Jockeys: The Podcast - Bryan Carver opens up on the pressures of riding

Bryan Carver has explained how a positive approach to life – and a willingness to fall a second time after the first – has helped him rebuild his career following a series of major injuries.

Speaking to host Adam McNamara on the latest Jockeys: The Podcast, Carver revealed that he is proud to be part of a rare breed of sportsmen that embrace the need for toughness and resilience.

He said: “The best thing that can happen to you when you get back from injury is a fall because you get up and you're like ‘oh, I'm grand then’ and you're back into your routine.  

“The minute you start thinking about it, I always think that's when your time is probably up, and thankfully, I've always been of the opinion that when I get injured, the first question I always ask is 'when can I be back?’ 

“You're lying there on your back or you're lying there in a hospital bed - it does sound crazy - but it's what most jockeys do. As long as it's not too serious all you care about is when can you get back on the horse.”

Several extended spells on the sidelines have forced the rider to prepare himself for any setback and then manage it when it does occur.

“The more you get injured the more you know how to deal with it,” he revealed.

“When I get injured now there's a routine I need to go through - I need to do this, do that, get away for a few days - and just try not to let it bother you.

“I'm probably a bit of a nightmare when I'm injured because I can't sit still and I hate people running around after me.

“I like doing things for myself.  I don't really like the pity.”

Pity has not been on the menu of late, with Carver currently enjoying his best spell in the saddle thanks to 33 winners last season – his highest tally since a 2020/21 campaign in which he finished second only to Danny McMenamin in the conditional riders’ championship. So far this term, 14 winners have been achieved at a strike-rate of 18 per cent.

Born in Cork, Carver moved over to England to ride for Paul Nicholls following a successful point-to-point career and was able to make an immediate impression, thanks to both the quality of horses he was riding and the familiar surroundings of a home from home environment.

He recalled: “I moved over here when I was 18 but David Noonan was a good friend of mine and he was one of the first that was over here.

“I always think there's a lot of us in the weighing room - Irish lads, especially from Cork, over jumps - and it is nice when you're surrounded by people that have done the same as you as they've also moved away from home quite young.

“It’s just having something in common, whether that be the Irishness or playing a bit of a hurling; it’s nice to be able to touch base about home sometimes.”

Alongside those moments of comfort, Carver also believes that he has been fortunate to enjoy the loyalty of trainers and owners in tough times, and he is now reaping the rewards as stable jockey to fellow Ditcheat alumni Harry Fry.

He explained: “Three or four seasons ago I had a nightmare run with injuries; I broke my back in July, so I was off for three months with that, and two weeks after I came back I broke my shoulder and dislocated it, so I was off for another three months.

“But thankfully all the people I've ridden for over the years have been very, very loyal to me – I've made some great connections - and I'd like to think I've got a good base of trainers built up. 

“Last season was my best in a while so I’m hoping to better that again this year and just keep improving all the time.  

“I don't really set myself goals. There’s a good quote from Willie Mullins that you’re never on a level - you're either going up or you're going down - so you should always just be aiming to be going slightly up in some way.”

One horse that could prove pivotal to Carver’s continued upward trajectory is Fry’s Gidleigh Park who gave the jockey his first graded success when lowering the colours of Caldwell Potter in February’s Grade Two Fitzdares Lightning Novices' Chase at Windsor.

The success was made even sweeter for Carver as he had previously pulled up Gidleigh Park – who could reappear at Carlisle or Newbury next week - on his chasing debut at Kempton on his previous start.

He recalled: “Kempton was my first high-profile ride for Harry and I pulled him [Gidleigh Park] up after jumping five fences. At the time there was nothing majorly obvious, I just thought ‘oh, he's not right’.

“Looking back at it now it was a brave call, but in my head it was the right call because the horse wasn't feeling right, and afterwards he actually got checked over by the vets and he had atrial fibrillation.

“Going to Windsor he was an outsider - everybody thought the track would be too sharp down to two miles as he looks like a big galloping horse that wants three miles - but he's not short of speed.

“There was a little bit of relief after ticking off the first big one, but it was mostly satisfaction.”

Having had such a catalogue of injuries in his short career, Carver is keen to make the most of every opportunity, whether big or small, and recognises how important the less high-profile victories can be for everyone involved in the sport.

He explained: “You're looking for that nice horse that's going to put you in the limelight -that's your Saturday horse, or ideally more than one - and thankfully at Harry's we have a good bunch of exciting horses this year.

“You’re always looking forward to those festivals coming around the corner, but I always take it one day at a time. You ride the race not the occasion.

“It's brilliant to win those nicer types of races, but it means as much to be riding for an owner that you've known for 15 years, and you ride them a winner at Newton Abbot say on a Thursday during the summer. 

“It's brilliant to see from our perspective how much joy they get out of it.

“Every race matters.”