Horsham jockey Dean Yendall has taken a step towards his golfing dream, after signing up to a program aimed at developing golf players professionally.
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Yendall has told the media he aims to turn pro in 18 months time.
"I've pushed further along the golf path; I've actually put in an application for a golf performance program," Yendall told racing.com.
"The guys at the PGA are pretty keen to get me in. I want to have my body right to get stuck into it, I want to be fully focused before I go into it.
"Four days a week is golf, then you get three days off, so I might just be a weekend jockey and just ride Saturdays."
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Yendall has been out of the saddle after suffering a neck injury at Terang in December.
However, despite getting the all clear to return to competitive racing, golf looms as a permanent option for the veteran jockey.
"There's much less chance of getting injured on the golf course than riding racehorses," Yendall told racing.com.
"The doctor was happy to clear me at my last appointment, so (Dr) Gary Zimmerman had to give me clearance too, and he was happy for me to make some sort of progress into riding.
"I got on one Monday morning, it didn't feel the best, felt a bit uncomfortable going around, pulled up sore as expected, felt a bit on the motion sickness side, which was weird.
"We did some ear candling that night to try and clear things, try everything under the sun to figure out what's going on, my neck was ok, but I pulled up stiff the next day.
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"The next morning, I went out and rode another one at Paul Preusker's and was good as gold, felt good, just general soreness, I think all my yoga and Pilates has helped."
The secret to Yendall's recovery was assistance from his daughter during those yoga sessions.
"She's been smashing me on the reformer at Pilates trying to get strength," Yendall said.
"My daughter took me to a night at her gymnastics to teach you what they do, and there's no way I'll be a gymnast!
"We were doing pull-ups, somersaults, the big bars where you jump from one to the other, the next day I was so sore through my ribs and my sternum and my core too.
"Something you don't usually do and it really tested the limits.
"I haven't set a goal to return to riding, I want to be 100 per cent, not just fitness but mentally wise I want to be committed to it."
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