What does being a jockey entail? Here are some quick facts (2024)

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What does being a jockey entail? Here are some quick facts? ›

The job requires a high level of endurance, as races can last up to two minutes, and jockeys need to maintain control of the horse for the entirety of the race. They also need to have a low body weight, as horses are allowed to carry a certain amount of weight, and the jockey's weight is included in that.

A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual who rode horses in racing.

Jockeys typically weigh between 108 and 118 pounds. Before each race, jockeys weigh in with their kit. Each horse in a race must carry a specific amount of weight to equalize the competition.

Jockeys must be in excellent physical condition, have a love of horses and racing, and not be afraid to get hurt or fall from a horse. Racing is a dangerous sport, and most jockeys fall often during their careers. It takes a passion for the sport and determination to become a successful jockey.

A jockey usually specializes in a specific type of racing, such as steeplechase, jump racing, or thoroughbred racing. The jockey learns the horse's strengths and weaknesses and works with the trainer to develop a strategy for each race.

The average jockey gets sidelined by injuries about three times a year. A jockey's life off the horse is grueling and, at times, dangerous. The spectre haunting almost every rider is extra weight.

The need to keep weight low week after week has caused some jockeys to turn to extreme measures to control weight including severe dieting, laxatives, appetite suppressants, and the use of saunas, hot baths and diuretics to facilitate fluid loss.

Jockeys can be thrown from horses, have bones broken, and suffer other injuries. Jockeys must be light in weight and shorter than average in height, from about 4'9 to 5'6; keep in mind that 4'9 is the average height of most 6th graders. Although there are more male jockeys, women can become jockeys, too.

While there is no height limit for jockeys, you can probably imagine that with such extreme weight restrictions – most jockeys are fairly small in stature as well. The average jockey height is 5'2”.

Alonzo Clayton won the Kentucky Derby in 1892, and at the age of 15, he became the youngest jockey ever to win the race. “He ran away from home when he was 10 years old.

Who is the highest paid jockey? ›

1. Yutaka Take. Taking the top spot is Japan's Yutaka Take, who has earned an estimated $925m throughout his extensive career, picking up nearly 4,500 wins in the process. With a record like that, Take is certainly the hottest ticket in town.

For jockeys that place, they normally take around 3.5% of the placed prize money, which is the money left in the pot after the winner takes their share. Regardless of where they finish, jockeys are guaranteed some income, with the riding fees set at £164.74 for jump riders and £120.66 for flat racing jockeys.

Jockey Jack Andrews made headlines last year as the world's tallest jockey. The Englishman, standing at a staggering 6 ft 4 in (193cm) towered above the rest of the field, with the average jockey said to be no more than 5ft 2in.

You'd need excellent horse riding skills and have the dedication and determination to win. Horse trainers would employ you to ride one of their horses at race meetings. You would either race on the flat - on a race track without obstacles - or over jumps and ditches – called National Hunt racing.

This means that jockeys are constantly exposed to risks because falls are not predictable and can happen both during training and races. The most common injuries that happen to jockeys due to a fall are soft tissue injuries and fractures, but the head and spinal injuries still represent their most risky lesions.

With a really great horse—the greatest—and a number of good jockeys to choose from, I'd say that the jockey amounts to about 25% of the race, but no more. Because he has equally good jockeys running against him. In the average horse race a good jockey is worth about 75% of the race and the horse 25%.

shoulder. Jockeys do talk to each other during races. The day after he won the Cheltenham Gold Cup on The Dikler and celebrated into the early hours, a badly hungover Ron Barry only won a race at Uttoxeter thanks to two fellow jockeys shouting a warning to him and his mount every time they approached a hurdle.

Jockeys will hold a whip in either hand and switch that from side to side as needed. This asks a rider's core and legs to do the work to maintain their posture essentially floating over the horse's withers. This stance compacts the rider's body and helps horses to run faster, but not for the reasons you may think.

Jockeys receive 50% of their riding fee for any non-runner after jockey declarations.