LARRY'S VIEW - RIDING STYLES: THE OUTCOME IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE METHOD

By Larry Cassidy | Friday, July 6, 2012

Larry Cassidy currently has forty-two Group 1 successes behind his name. He is a multiple Premiership winning jockey having taken out three titles in Sydney and one in Brisbane. Larry’s View, the personal blog of this top class rider will appear on horseracingonly.com.au every Friday, workload permitting.

The arrival of Jeff Lloyd in the South-East Queensland riding ranks has again highlighted just how different individual riding styles can be while still being thoroughly effective.

Every rider has got their own style. Jeff’s got quite a unique style. It’s different. He is high up in the saddle. Some people might think it looks quite messy, but he has an excellent record. He has ridden a lot of winners all over the world, so it works for him which is what your riding style should all be about.

When I was starting riding I was told, get your own riding style. Have a look at riding styles you like … base your own one upon them and then refine it to suit you and make it your own. My riding style has changed over the years but, like with Jeff, whatever works for you is what you must go with first and foremost.

In contrast to Jeff, some riders sit very low in the saddle. Interestingly enough, when the rider is tucked in like that they don’t look to be as vigourous as the rider who sits higher, although they might be equally active in coaxing their horse home.

In this day and age where science has found a place in monitoring sporting
performance, I guess you could argue that there is a wind resistance factor that counts against the rider who sits high in the saddle, but the adverse effect of that could realistically only be a factor if a horse loses by the barest of margins … and even then that is still a debate which cannot really be proved either way.

Everyone seems to love Damian Browne’s style. He sits very low in the saddle and is streamlined behind the horse’s head and horses run for him. Tegan Harrison is another one who adopts that style, and she is having good success, but again, the point I’m making is that it is everyone to their own really.

There certainly isn’t only one right way of doing things. There is a whole range of effective options with regard to the way you ride your winners.

Some are pretty. Some are not. None of that is important. It's all about getting the right result. That’s the only real barometer of whether your style is working for you or against you!

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My first reaction to the Australian Racing Board’s suggestion that there be a weight concession for senior female riders was that it was insulting to senior female riders.

I think most of them agree with me, although for a moment there the dollar signs
did flash momentarily as some weighed up what the supposed extra opportunity
might mean for them financially.

The bottom line is that all riders who get to the top put in a lot of hard work to get there and any good rider will shine through. That category of rider doesn’t need any concession.

If you start giving weight concessions where do you stop?

Do you give a jockey a ‘senior citizen’ allowance when he turns forty-five or fifty, when he or she has lost some of their strength and ability?

It does get a bit ridiculous and it is certainly not surprising that the ARB’s proposal has met with such little support that it could almost be deemed a non-starter before the gates have opened.

Till next week,
Larry

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