With a slight grunt and a leap, Keith Ballard still manages to pull himself up onto the back of a horse.

It's a swift and rhythmic motion that wouldn't turn many heads, if it weren't for the fact he is 71 years old.

The Mount Isa local has led an illustrious 55-year career; man had just landed on the moon when Ballard rode his first winner in 1969.

"Dad was a very good rider and the town farrier in Longreach, so I've been around a racetrack as long as I can remember," he said.

"I was 16 when I had my first ride, I was very small only 5.7 stone, around 36 kilograms."

Born and bred in north-west Queensland, Ballard has never lived south of the Tropic of Capricorn, an advantage for a career racing in a region that regularly swelters with temperatures creeping to 40 degrees Celsius.

"I'm acclimatised to this, we used to race all through summer, and we were just used to it and so were the animals," he said.

Riding his way into record books

With over five decades in the saddle, riding predominantly on rural tracks, Ballard has almost 2,000 winners under his belt.

The walls of the family home in Mount Isa are lined with the memories of his success along the way, including in renowned races like the Darwin Cup, Birdsville Cup and the Cleveland Bay Handicap.

His hands may be marked by more than half a century of outback sun, but age hasn't made the outback hoop weary.

"I'm not as nimble as I'd like to be, but it doesn't daunt me to jump up on them."

Thrills and spills

Etched into history after competing in almost 10,000 races, it's a rarity to have lasted so long, with many jockeys forced into retirement by weight issues or injury.

But the journey to becoming Australia's oldest active jockey, a title he has held since 2018, hasn't been without struggle.

A fall near the tiny rural town of McKinlay could have ended it all a decade ago.

"Over the years I've had plenty of injuries. I've broken legs, I've broken arms," he said.

"I had a fall 12 years ago so when I was 59, I landed upright and broke both legs. I was out of the saddle for nine months, which still haunts me.

Racing legacy in his blood

A respected name in the industry, the Ballard family — including Keith Ballard's horse training wife Denise and jockey son Dan — have countless winners between them.

In 2021, the trio was inducted into the Queensland Racing Hall of Fame.

With a childhood spent helping his parents on and off the track, Dan Ballard also enjoyed a 23-year-long jockey career, often racing alongside his father.

"Dad's been not only a wonderful jockey but a terrific father and certainly a great grandfather," he said.

"I took a step back and it sort of hit me that the theme that's been a constant in my life won't be a constant in my children's life.

Keith Ballard said family was front of mind when making the tough call to retire.

"There'll be a big void there, I'll still ride track work for Denise, that will keep me a bit fit," he said.

Ballard will be farewelled at his home racetrack in Mount Isa, which he can see from the doorstep of his house, this weekend.