Writer sheds 5st to go from jumbo to jockey
A 50-year-old writer who shed 5st to ride in a horse race has written a book — ‘Jumbo to Jockey’ — about his experiences.
After the 2007 Christmas excesses, 16st 7lb Dominic Prince, from London, decided to combine weight loss with his dream of being a jockey.
When he was younger he rode, attended agricultural college and even wrote for Pony magazine. But, following a hunting accident, Dominic hadn’t ridden for 20 years.
He spent 10 months getting fit and started riding out for trainer Charlie Egerton.
And, on 6 November 2008, he took part in a charity race at Towcester, riding Dancing Marabout, a horse formerly ridden by AP McCoy. Dominic finished fifth.
“The pull of the horse is so strong that you overcome virtually anything to be with them,” he told a national newspaper. “Losing 5st in nine months was worth it and, more than that, I fulfilled a dream.”
This news story was first published in the current issue of Horse & Hound (20 January, 2011)
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now
A graduate of Exeter University, Amy joined our news team from Redpin Publishing in 2008 as news writer. She was promoted to deputy news editor in May 2013 and became news editor in April 2015. She left Horse & Hound in March 2016 to take up an editorial position in Dubai.