The Port Macquarie teenager has a love of horses that stretches back a decade to when trainer Allan Keogh told her she would be the perfect size for a jockey.

Over the ensuing years she took heed of that piece of advice and ran with it.

This week she rode her first racehorse and while she knows there is still a lot of work to do, she's loving every minute of it.

"I spent about two years on the ground just getting my bearings and learning how to walk the horses and where to go and how to saddle them," she said.

"I'd never had a horse of my own or ridden and then time went on and (trainer) John Sprague asked me to become an apprentice for him and I've been training for about a year now from the bottom."

Wilbow is one of a rare breed with a shortage of up-and-coming jockeys she attributes to one thing.

"Not many people want to get up at 4.30 in the morning, but I know in the long run that I'll be better off and it'll pay off," she said.

"It never gets easier, but the more you learn the more you do."

Ultimately the 18-year-old wants to race one day, with a Melbourne Cup appearance a major goal.

She took the first step on that path when she rode her first racehorse this week.

"I was a little bit nervous and I've got a lot more learning to go but that's the good part," she said.

"You don't realise until you get on the track how much strength you need and hopefully over time I will build it up and be able to ride more racehorses."

In the next 12 months the apprentice hopes to start doing barrier trials in the aim of a race ride in the following year.

In the meantime, she is learning her trade under Cassie Schmidt who works for Racing NSW at Bud Regal Park west of Port Macquarie, where racehorses are retrained and rehomed.

"Every horse is different and you get to learn something every single day," she said.

"But I'd love to do what Cassie does; that would be really cool.

"She's a really strong rider, very driven and works really hard. She's helped me a lot and I'd love to be like her."

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