Picture: Rachel with her guv’nor and mentor, Michael Roberts (Candiese Lenferna).
Rachel Venniker was the front page picture in the women’s month edition of The Crest (Hillcrest) magaizine and inside was the below insightful article.
Courageous Summerveld jockey Rachel Venniker always aims high.
Story: Shirley le Guern
At the beginning of July, Rachel Venniker was set to make Durban July history as the first-ever female jockey to take part in this iconic event at Greyville. But, just a week before the big race, she was injured.
“On the Monday prior to the July, my filly in the last race fly jumped coming out the gate and I hit my head on the top of the gate. They booked me off for concussion, which is the standard 10-day procedure. I was mortified. But there is always next year. You’ve just got to carry on,” says Rachel.
This courageous 21-year-old is anything but daunted. Easy going by nature, she says she is totally at peace as soon as she on the back of a horse – and that is somewhere she has been since the age of just four.
While there are many female jockeys overseas, this is seen as a male career in South Africa. Much of that has to do with the danger factor – something to which Rachel is no stranger.
About a month ago, the horse she was riding went through the rails. But, despite a few aches and pains, she was back in the saddle and won the next race.
She admits she already has two false teeth, has broken her cheekbone, and that her nose is not quite as straight as she would like it to be. But, that is a small price to pay for doing something that is her passion.
Born in KZN and raised at Summerveld where she still lives, she says she has grown up with horses. Both of her parents were show jumpers and she followed in their footsteps.
One of the trainers she approached looking for a horse for show jumping suggested she try some track work. She was just 14, and has been working at the track from 4am ever since.
Her first win as a work rider came in 2020 at Scottsville and, since then, she has added a few more. She is currently the stable jockey for well-known trainer Michael Roberts, and has 72 wins to her name.
Now a second year apprentice at the South African Jockey Academy, which is the only local institution offering an academic and practical apprentice programme, Rachel admits that her journey hasn’t been easy. She applied to join the academy three times but was turned away not only because she is a girl, but also because she’s taller and slightly heavier than most of her male counterparts. She was told to finish her schooling and think again.
After completing her matric at the Roseway Waldorf school Rachel was as enthusiastic as ever, and trainer Michael Roberts together with Garth Puller and Kevin Wright approached the academy.
“So… they said they’d take a chance, and they haven’t looked back!” laughs Rachel.
That was in 2021, and she remains the only girl at the academy. “At the start, they were all a bit cagey with me and wouldn’t give me a very easy time. But now I’m one of them. No one really cares, I’m just one of the boys,” she says of her fellow jockeys.
She is still at the track before dawn and rides at least 25 different horses every morning. She moves from trainer to trainer, something that she admits to finding stressful.
“I also work out as often as I can. We do gym twice a week at the academy and I do my own stuff as well, because my weight is quite a challenge. I can ride 53,5kg and I’m 170cm tall. I road run and I’m always watching what I eat. That is the added pressure – because, often, you feel like you are running on empty,” she admits.
But Rachel wouldn’t change anything. She is waiting for her next ride at a major South African event. After winning a few majors here, she’d like to ride overseas.
Her advice to other girls who’d like to ride like her is to keep believing in themselves.
“If you really want to, just keep trying. There are going to be hard times. This is not an easy career. People have seen my success but it comes with a lot of work. I’ve pretty much given up everything to do this job. It’s tough – physically, mentally, emotionally – but it’s also really worth it and I love it,” she says.
