The Sunday Mail
Veronica Gwaze
FOR Zimbabwe’s first black female jockey, O’Meara Chiedza Rusike, the journey to horse racing has not been rosy.
“God often uses our deepest pain as the launching of our greatest calling,” narrated the 21-year-old.
For Rusike’s dreams to come true, she has had to endure bad falls, nurse injuries and adjust to a special diet.
The Glen Norah born jockey fell in love with horse racing in 2016 when her father showed her an advert that had been flighted in The Herald in December 2015.
Although she did not know anything about horses back then, Rusike instantly fell in love with the stable.
“Being a jockey was a calling because I knew nothing about it, except for Zimbabwe’s big race, the OK Grand Challenge.
“I was actually surprised when my father excitedly showed me the advert. I never thought of it as a serious profession but all the same, I instantly fell in love with it,” Rusike said.
That same year, she was admitted for a five-year jockey apprenticeship in South Africa. She is currently in her third year.
Her group started as a class of 11 (six boys and five girls). However, they are now down to three boys and one girl (Rusike).
Rusike recalls that her first days were challenging as she had to adjust to a special diet mainly comprising of vegetables. This was for the purposes of maintaining the required weight of 46 to 48kg.
“Apart from sticking to lots of vegetables, fruits and water, I take a 2,7km jog every day. For breakfast I take a slice of toast, an egg and black coffee without any sugar.
“I wake up at 4:30am every day, go to the track from 5am to 11am. l then concentrate on the stables, meaning I have to brush, walk and feed the horses from 2:00pm to 5:00pm.”
Rusike feels that her life is a typical rags to riches story. The young jockey lost both her parents at a tender age.
Her mother passed away in 2000 while her father took his last breath nine years later, leaving her in the hands of her maternal grandmother.
In 2012, she was adopted by a loving couple – Perseverance and Joyce Ganga.
“Part of me hurts that my biological parents never lived to see me race but a part celebrates that I have amazing adoptive parents.
“They came at the right time and are a perfect fit in my parents’ shoes. They love and support me in so many ways,” said Rusike. Rusike still has fresh memories of how edgy she was on the day of her first race on December 16, 2018, as she rode a horse named Supa.
It was a local race and she came sixth from a field of 13 horses.
“I was frightened but as went down starting stalls, senior jockeys were motivating me and it helped calm me down. Since then, I have raced four times. Ganga is pleased that his daughter has broken the glass ceiling in the male dominated field.
“I fell in love with her as my daughter when I was still at university. I would visit at her grandmother’s place to pay her school fees and her other needs.
“When I got married, my wife loved her and then we decided to take her as our daughter.
“There was something special about her and I am happy that she is now living her dream,” he said.
Ganga is looking forward to his daughter’s jockey licence, something he feels will guarantee Rusike some happiness.
He remembers how Rusike once suffered a bad fall after her horse had lost control and hit the poles. The horse also picked a bad injury on the chest and Rusike wanted to call it quits.
“She wanted nothing more to do with horses but we encouraged her to soldier on. Now she is almost there and she talks about getting married to horses.
“Seeing her make history as the first female black jockey in the country makes me the proudest father on earth,” he said.
