Why Are Jockeys Male?

There are female jockeys.

Jockeys are all pretty small to begin with. None of them weigh as much as 120 pounds.

But there are female jockeys. One of them, Julie Krone, even won the Belmont once.

In the Triple Crown races at least, all horses have to be carrying 126 pounds, so they add weights if the jockey isn't that heavy.

It could just be historical, but I know from reading Seabiscuit that it's an advantage for jockeys to be strong. Maybe men's greater strength at a given weight outweighs whatever weight advantage females have.

Another reason is that it is extremely dangerous. If you do it five races a day for a year, you've likely had a terrible fall or two, with little safety protection, with head and organ stomping hooves all around you, once you are on the ground. Traditionally, women were not involved in such dangerous activities.

Nowadays, alas, it's also largely a cultural thing. Many jockeys are Latin American, and there's not a great tradition of women as active athletes in that culture.

how many under 120lbs women want to be called JOCKS?

I remember reading about a race where a pregnant jockey rode a pregnant mare. (Yes, it's a true story.) The summary quote was something like, "All four of 'em finished last..."

not a jockey wrote:

It could just be historical, but I know from reading Seabiscuit that it's an advantage for jockeys to be strong. Maybe men's greater strength at a given weight outweighs whatever weight advantage females have.

There is no weight advantage...all horses carry the same weight - 126 pounds.

There are some female jockeys -- quite a few. But, they're a minority for two reasons:

1: jockeys need to be very physically strong, and it's difficult for a woman to maintain the low weight required AND be strong enough, given female essential fat requirements.

2: the track is a very tough place to be, and can be treacherous for women, especially young ones.

The 126 pound figure is usual for big stakes races including the Triple Crown. For many races, the assigned weights can be even less than that.

Ijust know there is a joke in here somewhere.

Um.....ever heard of Julie Krone.

If you are a jockey for long enough, you can expect to have over a dozen broken bones and to have many broken teeth. It is too brutal for women. Women are better off being coxwains or race car drivers.

wow, a lot of misinformation.

As has been pointed out, there are quite a few female jockeys. It is, however, a bit of a "boy's club".

Horses in the Triple Crown carry the same weight, but that is the minority. Most horses exist in the world of handicapping where they can carry all sorts of weight.

Pollard got lucky in the case of Seabiscuit, who was always doomed to carry maximum weight, he was able to be a bit large and stronger since he didn't have to get down to an unbearably low weight. (I don't think he rode many others, as Seabiscuit was so important, it should have been his main mount)

Pound for pound, jockeys are considered some of the best athletes in the world, and as someone pointed out, females (with naturally higher percentages of body fat) are at a sight disadvantage.

Basically everything you said was stated above, so what were you referring to when you said "a lot of misinformation"

jorvack wrote:

Basically everything you said was stated above, so what were you referring to when you said "a lot of misinformation"

The misinformation is that all jockeys are male. This is not true, as there are many prominent female jockeys.

Here is a website with a bunch of interviews to educate yourselves:

Julie Krone won the Belmont in 1993 and rode in the Belmont 5 times.

Hayley Turner is a successful female jockey in the UK.

There are female jockeys riding at tracks across the US and the world.

Horses don't carry 126 pounds in most races. That is for the Triple Crown and Graded Stakes races for horses 3 years old and up. In the maiden / 2 year old races, horses can carry as little as 116 pounds, making a lighter female jockey a valuable asset, as the men will have to go into a steam room or skip a meal in order to make the weight.

So yes there is a lot of misinformation on this thread and the OP obviously doesn't know very much about what goes on at the racetrack.

I like it that way. Keeps me noticeable, gives me more sponsorship dollars, and I have one hell of a great time in the locker room. I am so popular there, no even Jordan Hasay would get noticed. Ummm, have you heard of Jordan H.?

While female jockeys are uncommon, many exercise riders are female. I have been out of the backstretch loop for a few years so I wouldn't want to estimate the percentage, but female exercise riders are quite common, even at the highest levels of the sport. However, you will rarely, if ever, see more than two or three females in the jockey colony at any particular track. As noted by a previous poster, the racetrack (and the jockey colony in particular) can be a very rough place for women, since it is very much a "boys club."