Na Fianna v Castleknock, AHL D7
Royal Canal – Dublin, Drumcondra, July 9th 2015
© Florian Christoph
6am in the morning. Thursday. Another day of wasted life? Possibly. Whatever. I’m tired. Tired of life. I grab the open pack of tobacco on the dinner table. Take a paper and start to roll. Careful now, man! Don’t rip it all apart! I lost the feeling in my fingers over the years. Well, almost. It’s a struggle.
The fresh smell of tobacco… it’s what keeps me going….I light the cigarette, take a deep breath, inhale the familiar smoke. The taste too well known to excite.
My body’s filling with life. I’m awake. For what? Don’t know. Turn on the radio. Recession. Corruption. Terrorism, plane crash, a drunk driver pacing down the M1 on the wrong side; frontal crash, three people dead. … isn’t it always the same? Heard it all before. Seen it all before. No emotions anymore. Only a numb feeling.
Standing here, outside, on this wooden veranda, rotting away under my feet. Or is it me, rotting away? Don’t know. Does it matter? It’s the circle of life. We all have to go at some point. Everything has to go at some point. A constant change, that is what it is. I’m just part of all this. A small, tiny part. Insignificant.
I blow out the last bit of smoke left on my cigarette……
Life can be tough if it is your job to steer half a ton of horse flesh over obstacles on a muddy turf course in freezing conditions. However that is exactly the scenario jump jockeys face day in day out during the heights of the season.
If you ask these men and women, though, they will confess how much they love the ‘game’. It’s pure dedication and passion for the sport – in fact a certain lifestyle that is as dangerous to the human body, that a single fall can end your career, if not your life. You’ve got to be made of a certain character to endure this kind of pressure on any given day.
It’s not a life made of caviar and champagne. Far from it it. It’s a puristic life, for most parts. It has little financial incentive for many jockeys out there, who in fact struggle to make a living. If your not at the top of the game, then you may end up jumping out of the bed in the early morning for one ride on the other end of the country, booked on a long-shot, who you potentially fall off from during the race, paid your riding fee which pays at least for petrol and maybe a coffee, though nothing else.
It’s all about dedication and passion. Look into the faces of these men and women. It’s all there. You can see it. Passion. Dedication. Love. Desperation. It’s a life rich of moments and emotions.
New York’s imposing skyline in sight. The chilly December wind is slowly creeping in through the open door, cuts into the faces of the crowd. People gathering around this one open front door of the ferry. It’s a confined space. Not much room to breathe. Some shoving, a little bit of pushing. Nothing serious though. Everyone wants to get the best possible view, soaking in the moments, when approaching Manhatten. This skyline, the famous buildings rising sky high, seen so often before, then in the comfort of the own sofa – now here, it’s real, it’s palpable. Is it? Photos, selfie, video… do we really catch the moment?
Shoot It Now 