Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
Shattering glass ceilings has become a habit for Bahrain’s only female jockey Rosie Jessop, who has now started to break her powerlifting records, being able to lift 147kg, while weighing just 52kg, writes Naman Arora.
Jessop has been stunning trainers and putting her male counterparts to shame with her powerlifting, which has now surpassed the twice-her-weight rule of thumb for an athletic individual.
“I started to get more into powerlifting after I kept hearing that women are not naturally as strong as men,” the 33-year-old British national, who is originally from Essex, told GulfWeekly.
“I like to be as strong as possible and my powerlifting also ensures I am able to give the horses I ride, the best possible chance at winning.”
Jessop has been in Bahrain since 2018 and has been riding at the Rashid Equestrian Horseracing Club for business magnate and globally successful trainer Fawzi Nass.
These days, in addition to her morning and afternoon horse-riding, Jessop manages to put in four powerlifting sessions and three cardio sessions every week.
“The key is balancing nutrition and cardio, so I can get toned without bulking up,” she explained, when asked if powerlifting ever conflicts with staying lightweight as a jockey.
“I have actually lost some weight since I started powerlifting. I started at about 53.5kg and am now at 52kg, because powerlifting burns a lot of calories.
“During my powerlifting sessions, my trainers and I don’t always go for the super-heavy weights, instead mixing up Max days with conditioning days, so my strength and endurance are also being honed.”
She also found that improving her core strength has made her an even better rider, as she channelled life-long lessons of balancing proteins, carbohydrates and sugar levels into a new avenue.
As she looks to the New Year, her resolution this year is to compete in more powerlifting competitions… as long as it doesn’t conflict with her horse racing, which she says, “always comes first.”
“I want to continue competing in Bahrain at the national powerlifting competitions and also in Dubai, if I have a chance,” she added.
Her personal bests for now are 147kg in deadlift - just 9kg short of three times her weight, 80kg in squats and 53kg in bench-press.
Her focus throughout, to stay on top of her racing, is her core, which considers “the base around which all other training is built”.
This horse-racing season has been a solid one for Jessop, who won her first race in Bahrain – the Bapco Cup 1800m race for locally bred horses – at the start of the 2022-23 season.
Among the many owners and trainers for whom she has ridden are His Majesty King Hamad’s representative for humanitarian work and youth affairs and Supreme Council for Youth and Sport (SCYS) chairman Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa and SCYS first deputy chairman, General Sports Authority chairman and Bahrain Olympic Committee president Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa.
“I especially enjoyed riding Shaikh Nasser’s horse – Dark Lion – and we finished second,” she added.
“It took us some time to get acquainted with the horse, but we think we have finally found the key to unlocking his full potential.”
As she continues to ride for a few different stables, Jessop is keen to keep being a continually better version of herself, both on the race course and in the gym.
