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| Power Style Wellness Connections |
fitness
by Cheryl Stuck
Tracey Wilkes
AGE: 42
Supervisor of guest services at Churchill Downs
Exercise rider for horse trainers, Ian Wilkes and Carl
Nafzger
WHAT SHE DOES: Tracey Wilkes has had the pleasure
of riding two Kentucky Derby winners, Street Sense and
Unbridled — not as a jockey, but as an exercise rider.
While she only rode Unbridled once, she mounted 2007 winner, Street Sense,
almost every day for a year, galloping him around the race track to keep him in
shape. As an added bonus, it also keeps Tracey in shape.
For eight months out of the year, Tracey works on up to five horses per day,
getting them ready to race. In the winter, the horses leave for Florida and
Tracey hits the gym, working out for about an hour a day, five days a week. Her
routine includes 25 minutes on the treadmill or elliptical, 25 minutes on a series
of weight machines, and three times a week she does Body Pump barbell
training. But she takes weekends off. “In the winter months, I get fat and lazy,”
she said. “As I’ve gotten older, it’s gotten harder to stay fit. If I didn’t do any
exercise, [when the horses come back] I would get sore for a long time.”
BENEFITS: “Riding is great for your abs, legs, basically all around. When you’
re galloping race horses, it’s unlike show horses. You’ve seen how jockeys ride
— very short. It puts pressure on the back of your thighs, and of course you
ride up over the neck, so your stomach muscles are a big part of what’s holding
you together. Then arms, you’ve got to have a lot of strength, because some of
these guys are pretty tough. You do that five times a morning and you stay in
pretty good shape.”
HOW SHE GOT STARTED: “As a kid I had show horses. When I got out of
school and was pursuing college, I decided to ride horses to win money. I gave
up going to college and chose riding horses as a career.”
At age 23, Tracey and Ian Wilkes, now her husband, came to Louisville from
Australia “on a whim,” she said. Both had been working at a racetrack in
Australia, but “we decided to take time off to see where the Kentucky Derby
was. We came for 18 months and stayed 17 years.”
ADVICE: “You have to have that love of horses. It’s not something you get into
just to get fit. If you love horses and you love riding, it’s a good way to stay fit
and stay close to the horses.”
Her Toolbox
THREE THINGS SHE USES FOR THE SPORT
Safety Equipment “Safety equipment to protect me when I fall off.”
Caliente racing helmet “I’ve had my helmet since I first started galloping horses
at age 18.”
Protective vest made by Punto Gear (also known as a flack jacket). $200-$300.
Ariate Boots Cost: $150-$175. All of the above (or similar items) are available
at Becker & Durski on Fourth Street, The Hitching Post in Middletown, or other
horse supply stores.
Saddle“It’s my favorite piece of equipment.” A gift from 2007 Kentucky Derby
winning jockey Calvin Borel, it has race horses and the twin spires of Churchill
Downs embroidered on the seat.
“It’s what I ride in every day. It was made for an auction to benefit the Klein
Learning Center at the racetrack. They have a library and teach things like
English to adults living at Churchill Downs. It’s a way to keep the people in the
industry educated.”
Apparel Riding Gloves SSG all-weather riding gloves can be purchased at
Becker and Durskey or any horse supply company. Cost about $25.
"I like them because they are light and not too bulky in the summer and your
hands don't get too hot. When it rains, the palms of the gloves are made out of
aqua suede so they don't get slippery on the reins."
by Cheryl Stuck
Tracey Wilkes
AGE: 42
Supervisor of guest services at Churchill Downs
Exercise rider for horse trainers, Ian Wilkes and Carl
Nafzger
WHAT SHE DOES: Tracey Wilkes has had the pleasure
of riding two Kentucky Derby winners, Street Sense and
Unbridled — not as a jockey, but as an exercise rider.
While she only rode Unbridled once, she mounted 2007 winner, Street Sense,
almost every day for a year, galloping him around the race track to keep him in
shape. As an added bonus, it also keeps Tracey in shape.
For eight months out of the year, Tracey works on up to five horses per day,
getting them ready to race. In the winter, the horses leave for Florida and
Tracey hits the gym, working out for about an hour a day, five days a week. Her
routine includes 25 minutes on the treadmill or elliptical, 25 minutes on a series
of weight machines, and three times a week she does Body Pump barbell
training. But she takes weekends off. “In the winter months, I get fat and lazy,”
she said. “As I’ve gotten older, it’s gotten harder to stay fit. If I didn’t do any
exercise, [when the horses come back] I would get sore for a long time.”
BENEFITS: “Riding is great for your abs, legs, basically all around. When you’
re galloping race horses, it’s unlike show horses. You’ve seen how jockeys ride
— very short. It puts pressure on the back of your thighs, and of course you
ride up over the neck, so your stomach muscles are a big part of what’s holding
you together. Then arms, you’ve got to have a lot of strength, because some of
these guys are pretty tough. You do that five times a morning and you stay in
pretty good shape.”
HOW SHE GOT STARTED: “As a kid I had show horses. When I got out of
school and was pursuing college, I decided to ride horses to win money. I gave
up going to college and chose riding horses as a career.”
At age 23, Tracey and Ian Wilkes, now her husband, came to Louisville from
Australia “on a whim,” she said. Both had been working at a racetrack in
Australia, but “we decided to take time off to see where the Kentucky Derby
was. We came for 18 months and stayed 17 years.”
ADVICE: “You have to have that love of horses. It’s not something you get into
just to get fit. If you love horses and you love riding, it’s a good way to stay fit
and stay close to the horses.”
Her Toolbox
THREE THINGS SHE USES FOR THE SPORT
Safety Equipment “Safety equipment to protect me when I fall off.”
Caliente racing helmet “I’ve had my helmet since I first started galloping horses
at age 18.”
Protective vest made by Punto Gear (also known as a flack jacket). $200-$300.
Ariate Boots Cost: $150-$175. All of the above (or similar items) are available
at Becker & Durski on Fourth Street, The Hitching Post in Middletown, or other
horse supply stores.
Saddle“It’s my favorite piece of equipment.” A gift from 2007 Kentucky Derby
winning jockey Calvin Borel, it has race horses and the twin spires of Churchill
Downs embroidered on the seat.
“It’s what I ride in every day. It was made for an auction to benefit the Klein
Learning Center at the racetrack. They have a library and teach things like
English to adults living at Churchill Downs. It’s a way to keep the people in the
industry educated.”
Apparel Riding Gloves SSG all-weather riding gloves can be purchased at
Becker and Durskey or any horse supply company. Cost about $25.
"I like them because they are light and not too bulky in the summer and your
hands don't get too hot. When it rains, the palms of the gloves are made out of
aqua suede so they don't get slippery on the reins."
