme (Derek) is ‘the new kid on the block’ this season and we’re all very excited to see how he follows up his impressive debut this season when nishing second at Aintree. We caught up with Emily Shepherd, a key member of Harry Whittington’s team who knows him best of all for an insight into a typical day for the yard. A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A PUPIL ASSISTANT AT HARRY WHITTINGTON RACING: EMILY SHEPHERD 6:30AM: All the lads come in for 6:30 and, with just over 50 boxes to get through, we get stuck straight in with the mucking out. We each have our own sections to do, which is great because it means you get to know each of the horses on your row really well and likewise, they get into a routine with their regular stable lad or lass.
7:00AM: The work riders are in and the rst lot are on the walker as the sun starts to rise… hopefully! There are some days where it is freezing cold and raining and you go through about three sets of clothes in a morning, but when the sun comes out and all the horses are gleaming, you feel like you are on top of the world up at Hill Barn. 9:00AM: Time for breakfast (and hopefully some biscuits or cake). The rst two lots have been ridden and done up – that is they have cooled-o after exercise and have their rugs back on by this point. The boss likes to make sure everything is kept warm and the job is done properly so no corners get cut with horse care, which is especially important this time of year as they can easily catch a chill after exercise. 9:30AM: Usually we will have three more lots after breakfast, unless we have been schooling (jumping) or it is a ‘work’ morning where the horses do a stronger and usually quicker piece of exercise to what they do on a day-to-day basis as part of their interval training regime.
11:30AM: By now everything has been ridden and all the riders will be doing up their horses, which involves giving them a really good brush. We each have our own horses to look after which includes keeping them well-groomed and taking them to the races when they run; each person has about ve or six horses under their supervision. As pupil assistant I only have three horses as I am at the races a lot more often than some. I love making them look smart for the Parade Ring, in fact, I think I have just about every type of brush, spray and quarter markers going in my racing kit! 4:00PM: If we haven’t been racing, then its evening stables. This consists of lling water buckets, feeding the horses hay, changing rugs if necessary and general tidying up, before feeding and nal checks to nish up for 6pm. There is no better feeling for me than leaving the yard in the evening and knowing that all the horses are tucked up and cosy. Like any job, it can be a bit tough at times, especially when the weather is testing and the mornings are early. But the rewards are more than worth it in my opinion, just getting to work with some amazing horses makes me very happy to call this my job.
24 KALENDAR
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