Jason Hart inspires school children at Jack Berry House

On a Friday afternoon in January a small, local primary school arrived at IJF Jack Berry House in Malton with many enthusiastic children to find out more about the gym and rehabilitation centre, and understand different careers that come under the horseracing umbrella.

Following an introduction to the Injured Jockey’s Fund by General Manager Jo Russell, the children from Years 4, 5 and 6 were split into three groups along with accompanying parents. They had three sessions, the first with coach Danny in the gym, learning about being Strength and Conditioning coach and what physical attributes a jockey needs. They had a go completing a CMJ (countermovement jump) on the force plates and checked how many press ups they could do.

The children loved having a go on the mechanical horses, complete with jockey silks and jockey coach for the day; Jason Hart. Jason was great with the children and they loved his enthusiasm and encouragement.

They also learned about a career as a jockey physiotherapist with Sophie. The children used the skeleton models to identify different bones in the body. They asked questions and enjoyed trying out the physio tape.

Finally, students had a group chat with Sophie, Danny and currently injured Duran Fentiman, talking about his experience of rehabilitation. The children were engaged throughout the day and hopefully were inspired by the different varieties of careers possible within the racing industry. The Injured Jockeys Fund wish to thank Charlotte Russell from Go Racing in Yorkshire and Wendy Midgeley for helping arrange the visit.