Horse Racing Jockeys
In the world of horse racing, arguably the most important person when it comes to the outcome of a race is the jockey. They are the ones that everyone knows, sitting in the saddle for races and guiding their steeds around the track. Although the trainers bear the ultimate responsibility in terms of getting the horse up to speed for the various events that they take part in, teaching the horse how to make it over hurdles and working out when they are ready to move to steeplechases, if they’re a National Hunt horse, the jockey is seen as the public-facing member of the team.
Whilst some people might not know much about what it is that a trainer gets up to, you only need to watch a horse race once or twice in order to get a sense of what it is that a jockey needs to do during the event. They put their bodies through the mill in order to be able to get the horse that they’re riding to the finish line, whether that be by taking the brunt of a fall or simply dieting so as to ensure that they meet the correct weight for a race. If horse racing trainers are the drummers of the operation, the jockeys are the lead guitarist and singer, soaking up the acclaim from their adoring public.
Jockey Profiles
What Does a Jockey Do?
A lot of what a jockey needs to do actually happens away from the track. In order to be able to fulfil their routine of riding in races and schooling horses when in the yard, a jockey has to ensure that they maintain an excellent level of fitness. They will often train horses in the morning, then head to a track in order to be responsible for the riding of horses in races in the afternoon and evening. Whilst no two jockeys are the same, boasting different attributes and riding styles from one another, there are certain similarities that are there regardless of their personality.
It is not uncommon for jockeys to take part in numerous different races in the same meeting, giving them a chance to earn money both through taking on a ride and also winning a share of the prize money. It is the job of a jockey to do what they can in order to get their horse to cross the finish line first, altering their approach to any given race depending on whether or not they feel like the horse will be better being held back and then bursting through at the end, or whether they will be more successful by leading from the front. It isn’t just a matter of getting on a horse and then hoping for the best.
Can Anyone Be a Jockey?
You might well wonder if there are any limitations to being a jockey. The obvious answer is that yes, there are some limitations. One of the key ones for jockeys is their height and how much they weight. Jump races are often longer than flat races, meaning that the jockeys that specialise in the area of National Hunt racing will usually be taller and heavier than their flat racing counterparts. This ensures that they have the strength and stamina to last for the race. Flat jockeys are both smaller and lighter, given the main requirement of them to be fast on the track first and foremost.
Prior to taking part in a race, a jockey will ‘weigh out’ so as to ensure that the horse they will be riding for the event will be carrying the correct weight. Should the combination of the jockey, their saddle and their equipment come under the weight for the race, small weights will be added to the saddle to make the race fair. After the race, the jockey and their equipment will be ‘weighed in’, which ensures that the weights still line up correctly. They will also get a chance to head to the Winners’ Enclosure, should they have time to do so before they’re heading off for their next race.
In order to become a jockey, you need to get a licence to ride. None of the jockeys that you see in the biggest races up and down the country will be riding without a licence, which tends to be issued to them by the British Horseracing Authority. All jockeys will need to achieve certain things in order to take part in all races that they’re eligible for, with the exact achievements that they need to aim for differing depending on whether they want to take part in flat racing or racing that takes place over jumps. Regardless, you can’t simply turn up at a meeting and decide you want to be a jockey.
Amateur v Professional
You might well have seen a race and noticed that one of the participants in it is labelled as an ‘amateur’. This is because there are all sorts of different assignations given to jockeys depending on the level that they operate at. You shouldn’t mistake the idea of a jockey being an amateur for meaning that they don’t know what they’re doing, however. Some jockeys maintain their careers outside of the saddle, meaning that they never become professionals in the world of horse racing. At the same time, though, they will often be highly skilled and take part in some of the biggest races in the world.
Whilst there are some races that are only for amateurs, there are others in which both professionals and amateurs compete alongside one another. When it comes to the level of the jockey in the saddle, the thing that you want to look out for is whether they are an apprentice jockey or a conditional jockey. This is a label given at the start of a jockey’s professional career, seeing them given a licence to race as an apprentice in the world of flat racing, or a conditional jockey when it comes to jump racing. When they are first starting out, jockeys are given a weight allowance to make it fairer for them.
