Micheal Nolan - Winning on and off the Track
As stable jockey to Philip Hobbs and Johnson White as well as Seamus Mullins, Micheal Nolan enjoyed his best season to date in 2023/2024 with 40 winners but has certainly not been putting his feet up over the summer as he has been busy preparing sheep for pedigree sales and shows whilst also working as a sheep shearing contractor to earn extra income during the quieter racing months.
He originally bought three ewes and a ram in 2020 during lockdown started building up his flock of Kerryhills and Suffolks and now has 80 sheep which he manages with his girlfriend in Somerset. He started showing them as a bit of fun but has since won some of showing’s biggest prizes with his pedigree sheep and will be entering Dunster Show in August.
In terms of managing the sheep and his riding, Micheal said:
“When the riding is busy, it’s a lot of early mornings and late nights but it’s also a real outlet from racing which is so intense and pressurized all the time. When I get back after hours in the car, the pressure is off and I can get out and about working with the sheep. I find I enjoy racing a lot more now as I feel it’s not my only focus, I’ve got other things to think about. It’s a good balance.”
Using funding from JETS, he plans to gain an official shearing certificate with the British Wool Board so that he can carry out more shearing contract work when his riding allows.
“I don’t earn as much money shearing as I do riding but when the riding it’s quiet, it’s better than sitting on the couch doing nothing. I meet new people outside of racing and the flexibility of the job, means I can take rides as and when they come.”
JETS is constantly encouraging jockeys to find hobbies away from racing and Micheal agrees that having the sheep to focus on has meant he enjoys the riding more. He has also built up a good network of contacts and feels he is more knowledgeable about other industries and how they work.
Talking about how his perspective has changed, he says:
“It started as a bit of fun for me but I’ve discovered a serious industry which is really well organized and I’ve had some really good success with the showing which makes me want to do more. I’ve made a lot more contacts and it shows there’s lots of opportunities to work than riding horses. It’s opened my eyes to all the jobs you can do within the livestock industry and opened doors for me so that I realise how many jobs are out there when jockeys stop riding, you don’t just have to work in a racing yard for the rest of your life.”