![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Ashlee-Strawbridge-Cheap-Sav-first-apprentice-win-credit-Race-Images-Official-Photos.jpg\")
Ashlee Strawbridge after claiming her first win on Cheap Sav in Cambridge. Photo: Race Images<\/p>\nKim Clapperton admits she was pretty na\u00efve when she was handed an apprentice jockey\u2019s licence at 15.<\/p>\n
The first woman to win New Zealand\u2019s apprentice premiership, in 1989, and the first female jockey to race in Hong Kong, Clapperton remembers getting changed in caravans at racetracks around the country in the \u201880s.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I never felt like I was a female riding against males \u2013 I never felt any discrimination,\u201d she says. \u201cI\u2019ve ridden all over the world, and New Zealand is still the best place for females to be jockeys.\u201d<\/p>\n
Back then, though, there was no psychological support, fitness training or mentoring for young riders. \u00a0\u201cWe were literally handed our licences and told, \u2018Good luck, hope you get to the end of it\u2019,\u201d Clapperton says.<\/p>\n
Now she\u2019s helping to change that. As a mentor to young jockeys, she\u2019s guiding them through their apprenticeships and into successful careers. \u201cI just want to give back to an industry I love and one I was lucky enough to succeed in,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
Clapperton is part of the new Elite Jockey Programme \u2013 a high performance-focused pathway developed by New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) to support apprentice riders as professional athletes. It supports them through the first three years in the saddle \u2013 giving them a better chance of staying in the sport for the long haul.<\/p>\n
The first two apprentices accepted into the programme \u2013 19-year-olds Ashlee Strawbridge and Hayley Hassman \u2013 were taken on earlier this year in a pilot. The rising stars joke they were the \u201ccrash test dummies\u201d, but both say the support they\u2019ve received has already played a vital role in their success.<\/p>\n
Ashlee Strawbridge after claiming her first win on Cheap Sav in Cambridge. Photo: Race Images<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything we need help with, there\u2019s someone to help us, which is huge,\u201d says Strawbridge. \u201cThere are so many young people in this game who get lost \u2013 it\u2019s such a hard thing to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hassman says she learned more in the first three days of the programme than she did in her entire first year as an apprentice.<\/p>\n
In a move to curb declining retention rates among apprentices, the programme has shortened the apprenticeship period from four years to three \u2013 bringing it into line with most trade apprenticeships and university degrees. And NZTR is providing half of an apprentice\u2019s wages for the first year, to help get them out of the stable to make connections in the sport.<\/p>\n
Changes had to be made, says Amy Johnson \u2013 head of education, training and recruitment for NZTR.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not that we didn\u2019t produce great jockeys. We have the world\u2019s best in James McDonald, and we had a good apprentice programme. But we were tasked with making it more attractive to young people coming in,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
\u201cJockeys nowdays compared with 20 years ago are in a high performance role, so we needed to provide a programme that meets their needs and develops them as athletes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Both Hassman and Strawbridge have race wins on their rider CVs, but arrived in the programme from very different routes.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Ashlee-Strawbridge-credit-Race-Images-Official-Photos.jpg\")
Ashlee Strawbridge now has five race wins to her name. Photo: Race Images Official Photos<\/p>\n
Strawbridge grew up around racing stables in the Waikato, where her mum, Michelle Hopkins, was one of the country\u2019s top jumps jockeys (the Great Northern Steeplechase among her victories).<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I never wanted to be a jockey \u2013 I always thought mum was crazy for wanting to do that,\u201d Strawbridge laughs. \u201cBut once you get started, you get addicted to it. It\u2019s a feeling, a thrill, you can\u2019t explain.\u201d<\/p>\n
First, though, Strawbridge went to university in Christchurch and studied law for a year. \u201cI loved uni, but I spent more time trying to go to the races, doing ride work, than going to classes. That was a telltale sign of what I really wanted to do at this point in my life,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
Strawbridge, who celebrated her first two race wins in the same week in June, knows her mum approves her career choice.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut she probably thinks I\u2019m just as crazy as she was. She knows how tough being an apprentice can be, and having this programme is such a big deal for young people wanting to be part of the industry,\u201d says Strawbridge, who works for Te Awamutu trainer Debbie Sweeney.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Hayley-Hassman-on-War-of-Succession-Ellerslie-June-2025-credit-Race-Images-Official-Photos-1.jpg\")
Hayley Hasman on War of Succession at Ellerslie in June. Photo: Race Images Official Photos<\/p>\n
Hassman, on the other hand, didn\u2019t come from \u201ca horsey background\u201d.\u00a0 She started out riding at a holiday camp, followed by lessons at the Waikato Equestrian Centre.<\/p>\n
\u201cI went through all the sports as a kid, but nothing stuck like horses did. It was the challenge of it,\u201d she says. \u201cDuring school \u2013 which I was never good at \u2013 they sent me off to work at the Windsor Park stud farm.\u201d<\/p>\n
She\u2019s grateful to her single mum, who drove her to Cambridge on weekends to work at a racing stable. But becoming an apprentice jockey wasn\u2019t the path Hassman was expecting to take.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I got my trackwork licence, the guy running the course said, \u2018You\u2019d made a good jockey, you should do it one day\u2019. But I was never quite sure,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo I started riding in the amateur series [in 2023], got a few good wins under my belt, and got a feeling for it.\u201d<\/p>\n
She headed to Melbourne to get more experience as a trackwork rider \u2013 and met top Kiwi trainer Mark Walker, from Te Akau Racing\u2019s stables in Matamata. She took up his offer of an apprenticeship in March \u2013 and joined the new elite jockey programme. By May, she\u2019d notched up her first wins as an apprentice.<\/p>\n
The apprenticeship initiative has helped put Hassman\u2019s mum at ease.<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore you were on your own, finding your feet. Whereas now you\u2019re supported every step of the way, given the right guidance by the right people,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s given Mum the confidence that this will set me up on the right path for my future.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Hayley-Hassman-EJP-Fitness-Test-supplied.jpeg\")
Hayley Hassman working on her fitness watched by Ashlee Strawbridge. Photo: supplied<\/p>\n
Strawbridge and Hassman have been joined in the inaugural intake by male apprentices Frankie Barrett, Sam McNab and Jack Taplin.<\/p>\n
Every eight weeks they spend a two-day training block away from their stables, to focus solely on the apprenticeship programme. They also have weekly support from a strength and conditioning coach, a riding mentor and a sports psychologist.<\/p>\n
As a mentor, Clapperton is now passing on her knowledge and experience to emerging riders. She was fortunate to be taken under the wing of Maree Lyndon \u2013 the first woman to ride in the Melbourne Cup. \u201cI always appreciated what she did for me, and so I love to give back to this generation,\u201d says Clapperton, who won the Malaysia-Singapore jockeys premiership in 1993.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know the pressures these apprentices are under. I\u2019ve seen some come in shy and lacking self-confidence \u2013 but on a horse, they grow so much. I love watching them grow as people and making a successful career out of something they love, that they can earn a lot of money in.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut also making sure they\u2019re competent, capable and they\u2019re safe. They\u2019re not going to get out there and crumble.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Kim-Clapperton-apprentice-jockey.jpg\")
Kim Clapperton (in purple) in her racing years, after winning on board The Bishop at Avondale. Photo: Race Images Palmerston North<\/p>\n
Both Hassman and Strawbridge were involved in a nasty fall at a Te Rapa race meet in the past fortnight, among four riders taken to Waikato Hospital with injuries \u2013 but they\u2019re already back in the saddle.<\/p>\n
In revamping the programme, Johnson worked with High Performance Sport New Zealand, who helped her understand what professional athletes need.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not just about riding, but it\u2019s business acumen too. You need financial know-how \u2013 there\u2019s no other apprenticeship in New Zealand where you come out with an average $130,000,\u201d she says. \u201cThe jockeys need to know how they can invest it, not waste it, and make sure they\u2019re set up for the next step in their careers.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s also about learning to communicate with trainers and building a brand for yourself. These riders are thrown into public view the minute they get out there on race day. They have 20 minutes between races, and if something doesn\u2019t go right, they\u2019ve got to get back into that positive mindset, get back onto that next horse and do their best job.\u201d<\/p>\n
The jockeys are also getting support on how to deal with the strict weight restrictions (between 52kg and 59kg) the sport demands.<\/p>\n
\u201cKeeping your weight down is a hard thing to do yourself, if you don\u2019t really understand how,\u201d Strawbridge says. \u201cHaving people with the knowledge to guide you through nutrition is awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n
New Zealand is leading the world with the number of female jockeys in their race fields.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a unique sport \u2013 females competing against males in the same category \u2013 and it\u2019s wonderful to see there\u2019s so much opportunity for women,\u201d she says. \u201cI hail from Ireland where it\u2019s a no-go for female jockeys, really.\u201d<\/p>\n
Strawbridge and Hassman are driven to inspire a new generation of young female apprentices.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s really important for young women and girls to know they can do something that\u2019s not dominated by men,\u201d says Strawbridge, \u201cwhere there\u2019s no limitation to what they can do, and it\u2019s a very special thing to be part of.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Kim Clapperton admits she was pretty na\u00efve when she was handed an apprentice jockey\u2019s licence at 15. The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":325801,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4107],"tags":[117497,12,1071,79,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-325800","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-racing","8":"tag-lockerroom","9":"tag-news","10":"tag-racing","11":"tag-sports","12":"tag-uk","13":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114988776568863829","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/325800","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=325800"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/325800\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/325801"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=325800"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=325800"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=325800"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}