'It got too much for a young lad' - rider Mitch Godwin reveals depression battle

Jockey Mitch Godwin has opened up about a two-year battle with depression that forced him to put his riding career on hold for 11 months as he struggled to deal with the pressures of life in the saddle and his mother's fight with breast cancer.

Godwin, 21, stepped away from the sport in June 2018 and did not return until last month, having sought help from the Professional Jockeys Association. He is now recovered and rode his rode his first winner since May 2018 when partnering the Harry Dunlop-trained Oofy Prosser to victory at Salisbury last Thursday.

He said: "I was suffering from depression for about a year before I actually stopped riding. My mum was battling breast cancer at the time and the stresses of riding were also really taking their toll. When she got the all-clear, it triggered the depression because all the worries I'd been putting back the last four years all came forward.

"It was getting pretty quiet for me at the time and I wasn't getting the rides I thought I deserved. I hadn't taken a holiday and was so driven to ride winners that I probably overdid myself a little bit – I was flat out for four years. It all got a bit much for a young lad – I was hungry and wasn't getting where I thought I should."

Godwin, who had wanted to return to action in January but deemed himself not ready, speaks of the yoyo-like experiences of being a professional jockey, and admits he may not have been ready to deal with racing's peaks and troughs at such a young age.

"I left home when I was 16 and went straight into racing," the jockey added. "Racing is so up and down. You get a couple of winners on the board and everyone's thinking you're the best thing there is and then you give a couple of bad rides and it's the reverse.

"Unless you have the experience to deal with those ups and downs it can be a lot to deal with. I was also doing 60,000 miles a year on my own, it was giving me so much time to think about things I'd done wrong. It all builds up and you can only push those thoughts back for so long.

"I eventually told my parents, my dad rang the PJA and I was seeing the psychiatrist in London the very next day. It was unbelievable how quickly the help came and I didn't have to pay for any of it. I was seeing him every month for four months until I started getting better, and I haven't seen him now since March."

After getting his start in racing as an apprentice jockey with Sylvester Kirk, Godwin has struck up a relationship with Lambourn trainer Dunlop, who has provided Godwin with the majority of his rides since returning to action.

"I went to Harry and had a chat with him and he said he'd take me on," said Godwin, who is also hoping to get rides for Clive Cox this season. "It was very kind of him to start using me. He has a lot of trust in me, we go through entries together and have great conversations about the horses in the yard – I'm pretty involved there now which is great."

Godwin's partner Daisy is expecting a baby girl in four weeks' time, and the jockey wants fellow professionals to be aware of the support that is available to them.

"There's so much support in racing, the PJA and IJF were fantastic," he added. "I just want people to know that they don't need to be afraid to ask for help, the help is out there and all you have to do is ask. I know a couple of lads in the weighing room who are half-struggling now, but there is so much support out there to help."

Last Monday, details of an industry-wide study assessing the mental health of participants within British racing were revealed (below). The report found 86.67 per cent of jockeys interviewed were either experiencing stress, anxiety or depression, or had done so in the preceding 12 months.

Anyone in a similar position can contact Racing Welfare's 24-hour helpline on 0800 6300 443 or via the website