Forest Boice is a Maryland-born racehorse jockey.
"Ever since I was a little kid, like, I grew up riding," says Boice.
"My grandfather had a farm; he had trained racehorses. My parents didn't want anything to do with horses at that stage in life."
"They said when I was itty bitty, I went out into one of the fields, and they saw me wrapped around the hind leg of one of the horses."
The rest for Boice was history.
"It's something I always wanted to do, and so when I graduated college, I gave myself a year to do this."
One year turned into 15.
"And the first half of the year was terrible, and the second half of the year, my agent and I, we won like 90-some races together, and so it all worked out," says Boice.
Now, with hundreds of wins under her belt, she's taken the horse racing industry by storm.
"I love the personalities of all the horses. Um, you know, each one's different. It's fun trying to figure them out; it's a little bit like a puzzle."
Reflecting on her journey, Boice acknowledges the challenges of the sport.
"It's not easy becoming a jockey; just because you're good doesn't mean you're gonna make it."
In a sport which requires not just skill but also an ability to connect, Boice is an example of how determination and love for a craft can turn a childhood dream into a thriving career.
