Roger the racer
We had the privilege of spending some time with Roger who lives at Leeson Court, an Independent Living scheme in Towcester. Roger told us about his life as an amateur horse jump racer, while travelling the world for work.
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“It’s nothing to worry about, Mother!”
Early days
“I grew up in Northampton, the eldest of six. When I was eight, I had pneumonia and was very ill. In those days you just got on with trying to get better at home and I did, thanks to my Mum – she boiled Kaolin then spread on it sheets on cotton wool and put the poultices on my back and chest, as hot as I could stand it. And it worked, but I was very thin and slight while recovering so I started boxing club for two bob a week to build up – and I boxed until I was 28.
“On leaving school I started in butchering but there wasn’t much money in it, so I started working on the railways – ten times better money and more fun too. I then worked on building sites, including hod carrying, which was great money. It was hard work, but it suited me. I loved being active – later on I drove a bulldozer, but I couldn’t stand all the sitting! In my spare time I took up motorbiking, which I loved but then I discovered a different sort of riding and that changed my future.”
Discovering jump racing
“I had a friend who helped out at a stable and asked me to come along for a ride. The trainer noticed that I got on well and asked me to be part of a race – he got me a licence sorted and I ended up in a jumps race at Carlisle. It was only the horse’s second race and obviously my first, so I did well to come mid field. The race was a mix of pros and amateurs – if you were an amateur you got a 7lb weight advantage so as an owner if you had a good rider, it was worth using an amateur jockey.
“I was 28 when I started riding – I’ve also wished I could have been a pony club kid. If I’d started younger, I would have been a professional for sure. My family supported me at races - my brother called my Mum an embarrassment because she’d shout so loudly in the stands! She was very good about me biking and racing – I just said: “It’s nothing to worry about, Mother!”
“I had a horse – George - and a young girl at the yard took a liking to him, which is funny because he definitely wasn’t a pet, he was a great jumper, but he had a real temper. She loved him though and was a good rider and her father, Paul, offered to buy him. Paul and I became great friends – I still see him for dinner every week."
“My family supported me at races - my brother called my Mum an embarrassment because she’d shout so loudly in the stands!”
A new friendship and future
“Paul ran a business with his brother. They’d created a material that could be sprayed onto the floor and walls of stables that featured recycled tyres. It kept the stables warmer and because it had ‘give’, it provided protection to the horses if they kicked out. It was popular in vet school stables where horses needed a safe space to come round from an anaesthetic. The floor/walls would dry out extremely quickly, leaving a slip-resistant, seamless finish. That seems like a minor detail but if horse urine can get into gaps in the floor or walls, it leaves ammonia in the air that could get into a horse’s lungs, and you could see the effect at the final furlong - no owners or trainers wanted that!
“One day Paul asked if I’d come and help out on a stable floor job in Marlborough. I picked up the job sheet, and it was for Jeremy Tree, the renowned racehorse trainer! That always made me laugh – Paul never had any idea about who was who in racing.
“I couldn’t work in a stable yard – you’re not allowed to as an amateur jockey without losing your amateur status, but this was a great way to be able to work alongside teams and horses. We got so much work that he took me on permanently and I travelled all over the world for years. In Vienna I was given tickets to see the famous Lipizzaner horses display – those tickets were like gold dust! And we did work for other famous horse trainers, including Sir Henry Cecil – we even kitted out the lorry Prince Philip used for his carriage horses!
“I loved working in France – Paris is a happy place for me. I spent some time on jobs in the south of France – that included some time at a stud owned by a Swiss millionaire who spoke no English while we spoke no French. We got by for three months using a phrase book. I’ll never forget managing to communicate that I wanted to borrow a truck then, when I had the go ahead, walking confidently round to the driver’s side to get in and then remembering that it was the wrong side. There wasn’t a language barrier for that, it gave everyone a big laugh.
“Another memory was going to Leipzig not long after the Berlin Wall had come down. It was like going back in time. The vet school had state of the art equipment alongside ancient, unhygienic stuff – including mattresses on the stable floors. They were so happy with the work we did to improve the stables, although they did spend a very long time testing it before they said so!”
“I’m 82 now and I still enjoy riding. I’ve got great friends at the stables, and we’ve been on riding holidays abroad together. They’re the reason I’m living happily at Leeson Court.”
A (very) active retirement
“I did this work for nine or ten years but then I was injured. My hand was crushed by a horse in a fall. I had operations over the next three years which meant I couldn’t ride or work, so I retired but I did start riding again when my hand has improved.
“I’m 82 now and I still enjoy riding. I’ve got great friends at the stables, and we’ve been on riding holidays abroad together. They’re the reason I’m living happily at Leeson Court. I was living in Towcester in rental accommodation that had problems with damp and mould, and they said I couldn’t live like that and helped me to look elsewhere and move out.
“I was always fit and healthy – I had to be for racing! Now I cycle to the gym at 6am Monday to Friday – I can’t get out of the habit of getting up early after so many years looking after horses. I spend 25 minutes boxing and 40 minutes on the bike, then I cycle up to hill in Towcester to walk my friend’s two dogs before cycling back to Leeson Court
“I’ve made some really good friends at Leeson Court, including John who was once a weight-lifting champion. We like staying active and working on the garden together – we spend a lot of time out there! I’m happy to be able to live here, in Towcester – it’s a special place to me. I had the greatest sporting moment of my life here, riding against the famous Jonny Frankham – and it’s home.”
Thank you, Roger, for sharing your story with us. During our conversation, Roger would end each life change and anecdote by saying it was all luck. Listening to his passion for his work, his friends and for horses, we think that Roger made his own luck!
