Horse races are impossible without jockeys. Easily identified by the bright silks worn on race day, their domed, brimmed hats and their long riding crops, jockeys must also develop relationships with the horses they're riding. Of this jockey-horse relationship, sports columnist Jim Murray of the Los Angeles Times once wrote of veteran jockey Billy Shoemaker that Shoemaker treated horses "as if he were asking them to dance."
Jockey History
Though horse racing dates back 4,500 years to Central Asia and the nomadic tribesmen who first domesticated the horse, it didn't become a professional sport until the early 1700s. The Jockey Club in England was formed in 1750 and still exists today. The organization was formed to monitor and oversee the sport, and, basically, to keep it honest. When horse racing made its way to the United States, many early jockeys were blacks, and many were slaves. The Smithsonian states that black slaves, who were stable hands, or groomers and trainers of thoroughbred horses, segued naturally into riding horses because they had developed close relationships with horses during their stable duties. By 1921, black jockeys disappeared from the horse racing scene because of violent racism and tough economic times.
Weight and Age Restrictions
Jockeys have to be at least 16 years old before they can be issued a jockey's license. While there are no height requirements for jockeys, jockeys endure tough weight limits at individual race tracks. For instance, the Kentucky Derby has a weight restriction for jockeys of 126 lbs., including gear. Most jockeys in the United States restrict their weight to well below 120 lbs. and often fall prey to eating disorders and drug abuse to keep the weight down, according to a New York Times article titled "Low Weight Limit Hurting Jockeys," published on Dec. 24, 2000.
Apprenticeship and Training
Before a jockey becomes a "journey man," she must first apprentice at a school or with a trainer. Besides age and weight restrictions, The Jockey's Room website states that, first and foremost, a potential apprentice jockey has to love horses and demonstrate knowledge about the diets, training, temperaments, gaits, breeding, and general care of horses. An apprentice jockey is called a "bug boy" and, after completing the apprenticeship, is said to "lose his/her bug."
Jump vs. Flat Jockeys
Jump jockeys participate in steeplechase races and concentrate not only on the speed of their horses on flat ground, but also on jumping the fences ahead of them with plenty of clearance. Jump jockeys tend to weigh more, generally 135 to 140 lbs. pounds, rather than the usual 110 lbs. for flat jockeys. Flat jockeys race on flat tracks, but must show stamina and skill as they travel 40 mph for the duration of the race.
Earnings Potential
The more races a jockey wins, the higher his income. Trainers choose free-agent jockeys to ride their owners' horses, so the better and more highly skilled the jockey, the more opportunities for him to earn higher purses. All jockeys are paid a "mount fee" from $35 to $100, which is guaranteed to them regardless of the outcome of the race. Jockeys receive a percentage of the purse, or winnings, from the race for placing first, second or third. Animal Planet's website states that most jockeys do not have stellar incomes, but earn salaries in the range of $30,000 to $40,000 annually.
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