Gethings: my plea to young riders plus split with Stuart Edmunds

Jockey Ciaran Gethings has urged any young rider to “speak to somebody” if they are experiencing social media abuse after discussing the subject candidly on the latest episode of Jockeys: The Podcast. 

Gethings was seriously affected by the online abuse he received following an unseat in a race at Hereford in 2017 and explained to host Adam McNamara how the unfortunate event was a big learning curve for him. 

The rider had never experienced anything like it before, and the social media backlash he was forced to handle at a young age proved a difficult obstacle to overcome.

Online hate towards jockeys has become a common occurrence in recent years, and Gethings shared some advice on how he copes with something that is almost becoming inevitable, especially for young riders.

“If it does get you down, speak to somebody,” said Gethings. “It’s going to happen, but don’t lock it in and throw away the key when it does. It can get you down, especially when you’re young and not used to it. 

“Get a good mentor and surround yourself with good people. Jockey coaches are brilliant nowadays and I think they are the best thing that’s happened to young jockeys. When I lost my claim, it was probably a hit that I also lost my jockey coach as I had somebody to speak to everyday. 

“When the incident happened at Hereford, I was 17, and I was young and naïve. I had probably never experienced anything like that before, so I probably took it to heart too much, and thought too much into it, whereas now, it’s like water off a duck’s back. 

“You receive abuse most times you’re riding, really, especially if you’re riding a fancied one, but it doesn’t get me down at all now. 

“Some bad things must happen for you to learn from, and the Hereford situation was a prime example. It was a dreadful bit of riding which started the whole thing off. It was just one of them things.”

Gethings also revealed more about his split with trainer Stuart Edmunds who he enjoyed a successful association and plenty of big-race glory with, including when guiding Arizona Cardinal to victory in last year’s Topham.

A season disrupted through injury, and a decline in winners were among the factors behind his decision to make a major career change, which was also a decision that helped him mentally. 

Despite a tough campaign last season, Gethings is positive about the future and discussed his aims and ambitions with McNamara.

“Last season I had four months out through injury, and I probably lost a few rides,” explained Gethings. “I got to February, and I just wasn’t enjoying it at all, and that’s why I said to Stuart that I go. We cut ties and I probably wasn’t in a great headspace. It wasn’t a rash decision – I was thinking about it for a while. It probably came as a shock to a few people but, for me, it wasn’t, nor for the people around me.

“I only had 13 winners last season, which is not embarrassing, but I don’t like that. I’d been hitting almost 30 winners each season, and that’s where I wanted to get back up to. I just thought I needed to do something different. I probably needed to build a few bridges again and get back going.

“One thing that I have noticed throughout my riding career is that you must surround yourself with good people, and positive people because you can get sucked into negativity. That’s happened to me in the past, and I don’t want that to happen again. I needed a clean slate and I’m loving it now. I’m as happy as I have been for a long time. I’m busy riding out, I’m getting plenty of rides and I’m comfortable again.”

Gethings’ love of football and rugby were also among the topics discussed, along with his long-term relationship with partner Kate Tracey. Enjoy the 30-minute show in full on Racing TV’s YouTube page.