How long do jockeys ride?

They may work between 45 and 50 hours per week. Some jockeys can race in up to 1,000 competitions per year based on factors like skill, win record and name recognition. On average, in the winter, jockeys may ride in three races per day. In the summer, during peak season, they may race in up 12 contests a day.

How many horses can a jockey ride in one day?

A jockey contracts with the horse's owner or trainer and may ride as many as 10 horses in a single day. A jockey usually specializes in a specific type of racing, such as steeplechase, jump racing, or thoroughbred racing.

How long is a jockey race?

Individual flat races are run over distances ranging from 440 yards (400 m) up to two and a half miles (4 km), with distances between five and twelve furlongs (1.0 and 2.4 km) being most common.

How often do jockeys ride?

A good jockey rides in seven or eight horseraces per day.

Jockeys make their money from a percentage of the purse. To earn a decent living, they have to ride as many horses as possible. Riders receive a small mount fee, commonly $50.00.

Do jockeys get paid per ride?

Jockeys are usually paid a mount fee which is a sum of money for each horse they race and a percentage of the prize money if they place first, second or third.

Francesca Explains Ep3 - Jockey Position

Do jockeys get paid if they don't win?

The percentages a jockey receives for a Thoroughbred race range from 5% for a second- or third-place finish to 10% for first place. In less competitive races, the jockey's earnings can be as low as 0.50% for a third-place finish, 1% for placing second and perhaps 6%-10% for first place.

Why do jockeys sit so high?

Jockeys "don't follow the movement of the horse but stay relatively stationary," says co-author Alan Wilson. By, in effect, floating above his mount, the jockey saves the energy the horse would otherwise expend to shove him back up after each bounce down into the saddle.

Do jockeys talk during races?

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.

How old are most jockeys?

Q: What is the average age of a horse jockey? A person has to be a minimum of 16 years old to apply for a jockey license. The oldest jockey to still compete at the highest levels was 58 years old (Bill Shoemaker). The average age in this profession is currently about 40 years old.

How heavy is a jockey?

The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual who rode horses in racing. They must be light, typically around a weight of 100-120 lb., and physically fit. They are typically self-employed and are paid a small fee from the horse trainer and a percentage of the horse's winnings.

Do jockeys get tired?

Good jockeys train for years to ensure that they won't get tired during the races. The hours they spend in the gym ensure that they can crouch in the saddle without developing a sore back or joints during the race.

Why do jockeys weigh in?

After the race the jockey must weigh in with all his kit, to confirm that the horse carried the right weight. When all the jockeys have been weighed after a race, you will hear the racecourse commentator announce “Weighed in.

What is a female horse rider called?

horsewoman. a woman horseman. jockey. someone employed to ride horses in horse races. postilion, postillion.

Is it illegal for a jockey to own a horse?

“The dumbest rule in racing.” That's how attorney Bill Gotimer said TVG analysts have described New York's Commission Rule 4040.2 which reads: “No jockey, nor such jockeys' spouse, parent, issue nor member of such jockey's household, shall be the owner of any race horse.

What is a jockeys life like?

A jockey's life off the horse is grueling and, at times, dangerous. The spectre haunting almost every rider is extra weight. In the trade, the scale is sometimes called “the Oracle.” It's an apt name — the scale decides which jockeys are light enough to be allowed to race.

Are jockeys skilled?

Finally, jockeys need to have excellent tactical skills, as they need to be able to develop a strategy for the race and make adjustments as needed. They need to be able to read the other horses and jockeys, as well as the racecourse to determine the best path to the finish line.

Is it hard to be a jockey?

Becoming a jockey can take several years of hard work. No one decides to become a jockey one day and rides in a professional race the next. For most of its history, there has been no formal training program or career path for jockeys.

Do jockeys have to be strong?

“(Jockeys) need to be strong to be able to control the horse … you need the strength to hold them together,” Turner says. “You need strong legs, particularly when you're pushing them. A strong core is also quite important as then you've got your spine and your pelvis to keep everything in line and in balance.

Why can't jockeys have beards?

BHA spokesman Joe Rendall says: "It's a common misconception jockeys aren't allowed beards, and seems to be based more on pub quiz folklore rather than anything in the rules. As it stands, any jockey considering growing a beard who might be concerned about a close shave with the stewards needn't worry."

How do jockeys stay so thin?

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.

How do jockeys get so small?

“Starvation is still a very common practice in that the jockey may not eat for 24 hours or more before a race, and combine this with a sauna or hot bath.” Among Irish jockeys, 14% use vomiting as a method for meeting weight requirements, Dr McGoldrick and his team found in a 2011 study into dieting habits.

How tall is the average jockey?

While there is no height restriction, most jockeys tend to be around 4-foot-10 and 5-foot-6 due to the weight restriction. While it's imperative that jockeys ride horses as they race, there are more benefits to having a buddy on the tracks than just companionship.

Why are so many jockeys Hispanic?

Historically, the vast majority of professional jockeys have come from Latin America – trained in the jockey schools which opened in the 1950s and 1960s in Panama, Puerto Rico and Mexico City. “Most American trainers train for speed,” explained Arias, in Spanish, prior to the 1971 Derby.

Are horse jockeys paid well?

Did You Know? Jockeys are some of the original “gig workers” because they work as independent contractors. Rather than earn a salary, a jockey receives a “mounting fee” (often $50-$110) for each race, riding sometimes eight races per day.