Over the last 13 years, the number of riders has dropped by almost 40%, and the number of new rider’s licences issued has dropped from 41 to just 14

The following article, written by Miloslav Vlček, first appeared in Czech language on the Fitmin & Turf Magazine website. Miloslav Vlček is the editor of that website. He is a leading writer on many aspects of Czech horseracing.

Fitmin & TURF Magazín - Dostihových jezdců ubývá. Za 13 let jejich počet klesl téměř o dvě pětiny, nových přibývá jen třetina dřívějšího počtu

It's not exactly news - there are fewer and fewer apprentice riders, fewer and fewer professional riders, and fewer and fewer amateur riders. This is no longer just a problem for jumps racing, where the situation is most acute, but it also affects flat racing. The situation has been observed over a period of several seasons, and is reflected not only in races. It also has a major impact on the preparation of racehorses, as the statistics confirm. The statistics also show that the worst is yet to come.

A quick look at statistics published by the Jockey Club of the Czech Republic on the number of licences issued shows that there has been an alarming decline in the number of riders in recent years. As recently as in 2008, the Jockey Club issued 185 riding licences, as compared with just 114 in 2021. That is a 37% drop. It is true that there has also been a significant drop in the number of races run in the years under review here, and with the reduction in the number of race days there is no longer a situation where two meetings are held in the Czech Republic on the same day. However, the number of riders has been decreasing at a faster rate than the number of races.

An even more pressing issue is the outlook for the future, as the number of new licences issued has been falling even more sharply. If we make a comparison with the figures for 2008, this year's numbers (14) are down by two-thirds on the numbers of newly-issued rider’s licences (41) just 13 years ago.

Numbers of rider’s licences issued in 2008 - 2021

source: Jockey Club of the Czech Republic

What the statistics fail to capture is the significant increase in the proportion of female riders at the expense of male riders. This is nicely demonstrated by the meeting held at Most racecourse last Sunday. 37 out of the total of 71 runners were ridden by a woman. If we look at the equivalent meeting 13 years ago, when the Summer Grand Prix was held at Most on August 24, there also happen to have been 71 runners, but only 8 of them were ridden by a woman.