FORMER jockey Claire Bryan's love of horses and racing has led to the birth of a very unusual enterprise.

After being short-listed for the Griffins Richard Davies Award, presented by the Jockeys Employment and Training Scheme (JETS), she is now running an on-line business selling alternative leather wear.

As well as making conventional leather trousers and waistcoats, Claire is constantly being asked to make more risqu wrist cuffs and collars and she admits that her business - which is called kinky-monkey.co.uk - has been the target of a few jokes. But Claire is having the last laugh because it rakes in orders.

"I didn't even tell my dad what I was doing at first but now my mother helps me with the sewing because it is proving to be such a success with orders flooding in from the UK and other parts of the world," said Claire. "My products are popular with Goths and people who want to spice up their appearance."

Claire rode as a professional jockey from 1999 to 2004 and amateur jockey before that. She almost made it as top lady jockey in 2000 after 20 winners during the season. In total, she has ridden 32 winners (many for trainer Milton Bradley) but, at the age of 25, she enrolled in a saddlery course and developed a small business repairing leather work before spotting a niche in the market for alternative leather fashion and club wear - allowing her to keep her place in the equine world. Her enterprise is based at the family's Worcestershire home and is full of the specialist equipment that she needs to fulfil her burgeoning order book.

She completed a specialist saddlery course in Walsall, West Midlands, where she learnt how to prepare, cut and sew the leather and she received invaluable help from JETS.

The Griffon Richard Davies Award is made to the jockeys who are judged to have shown the most effort, initiative and forethought in developing a second career after race riding.

Since it was established in 1995, JETS has helped 600 current and former jockeys with career advice, training in new skills and employment after race riding.

Claire misses her days as a jockey but tends to remember the good times and not the hard slog when she was running for miles wearing a plastic bin bag trying to get down to the right weight, and the harsh regime of being unable to eat or drink.

Her most enduring memory is when she defied all the odds by winning on a 100-1 outsider at Hamilton, after a tiring day riding at Brighton and Sandown.

"I had to drive myself to Hamilton through the night so I picked up mum at junction 7 of the M5 to help me to stay awake on the journey. We arrived at 5am and I told her to stay in bed because I didn't think I had a chance of winning. However, I urged my horse on three furlongs from home and we won. It was worth all the effort and it is those occasions that I miss. But starting the business has helped me find a new life outside of racing. JETS has been such a great help to me that I would urge other jockeys thinking of embarking on a new career to ask for help from them, too."

Claire was especially proud that on the same evening she was short-listed, her father John Bryan, who rode as a jump jockey from 1982-1992 won the JETS Special Recognition Award. This was presented to him for his courage to learn both the new trade of gardening and taking on the challenge of establishing a new business in his late 40s, after a serious heart operation meant that he had to give up his career as assistant trainer and work rider.

For more information about JETS call Sandy Thwaites on 01793 710610.