ENGLISH TEXTS
id done it, flipping and poo pills you name it I’ ve tried it and none of it was sustainable to keep going. Covid was what made it ten times worse as well because they removed the saunas from racecourses. Mentally that was really tough because I had to try and lose all that weight without speaking to anyone. I was on my own day in day out in the bath, or in the car whereas in the sauna at the racecourse there was five or six other guys going through the same thing as you and you got through it together. Making the decision to go jumping was more of a relief then anything.”
G. where did you go then when you went jumping?
J. B.“ With Sean being first jockey to Olly Murphy, he got me a job there which was great as he got me going schooling and allowed me to branch out a little bit and ride out for other trainers like Nick Scholfield, Tom Weston and DJ Jefferey’ s. my first season was always going to be slow as I hadn’ t jumped a horse properly since I was 12yr old and it must have taken me 9 or 10 months to get the hang of it again. But Olly looked after me and gave me some good opportunities where I was able to ride him a few winners which was great. I must have ridden 6 winners last year over jumps which I was delighted with.”
G. so why the move to France?
J. B.“ having the lack of experience of winners over jumps that I did but the amount of flat winner( around 160) meant in the Uk I didn’ t have a claim anymore, so I was a novice but without out the allowance. Whereas in France because of the lack of experience and jump winners I am able to ride with a 3kg decharge. I did a month with Nathen Vergne last summer when he was pre training and within the first week he had me jumping unraced three-year-old and two years old that had never left the ground before. We had some hairy times and a lot of refusals, but it was a huge help getting that time on the horse going over an obstacle again and again, lot after lot. He also got me a month with Macaire afterwards which was an eye opener and I loved it with him, and he offered me a job so at the beginning of this year I decided to take him up on it. The prize money isn’ t too bad either.”
G. How are you finding it so far?
J. B.“ Yeah really good. At the end of the day, I just want to make s good living doing someth8ng I love doing and I’ m good at and for me personally to turn from flat to jump and be in the background as a new jockey wasn’ t really for my liking. So far, I’ m fulfilling that over here and being with Macaire and Hector is great to, just the other day we schooled half of the yard, finished at 3pm but I cer- tainly didn’ t mind as the sun was shining and I jumped ten different horses throughout the morning doing cross country, steeple chasing you name it we jumped it. I’ ve got a good agent as well in Dylan Billot who has created some new relationships for me with other trainers like Davide Satalia and Erwan Grall so delighted with that he’ s been a good help.”
G. how have you found some of the tracks?
J. B.“ The smaller tracks have been interesting to ride at like Loudeac and Blain as they are small and tight courses and the jockeys’ facilities are very different to what I am use to but when the prize money is so good and when you riding for a trainer like Macaire, you don’ t mind going. That is why it’ s great having someone like Dylan look after me as he knows good and safe tracks to go to and what horses to ride and not to ride so I just leave it to him.
G. what does the future look like for Joshua Bryan?
J. B.“ well I love the lifestyle over here and I wouldn’ t have to many complaints so in an ideal world I’ d love to try and emulate what Felix de Giles and James Revely have done over here and make it a good success. Just need to keep working on the language now.
BACK TO ARTICLE
# 18 136