Kim's fast life

EVERY little girl goes through the pony stage. But while most make do with harnessing one of their friends with a scarf and galloping noisily round the playground, some pursue their dream until it becomes a reality.

For Kim Tinkler, however, the dream seemed way beyond the realms of possibility. Her parents, a barber and a homehelp, had four children to feed and clothe and little cash to spare for luxuries. And there was definitely no room for a pony at their Doncaster council house.

"I was about 12 when I started going through the whole pony thing," said Kim, now 41 and living at Woodlands Stable in Langton with her trainer husband Nigel and their children Amy, 19, and Lewis, ten.

"There was no way I could have a pony, so I went for a more practical option. Doncaster was, and still is, a racing town. That means lots of stables and lots of work."

She began working in local stables at the weekend, getting 50p for her trouble.

"The money was rubbish," she said. "But it was better than having to pay for riding lessons."

It was her father who first put the idea of becoming a jockey into her head. He pointed out that she was right size, a talented rider and, perhaps most importantly of all, very enthusiastic.

"Girls just didn't ride then," said Kim, who got her first ride in 1979. "So I suppose I was a bit of a novelty at first. The thing with racing though is that if you aren't good enough you don't get a ride. I was good enough."

Her first ride at Beverley was not exactly a resounding success - the horse was so slow, she received a standing ovation when she finished.

She eventually moved to Middleham, where she was one of only three girls. Now she estimates there are more than 300.

"They took me seriously, but I had to work that bit harder than the boys," she said. "Apprentices now get the minimum wage plus half their riding fees every month. When I first started there was no minimum wage and you got your riding fees yearly.

"I had 19 rides in my first season and got £98 at the end of it. Being a jockey is not something you do for the money."

Her first winner proved elusive, even after she met Nigel's brother Colin, a fellow jockey, at Stockton Races in 1982.

"He told me that Nigel had started training and was looking for an apprentice," she said. "When he learned that I was interested he offered me the job - and in the end I got a husband too."

Another three years went by before her name appeared on the score sheet. But at Musselburgh in 1985 her luck changed when she rode to victory on Nigel's Wow Wow Wow.

That was a good day, but not her best. The highlight of her career so far was when she rode a double (two wins at one meet), beating 11-time champion jockey Pat Eddery in both.

"I got a real buzz out of that," she said, with obvious relish.

Whether they are winners or losers, women jockeys are still a poor second when it comes to facilities.

When Kim first started out, girls changed in the ambulance room or the toilet. Things have improved now, but not enough.

"When you are up on the horse you are just a jockey," she said. "Back down on the ground things are different. The girls' facilities still tend to be pretty basic.

"The changing room at Newcastle is no bigger than a cupboard. With more and more girls coming through, it's going to be a real squeeze ten years from now."

The debate continues within racing about the relative strength of women riders. Kim, something of a featherweight at just 7st 12lbs, believes skill is far more important than brute strength.

"The horse does the work," she said. "You don't have to pick the animal up and carry it round the course.

"You could put Geoff Capes on a horse and I would beat him. Of course you have to be fit, but being a jockey is about skill, not strength."

Having a thick skin is also useful because, man or woman, a jockey gets plenty of stick from the punters if they don't come up with the goods on the day.

"I was riding the favourite at York when I felt something go wrong (it turned out to be a fracture), so I didn't push it and came in second," Kim said. "All I could hear when I came off was 'get back to your effing washing'. Charming."

So you get a lot of stick, the facilities are poor, the money isn't great (basic rate of £75 per ride plus a percentage of the prize money), and painful falls and injuries are all part of a day's work. Why on earth would anyone, regardless of gender, want to be a jockey?

"It's a good life," said Kim. "It's not a vocation or anything, it's just a job. But it's a job I wouldn't swap for anything.

"For me, it's all about the horses. My favourite, Henry Hall, lives in the first box next to the house. If I could actually have him in the house, I would. Every day I ride out on him is a good day."

So a life in racing can be good for a woman, but it is never simple. Particularly if you are also a wife and mother.

"Male jockeys ride their horses and then go home to their wife and tea on the table," said Kim, with a wry smile. "I ride my horses and then go home and cook the tea.

"I can't eat and sleep racing: I've got school uniforms and Hoovering to think about too.

"I bet Keiran Fallon doesn't nip out to Tesco between races, but I do."

Updated: 10:10 Tuesday, September 09, 2003