“My one advice is just do a little bit of hard stuff because it makes the road a lot easier afterwards.” Tracey Johnson bursts with enthusiasm for her career as a training rider and picnic racing jockey as well as for those career paths in the racehorse industry which she didn’t choose. She enthuses for those leaving school with an interest in horses to undertake study which interests them, and which will give them a good start during their first years of workplace training. “I think if you look at your life as a large cake, then study is only one small slice out of it,” Tracey said between training horses at Lindsay Park. “What I'm trying to say is studying is a very small portion, but it is what could set your life up to be easier.” Tracey’s life has been intertwined with horses since the age of 17 such that she left school early to work in a racing stable as a learning track rider, with earlier experience with eventing and Pioneer Club. Coming to Victoria from Adelaide at 18 she secured her picnic jockey’s licence and was racing on weekends and working in stables during the mornings. Tracey then undertook her diploma in racehorse training to concentrate more on her day job but still has her jockey’s licence and competes at tracks such as Alex, Yay, Mansfield, and Merton. The diploma allowed Tracey to build on her earlier workplace training, such as working in Melbourne running a stable as assistant trainer. She also sees benefits from an earlier ‘wrong turn’ when she initially enrolled in a marketing diploma. “Within three months of it I thought, this isn't me, so I came out of it; but it's not been detrimental - I did learn tools along the way that I've probably used without even realising within life.” After taking a break to have children, the learning bug remained with Tracey, and she returned to further study. “I went and did a Bachelor's of Equine Science through Charles Sturt University as a mature age student. “So just again, it broadened my equine knowledge.” With the horse industry in Australia contributing $1bn to the economy and employing over 9,500 people, Tracey says there are many careers available and says she would encourage anyone with interest in a career with racehorses to grab onto any starting point and find a routine before choosing their sector of interest. “The opportunities are always open within this industry,” she said. “And that’s because there's so many facets of the racing industry that require, you know, stable hands, barriers, vets, racing, bloodstock managers, and breeders – it is just a huge web of people that create it. “I don't think I've ever met such professionals with such passion for their careers.” Tracey said it is often difficult to find the perfect ‘pin-up’ job after a qualification. “Sometimes you have to do other courses. “Sometimes the hill takes a while to get up, but when you're up there, it's a great view, just keep pushing. “It might not happen overnight, so just keep pushing for what you want.”
