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The racecourse in Chester.

In sport, a jockey is one who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (1600 × 1200 pixel, file size: 666 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Jockey Race track... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (1600 × 1200 pixel, file size: 666 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Jockey Race track... A race track (or racetrack), is a purpose-built facility for the conducting of races. ... For the larger local government district, see Chester (district). ... Binomial name Equus caballus Linnaeus, 1758 The horse (Equus caballus, sometimes seen as a subspecies of the Wild Horse, Equus ferus caballus) is a large odd-toed ungulate mammal, one of ten modern species of the genus Equus. ... Horse-racing is an equestrian sporting activity which has been practiced over the centuries; the chariot races of Roman times were an early example, as was the contest of the steeds of the god Odin and the giant Hrungnir in Norse mythology. ... A steeplechase race The steeplechase is a form of horse racing (primarily conducted in the United Kingdom, United States, and Ireland) and derives its name from early races in which orientation of the course was by reference to a church steeple, jumping fences and ditches and generally traversing the many...

Horse racing

Six jockeys and their horses taking a curve.

Toulouse-Lautrec - The Jockey (1899).

Jockeys are normally self employed, nominated by horse trainers to ride their horses in races, for a fee (which is paid regardless of the prize money the horse earns for a race) and a cut of the purse winnings. In Australia, employment of apprentice jockeys is in terms of indenture to a master (a trainer); and there is a clear employee/employer relationship. When an apprentice jockey finishes his apprenticeship and becomes a "fully fledged jockey", the nature of their employment and insurance requirements change because they are regarded as "freelance", like contractors. Jockeys often cease their riding careers to take up other employment in racing, usually as trainers. In this way the appreniceship system serves to induct young people into racing employment. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (1600 × 1200 pixel, file size: 609 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Jockey Race track... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (1600 × 1200 pixel, file size: 609 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Jockey Race track... Six can refer to: 6 (number), a number Six (cricket), when a batsman in cricket hits the ball to or over the boundary without the ball touching the ground inside the boundary first Six, a character on the television series Blossom (television) Six (television) or Channel 6, a proposed satellite... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Who ever deleted my page is a prat and i wil hunt them down on lucy and shout at them loudly! RAAAAARRR! connie sansom ... In mathematics, the concept of a curve tries to capture the intuitive idea of a geometrical one-dimensional and continuous object. ... Download high resolution version (756x1059, 198 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (756x1059, 198 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (IPA ) (November 24, 1864 – September 9, 1901) was a French painter, printmaker, draftsman, and illustrator, whose immersion in the decadent and theatrical life of fin de siècle Paris yielded an oeuvre of provocative images of modern life. ... Self-employment is the individual pursuit of capitalism. ... In horse racing, a trainer is responsible for preparing a horse for races. ...

Jockeys usually start out when they are young, riding work in the morning for trainers, and entering the riding profession as an apprentice jockey. An apprentice jockey is known as a "bug boy" because the asterisk that follows the name in the program looks like a bug. All jockeys must be licensed and usually are not able to have an interest in a bet on a race. An apprentice jockey has a master, who is a horse trainer, and also is allowed to "claim" weight off the horse's back (if a horse were to carry 58 kg, and the apprentice was able to claim 3 kg, the horse would only have to carry 55 kg on its back). After a while, the jockey becomes a senior jockey and would usually develop relationships with trainers and individual horses. Sometimes senior jockeys are paid a retainer by an owner which gives the owner the right to insist the jockey rides their horses in races.

Racing modelled on the English Jockey Club spread throughout the world with colonial expansion, and in one view is a vehicle of hegemony. The emergence of women jockeys in the 1970s followed a wider cultural trend in female interest in sports. The emergence did raise argument about the suitability of women in the demanding role of jockeys, and whilst there are a number of high-level female jockeys, the profession is still dominated by men as illustrated in the list below:

Famous jockeys include Earl Dew, Earl Sande, Chris McCarron, Sir Gordon Richards, Willie Shoemaker, Pat Day, Eddie Arcaro, Laffit Pincay, Jr., Russell Baze, Lester Piggott, Frankie Dettori, Red Pollard, Tony Cruz, Jose Santos, Edgar Prado, Jerry Bailey, Ron Turcotte, Garrett Gomez, and Tony McCoy. Earl Sande (November 13, 1898 – August 19, 1968) was an American jockey and thoroughbred horse trainer. ... Chris McCarron (born March 27, 1955 in Boston, Massachusetts) is an American thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame retired jockey He was introduced to the sport of thoroughbred racing by his older brother, jockey Gregg McCarron. ... Sir Gordon Richards (May 5, 1904 - November 10, 1988) was an English jockey, and is usually considered the worlds greatest ever jockey. ... William Lee Shoemaker, (August 19, 1931 - October 12, 2003) was an American jockey. ... Patrick Alan Pat Day (born October 13, 1953 in Brush, Colorado) is an American jockey. ... Eddie Arcaro (February 19, 1916 - November 4, 1997) was born George Edward Arcaro in Cincinnati, Ohio, in the United States, the son of an impoverished taxi driver. ... Laffit Alejandro Pincay, Jr. ... Russell Baze (born August 7, 1958 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) is the second-most winningest jockey in the history of Thoroughbred horse racing and a member of the United States Racing Hall of Fame. ... Lester Piggott video, 2000 Lester Keith Piggott (born 5 November 1935) is a retired English jockey, considered to be the best of his generation and one of the greatest flat jockeys of all time, with 4,493 career wins, including nine Derby victories. ... Frankie Dettori Frankie Dettori in the parade ring at Glorious Goodwood in August 2004 Frankie Dettori in the parade ring at Newmarket after riding in the 2000 Guineas 2005 Lanfranco Frankie Dettori, MBE (born December 15, 1970 in Milan) is a thoroughbred race horse jockey and celebrity. ... John Red Pollard (1909 - 1981) was a Canadian-born American jockey best known for riding Seabiscuit. ... Anthony S. Tony Cruz (born December 24, 1956 in Hong Kong) is a former Champion Thoroughbred horse racing jockey and current horse trainer. ... José Santos (born April 26, 1961 in Concepcion, Chile) is an United States thoroughbred horse racing jockey. ... Edgar S. Prado (born June 12, 1967 in Lima, Peru) is a thoroughbred horse racing jockey. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Ron Joseph Morel Turcotte (born July 22, 1941) is a world-famous jockey. ... Garrett K. Gomez (born January 1, 1972 in Tucson, Arizona) is an American thoroughbred jockey. ... Anthony Peter AP McCoy MBE (born 4 May 1974, Moneyglass, County Antrim, Northern Ireland) is a Northern Irish horse racing jockey, and is widely regarded as the greatest jump jockey to date. ...

Various awards are given annually by organizations affiliated with the sport of thoroughbred racing in countries throughout the world. They include:

• United States
  • George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award
  • Isaac Murphy Award
• United Kingdom
  • BHB Champion Jockey Award

The George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award has been presented by Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California annually since 1950 to the thoroughbred horse racing jockey in North America who demonstrates high standards of personal and professional conduct, on and off the racetrack. ... The Isaac Murphy Award is an American honor presented annually since 1995 by the National Turf Writers Association of the United states to the thoroughbred horse racing jockey with the highest winning percentage who has ridden in a minimum of 500 races during the year. ... The Champion Jockey of flat racing in Great Britain is the jockey who has ridden the most winning horses during a season. ...

Racing silks

The silks worn by jockeys in races are the registered "colours" of the owner who employs them. The practice of horsemen wearing colours probably stems from medieval times when jousts were held between knights. But the origins of racing colours of multifarious patterns that are seen today may have been influenced by racing held in Italian city communities since medieval times. Such traditional events are still held on town streets and are remarkable for furious riding and the colourful spectacle they offer.

The symbolism of racing colours in a modern sense shows metaphoric overlap with other practices. Getting "silks" is a rite of passage when a jockey is first able to don silken pants and colours in their first race ride, and it has a parallel in how lawyers are spoken of as "taking silk". At one time silks were invariably made of silk, though now synthetics are sometimes used instead. Nevertheless, the silks and their colours are important symbols evoking emotions of loyalty and festivity.

Robot jockeys

Main article: Robot jockey

To replace child jockeys whose use had been deplored by human rights organizations, a camel race in Doha, Qatar for the first time featured robots at the reins. On July 13, 2005, workers fixed robotic jockeys on the backs of seven camels and raced the machine-mounted animals around a track. Operators controlled the jockeys remotely, signaling them to pull their reins and prod the camels with whips [1]. A robot jockey is commonly used on camels in camel racing as a replacement for human jockeys. ... This camel is driven by a child jockey. ... Doha (Arabic: الدوحة;, Ad-Dawhah) (population 370,000) is the capital of Qatar, located on the Persian Gulf. ... A robot jockey is commonly used on camels in camel racing as a replacement for human jockeys. ... is the 194th day of the year (195th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Risk factors

Horse jockeying is a sport,and permanent, debilitating, and even life-threatening injuries occur. Chief among them include concussion, bone fracture, arthritis, trampling, and paralysis. Jockey insurance premiums remain among the highest of all professional sports.^[1] Eating disorders (such as anorexia) are also very common among jockeys, as the athletes face extreme pressure to maintain unusually low (and specific) weights for men, sometimes within a five pound (2.3 kg) margin.^[2] The bestselling historical novel Seabiscuit: An American Legend chronicled the eating disorders of jockeys living in the first half of the Twentieth Century. As in the cases of champion jockey Kieren Fallon and Robert Winston, the pressure to stay light has been blamed in part for driving the men to alcoholism. For other uses, see Anorexia. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s The 20th century lasted from 1901 to 2000 in the Gregorian calendar (often from (1900 to 1999 in common usage). ... Kieren Fallon (born February 22, 1965) in Crusheen, County Clare Ireland is a flat racing jockey and has been United Kingdom champion jockey six times. ... Alcoholism is the consumption of, or preoccupation with, alcoholic beverages to the extent that this behavior interferes with the drinkers normal personal, family, social, or work life, and may lead to physical or mental harm. ...

Etymology

The word is by origin a diminutive of "jock", the Northern or Scots colloquial equivalent of the first name "John," which is also used generically for "boy, or fellow" (compare "Jack," "Dick"), at least since 1529. For other uses, see Jack. ... For the street football game, see Richard (football). ...

A familiar instance of the use of the word as a name is in "Jockey of Norfolkia" in Shakespeare's Richard III. v. 3, 304.

In the 16th and 17th centuries the word was applied to horse-dealers, postilions, itinerant minstrels and vagabonds, and thus frequently bore the meaning of a cunning rickster, a "sharp", whence the verb to jockey, "to outwit", or "to do" a person out of something. (15th century - 16th century - 17th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 to 1600. ... (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... For the 18th century American form of music and performance known as minstrelsy, see minstrel show. ...

The current equestrian usage is found in John Evelyn's Diary, 1670, when it was clearly well known. George Sorrow's attempt to derive the word from the gypsy chukni, a heavy whip used by horse-dealing Gypsies, has no foundation.^{[citation needed]}

More recently, a colloquialism in the north west of England has emerged, offering a variation in terms of usage and meaning in the term "Jockey". The new slang implies that a person "Jockeys" something in order to control or maneuver an item or challenge.

Physical Description of the Jockey

Jockeys have a reputation for being very short, but there are no height limits only weight limits. A rider can be of any height if they can still make weight, but it is still generally limited to fairly short individuals because of the limits on a persons body. Jockeys typically range from 5' to 5'5" in height.

External links

• "Mandated Anorexia"
• "Jockey Career Description"
• Etymology Online
• "Mammals & Events: A Jockey's Hard Life". at PBS.org

See also

• List of jockeys
• U.S. National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
• Thoroughbred horse racing

List of notable jockeys, both male and female, covering jockeys who compete worldwide in all forms of horse racing. ... The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers. ... Thoroughbred horse racing is the main form of horse-racing throughout the world. ...

References

This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain. Encyclopædia Britannica, the eleventh edition The Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1910–1911) is perhaps the most famous edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica. ... The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ...