Page 104 - Speedhorse June 2020

THE BACKSIDE
JUSTINE KLAIBER
“Every decision I make every day is to further my career and my success.”
A Jockeys Perspective
by John Moorehouse
Home Base:
Tucson, AZ
up competing in rodeos, while her dad worked as a farrier at the nearby track for some friends.
“I started galloping and ponying, probably when I was 12, out at the barn,” she recalled. “As soon as I was 16, in the summers, I started galloping to make a little extra money.”
Klaiber continued working as a galloper at Arapahoe Park, while attending classes at Otero Junior College, which she attended on a rodeo scholarship.
“I would always gallop on the side and pony,” Klaiber said. “I’ve always hustled. I would have a horse I was breaking for somebody or a barrel horse I was starting. I do that even now. I’ve got a barrel horse and a colt that’ll go to the roping pen after this. ... I prefer to be with the horses.”
At the urging of a couple of the jockeys there, she got her license.
“They set it all up for me; had a steward come watch,” she said. “The stewards okayed me, and I haven’t stopped since.”
The winner of the jockey title at Will Rogers Downs last fall, Klaiber got off to a good start in 2020—even amid the COVID-19 pandemic— reeling off 16 wins at Remington, including her first stakes win at the track. She took a break between her duties to participate in the latest installment of our Backside feature.
DO YOU THINK IT’S TOUGHER FOR A WOMAN TO MAKE HER REPUTATION AS A JOCKEY?
“Most definitely. You almost have to earn a little bit more respect than a man does and it’s harder to earn it. You have to work twice as hard as all the men
do. You have to do twice as good as at least three- quarters of the men. Even then there’s going to be people like, ‘well, I don’t know ...’ It’s hard to get the same opportunities, especially with the Quarter Horses, as opposed to riding Thoroughbreds.”
WHY IS THAT, DO YOU THINK?
“There’s just not as many women riders [in Quarter Horse]. I’m not sure why. A lot of Thoroughbred trainers think, putting a girl on there, they’re a little softer, a little more patient. On Quarter Horses, a
lot of people think you want a lot of aggression and you need to be really strong. I think sometimes that softness and that trust and that patience really comes in handy. With a little bit of technique, I’m just as strong and just as aggressive as most of the guys.”
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR RIDING STYLE?
“Maybe I would describe it as really trusting, and I think I’m really good at feeling a horse and being able to know when you need to be soft and patient, and when you need to be more aggressive and get after a horse. That’s where I think I really have an advantage.”
WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER ABOUT YOUR FIRST RACE? WERE YOU NERVOUS?
“I really don’t think I was actually that nervous. I think I was more nervous I wasn’t going to like it or maybe going to disappoint the people that have faith in me—not so much that I was scared to do it. Once I rode my first one, I was sold on it.”
DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE TRACK?
“Probably Remington. I think I just like the big-time feel of it. I’m always striving to do better and keep growing as a rider. When I’m at Remington Park, I definitely have that feel.”
WHAT JOB WOULD YOU HAVE IF YOU WEREN’T A JOCKEY AND PART OF THE HORSE INDUSTRY?
“I’ve actually, here lately, been thinking [that] if I go back to school or need to go back to school, about being a teacher. It’s good to have a backup industry. Teach third or fourth grade or something.”
Years of Experience: 4 ACHIEVEMENTS AND
ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
Won the Will Rogers Downs leading jockey title in 2019. Won first stakes at Remington Park this past spring
FAVORITE HOBBY:
“I have a barrel horse. So, I’m kind of always riding.”
Many people spend their early twenties find- ing themselves.
If you’re looking for Justine Klaiber, you likely can find her at or near a racetrack—and probably
on a horse. Since making her debut as a professional jockey in 2016, Klaiber has kept herself busy running at Quarter Horse mainstays like Remington Park, Prairie Meadows, Canterbury Park, Will Rogers Downs, and Arapahoe Park.
In some ways, Klaiber’s career is a natural progression in a life spent around horses. She grew
“I think if I keep growing as a rider and a horseman, take every opportunity I can, and hopefully just do my best. ... That’s a big broad goal.”
102 SPEEDHORSE June 2020