One of my high school teachers told me that once. She said that being a jockey is the most lucrative choice because jockeys can work for many years, whereas other athletes only spend a few years in the professional game.
Is that true?
[deleted]
Pound for pound, jockeys are among the best of athletes. Just you try staying on a horse going 40mph, let alone navigating it through traffic and keeping aware of all potential trouble spots.
The physical and mental acumen needed to succeed is beyond the grasp of many.
It ain't easy being green, or anything else, other than to be me
[deleted]
Formula 1 drivers experience g-forces, which push down on their body, forcing them back into their seat. Experiencing 2 gees means that every part of your body weighs twice as much as it normally does. As such, they need to do A LOT of strength training just to overcome this. Additionally, they need to have great cardio fitness because they have to forcefully expand their lungs under high gees.
As for jockeys: they don't just sit there. They crouch over the horse, so it's like performing a squat and holding a sit up at the same time (your legs and stomach get very toned from riding). Additionally, they have to grip with their legs and move with the horse, much like a dancer. Finally, horses have a mind of their own and may be keen to run too early, which means that they will fight the rider. So the jockeys have to try and hold back half a tonne of muscle that is galloping at speeds excess of 50 kms per hour. How many people do you know go to a gym and try to pull a weight that is 10 times as much their weight while doing a squat and a sit up all at the same time?
Take a couple of horse riding lessons (you'll start to feel yourself using your muscles a lot when you learn how to do a rising trot. It'll only take three or four hour long lessons until you get to that stage) or get a ride in a racecar before making such ignorant comments.
Jockeys are actually the strongest athletes in the world, given their size ratio compared to what they have to do.
Why don't you get on a 2 year old/3 year old TB from the track and get back to me on how jockey's aren't real athletes.
The risk ratio of serious injuries go hand in hand with the track, and that's not because these men/women aren't fit. Young, highly strung track horses can, and have killed their jockeys/handlers on any given day.
Pretty sure professional golf players are the most lucrative, and their careers are usually a lot longer.
In theory, your teacher is right. But in reality, it's quite the opposite. Many jockeys cannot work for years on end simply because horse racing is so stressful on the body. If you don't experience a serious fall that effects your performance permanently, then the constant wasting and maintaining your weight gets you.
Put it this way - most jockeys in Australia earn below $40,000 p.a (most of that is from trackwork).
Burkhill, you are so cute! Or, at least, you think you are.
Do some research. Jockeys have to be incredibly strong. Anyone who thinks that riding a race horse is like sitting in a car, or something, really needs some education.
Hey, still willing to be friends with you, pal!
Fiona
Science first! And information: also first!
[deleted]
Your teacher was a blonde, wasn't she ?
Rescue the damsel in distress, whip the bad guy, save the world.
Yes. I fell off the horse before my very first race. Never raced again, but I still made a lot of money.
shareI would say no. Maybe those very few (Meaning around 5) at the very top echelon of race riders. The highest earner, John Velasquez, has earned a total of $300 million in his career. He's probably made $25 million since he started riding in 1990. This is the TOP rider in America. However, the term "earnings" is a little misleading. For easy math, say the purse is $100,000, larger than average. The winning connections receive $60,000 in earnings and the jockey is paid 10% of the earnings, $6,000 for that win. Then he gives a cut to his agent for booking his mounts and another cut to his valet that keeps his equipment in order and ready to go.
A good, in demand jock can race in 5-10 races a day, 5 days a week and those smaller races will add up but they will need to win some substantial stakes races to reach the top of the pay scale. In addition to the work in the afternoon, the jocks that aren't "in" with tops trainers have their agents set up meetings with various trainers to work their horses (for free) and try to earn the mount on race day. Even then, there's no guarantee. If the top jock at the track ends up having a free race, you bet the trainer will get him/her.
I suppose a jockey could end up riding awhile, maybe 40 years as they start fairly young but it's fantasy to say a jockey will remain at the top of their game for 30+ years. They will inevitably slow down in their 40s and 50s. It's a tough routine to keep and struggling to make weight takes a toll on their bodies.
To compare, last year alone Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers made $32 million and Giancarlo Stanton has a 13 year, $325 million contract with the Marlins. Those are killer numbers!!