About Us
Learn more about the BRS
The British Racing School is a world class centre of excellence in the horse racing industry. We specialise in equine apprenticeships and over the past four decades have trained thousands of young people to go on and excel in Britain’s second biggest spectator sport, horse racing.
Our flagship horse racing apprenticeship is the Foundation Course which leads onto a Level 2 Equine Groom Apprenticeship in a racing yard. We also offer other equestrian apprenticeships such as the Sporting Excellence Professional Apprenticeship for those on the pathway to becoming a jockey and offer other related equine apprenticeships and courses, such as the Flexible Learning Programme.
The British Racing School is also home to the Newmarket Pony Academy, a community project which uses horses and ponies to positively affect mental health and well-being of children aged 8-14 in Newmarket and its neighbouring communities. It is also the base for the Riding A Dream Academy which works to increase diversity and inclusion in the sport through tailored courses for young people from diverse ethnic communities and disadvantaged backgrounds aged 14-16.
Outdoor facilities
At British Racing School we have installed a 2½ furlong all weather Martin Collins Activ-Track gallop secured by railings. This creates the perfect learning environment for trainees to canter outside.
With an Andrews Brown Propell surface creating a safe and dust free environment to ride, our indoor school gives us a perfect space to train riders under cover. There is a viewing gallery at one end of the school.
Our seven-furlong Martin Collins Activ-Track straight gallop allows trainees and horses to train over an actual race distance in all weathers. It also has a purpose-built collecting ring at the start and end to practice this essential part of racing.
Fully secured with post and rail fencing, this beautiful expanse of land is used to turn our horses out on in the summer months, and to ride on in the autumn and spring.
Surfaced with Andrews Bowen Propell, we have built this pen specifically to be the ideal environment to lunge horses and teach the basics of riding.
Indoor facilities
Well equipped and close to the main yard, we use these rooms for a combination of theory and practical based lectures.
Situated in the main building, we use this room to deliver English and Maths functional skills and as a place for students to sit online exams.
We were the first training provider in the world to make the MK9 Racewood Simulator available for use to its students. It’s the first ever fully immersive interactive racing simulator, and is the closest experience to riding a real horse available. It features:
Lateral body movement monitors to show the balance of a rider when they are balancing, pushing or riding a finish.
Body and neck sensors to control speed and to show where a rider is hitting the horse during a finish.
Interactive race situations displayed on a screen in front of the rider allowing students to experience different conditions at the touch of a button.
The MK1 simulator is used to assess a rider’s balanced body position, teach and practice the correct stick technique and pushing technique, as well as being used to improve fitness in preparation for a race or recover from injury.
Fitness is a fundamental part of being a successful sports person and jockeys are no exception. Any work on fitness is actively encouraged and our onsite gym is available for anyone attending training at The British Racing School. Gym equipment includes rowing machines, cross trainers, and spinning bikes, along with various other sporting equipment. We also have a Multi-Use Games Area, which provides an ideal surface for team sport.
Additionally, we make use of:
- Balance boards: A balance training board consists of a wooden deck and a plastic roller and is used primarily by extreme boarders. Used under supervision and in specific programmes it will increase core strength, leg strength and balance coordination. It’s a fantastic multifunctional fitness tool that puts fun into training.
- Gym balls: used as an aid for riders to test their levels of balance. Used with correct instruction they help improve balance, core stability and strength. Instructors also use them to develop students’ pushing technique and whip use.
- Wobble cushions: Riders use wobble cushions to assess their level of balance. Used with the correct instruction they help build this essential rider skill, as well as lower leg strength.
- Foam rollers: useful tools to help riders recognise their levels of balance.
- Elastic ropes: great strengthening tools, and are an important part of the simulator and gym room that is used for specific jockey training.
Dartfish is a specialist programme used in sports coaching for in-depth analysis from video footage. It allows the coach to freeze digital video, move it frame-by-frame, use super slow motion during playback, and draw lines on the screen to highlight areas for correction on both moving and still pictures. Other settings allow the analysis of the jockey during a schooling session, examining the body position frame by frame to see exactly what the body does when approaching a hurdle or fence. This has proved to be a valuable tool and is frequently used by former British Eventing Team Performance Manager Yogi Breisner during session reviews.
We have first class conference facilities on site, with a range of conference rooms able to hold up to 80 delegates. For further information please visit our dedicated site.
