The word also applies to Horse Racing.2024

 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. They must be light, typically around a weight of 100–120 lb. (45–55 kg), 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.

Jockeys are mainly male, though there are some well-known female jockeys too. The job has a very high risk of debilitating or life-threatening injuries.

Etymology

The word is by origin a diminutive of jock, the Northern English 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. A familiar instance of the use of the word as a name is in "Jockey of Norfolk" 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 trickster, a "sharp", whence the verb to jockey, "to outwit", or "to do" a person out of something. The current meaning of a person who rides a horse in races was first seen in 1670.

Physical characteristics

Jockey being weighed post-race, holding equipment

Jockeys must be light to ride at the weights which are assigned to their mounts. There are horse carrying weight limits that are set by racing authorities. The Kentucky Derby, for example, has a weight limit of 126 lb (57 kg) including the jockey's equipment. The weight of a jockey racing on the flat usually ranges from 108 to 118 lb (49 to 54 kg)Despite their light weight, they must be able to control a horse that is moving at 40 mph (64 km/h) and weighs 1,190.5 lb (540.0 kg).[citation needed] Though there is no height limit for jockeys, they are usually fairly short due to the weight limits.

Jockeys racing on the flat typically stand around 4 ft 10 in (147 cm) to 5 ft 7 in (170 cm).[2] Jump jockeys are often taller, with multiple examples over 5 ft 10 in (178 cm).[3] Lester Piggott, considered one of the greatest flat jockeys, was nicknamed "Longfellow" because of his height, and Jack Andrews, who is 6 ft 4 in (193 cm), can ride at a weight of 142 lb (64 kg).[3] Bruce Hobbs was at 6 ft 1.5 in (186.7 cm) the tallest jockey ever to win the Grand National.