Defying Gender Barriers: Female jockeys taking the lead in New Zealand

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Indeed, anyone who has ever been trackside when those horses are flying by knows just how fast and furious the sport is. Jockeys fall and get injured all the time -- it's an occupational hazard you might say -- but the danger seems to only inspire some of New Zealand's young women. Owen tells us more now about these people who are trying to break down gender barriers.

They are the future of New Zealand horse racing, apprentice jockeys learning their trade under the watchful eye of a retired champion.

"Pushing up here eh, push, push push"

Half the country's 50 apprentices are female, including Jasmine Fawcett, who's ridden 15 winners in her short career.

JASMINE FAWCETT APPRENTICE JOCKEY "I love to go fast and I found out that you can get paid to ride horses and go fast"

Like many countries, New Zealand banned women from competing as jockeys. They were eventually allowed to ride against each other in so-called "Powder Puff" derbies, but it wasn't until 1978 that the gender barrier was finally broken.

NOEL HARRIS RIDING MASTER & APPRENTICE MENTOR "We took the initiative, a lot of the owner trainers thought, right, we'll give them a go, they put the hard work in, they got rewarded"

As New Zealand's most experienced female, Trudy Thornton has ridden more than one thousand winners in her 36 year career. But the 54 year old mother of three has still faced a tough battle to get rides - and recognition.

TRUDY THORNTON JOCKEY "It's a tough industry because it's been a very male-dominated sport, don't worry, there's been frustrating times and you do a lot of work on horses and get pulled off for male riders"

OWEN POLAND AUCKLAND Equal rights means equal pay for female jockeys. And like the men, they take equally big risks - riding horses at 70 kilometres an hour that weigh ten times more than them.

Accidents happen, and sadly, the last two jockeys killed in New Zealand were women.

Trudy has had her share of serious falls - and broken bones - but it hasn't put her off.

TRUDY THORNTON JOCKEY "I've worked hard and it's been rewarding, but a physically and mentally tough challenge, yeh"

New Zealand leads the world with a 44 per cent ratio of female jockeys, compared to 27 per cent in Australia, 14 per cent in America, and just 12 per cent in Great Britain. And many jockeys come from overseas to learn.

SALLY WATERS APPRENTICE TUTOR "New Zealand has that reputation for providing opportunity for women that other countries don't provide to the degree that we do"

Many countries still discriminate against women on the basis that men are stronger – but it's not an issue for Jasmine.

JASMINE FAWCETT APPRENTICE JOCKEY"I don't believe that men are necessarily stronger, maybe they,ve just had more opportunity. And so I think now that women have the equal opportunity that men do, if we work as hard we will get the same results, if not better"

And the fact that four of our top ten jockeys are women also proves that they've got what it takes. Owen Poland in Auckland for CGTN NEWS.