Female Jockeys

  • Thread starter Thread starter ItalianStallion
  • Start date Start date
What so you think a horse that has been rated between 40-65 for its whole career to be capeable of winning a Group race?
 
No of course not, but I do feel that it would open up more opportunity, as sometimes I wonder if the female jocks don't get the rides, as their male counterparts couldn't actually take being beaten by one!!!!!!!
 
Since it was such a long time ago, I believe that the main jist of the PM Warbler sent me was specifically asking about riding short v. riding long and would it make a difference in falls, not that it is the length of the stirrups that is the contributary factor ti the serious injuries. The main cause of the fatal injuries in eventing as most people who follow the sport know is rotational falls, which is why the fences are now semi collapsible, in an attempt to minimise the severity of the rotational falls and to try and help prevent them.

The simplistic views that XC riders should simply go quick in between fences is not workable I'm afraid. XC courses are so much longer than even the longest chases and they involve much larger, solid, technically difficult obstaclesto negotiate. So for starters if they managed to get past the first few fences without going arse over tit they'd possibly make it to halfway before collapsing dead with a heart attack. And no, that's got nothing to do with getting them fitter instead. On average, a CCI*** or CCI**** event will have an optimum time of anything between about 11 and 13 minutes; often these times are hard to achieve. Not only will they have to jump and gallop for that amount of time, that will be the day after performing a high level dressage test and the following day as well as trotting up sound, the horse will have to showjump at least one round of large fences as well.

Krizon, Krizon, Krizon. Did you really say in an early post (I'm not trawling all the way back through this to find it!!!) something like 'thank God for the Dexter Ring Bit' ?! AAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH :eek: :eek: You surprise me very much - unless, as I am hoping, you were being ironic! No No No - there are too many of these bloody bits and too many superfluous gadgets being used nowadays - people should learn to ride properly instead! I hate seeing gadgets and severe bits shoved on any old horse when a snaffle would suffice - merely because it's 'easy' or the rider is too bad or too lazy to cope without. I'd also not necessarily agree with the notion that size and strength doesn't matter; yes, riding pullers is a technique but there are plenty that are just wooden headed and there are plenty of horses who need strong riders - not just because they are pulling, but because they won't listen to the leg, or they are bargy, or nappy - and small, light girls can be easy for horses to pull around and bully no matter how good they are sometimes. At the end of the day, a horse is around ten times stronger than a human and that is a lot. It doesn't take a lot for them to throw around an 8st10lb girl be she riding it or handling it on the ground, if they really want to.
 
IS - That isn't the sort of marketing opportunity that I meant. But glad you are approving of some sort of female series or event. I bet it would be a crowd puller and if set over time period and each year it may even sustain the crowd it pulls.
 
This Brazilian strap would need to give two stone to any other female jockey.

Woof-woof, ding-dong etc.........
 
The internets full of such images DO. Just go find yourself one, they aren't difficult to source.
 
Last edited:
Shadow Leader said:
At the end of the day, a horse is around ten times stronger than a human and that is a lot. It doesn't take a lot for them to throw around an 8st10lb girl be she riding it or handling it on the ground, if they really want to.
Click to expand...

Tell me about it! 7 1/2 stone of me (those were the days!) versus a stone-mad chestnut and, coincidentally, a horse chestnut tree. Horse pulling my arms out all the way and suddenly cocks jaw and sets off at a rate of knots, heading directly for the low-hanging branches of a chestnut tree in an attempt to unseat me.

Went through all the branches by simple method of putting head down by horse's shoulder, so managed to stay on, but the face - oh dear! 2 black eyes, lots of scratches and a lip so fat that I couldn't eat or talk for a couple of days - but I stayed on, you b*st*rd!
 
Shadz - you're right, I wasn't being serious about the Dexter ring! Only in that 'thank God' is probably what so many riders say these days, because they sure can't control their horses without them. Must be some really shite schoolers out there - personally, I find it very disappointing and also disagreeable to see so much paraphenalia decorating horses these days. Jeez, think back to the 1950s (okay, I know, most of can't actually do that, but you get the gist!) - snaffles, barely even a decorative Cavesson in sight. Then, decade by decade, more and more junk has found its way onto horses' heads - keep the tongue down, keep the mouth shut, stop it looking behind, stop it looking down, stop it looking down and behind, keep the mouth shut and stop it looking down, behind, and also bung in a Dexter ring in case it tries to blast off. I imagine sheep farmers are delighted with thousands of cheekpieces and shadow rolls being used all the time - profits must be well up!

I don't mind horses being put into a stronger bit where they really are mad bastids, and perhaps have already had their mouths ruined by the tugging and jagging that some suffer early on - as per our comments about persistent jagging in the parade rings (which must then go on all the time in the yard, as a habit caught by the groom), and no doubt the mouth's jig-jagged all the time when ridden, too. Trainers ought to be more on the case of this behaviour by riders, though, and you've really got to lay the blame at their door if horses are hard-mouthed, reckless runaways.

I don't like the Dexter ring, because as you say, it's being used as a lazy cliche instead of decent hands, but now and then I wouldn't mind seeing a mild port bit, which will depress the tongue anyway (no need for ladeeeze tights!), with perhaps a mild curb, to bring the head in. Something like a Kimberwick, which, with its D-rings, doesn't apply harsh leverage. The nutcracker action of the snaffle isn't that mild, as we know, when it's being mishandled, so I can see why many heads are up and mouths agape as the horses try to avoid having the edges of their mouths pinched painfully. Better hands, better horsemanship, that's the answer.
 
Last edited:
That's good Kri, I did think you were one who disagreed with all the gadgets! Personally I prefer a snaffle and if one is getting headstrong I like to try a noseband first rather than whack more metal in their mouth. Grakles are really very good at getting a headstrong one far lighter in the hand and stopping them leaning on you and pulling you about.

Good on you redhead!
 
Correct use of leg and seat make the horse lighter in the hand. Of all the 100's of bits let's face it the snaffle is the mildest and the design most suitable for the horse in general. All the others are really to counteract bad riding/schooling and should only be used occasionally for extreme bad manners. It is saddening to see a rider sawing away on a horses mouth when you can clearly see the riders style or understanding is causing/caused the problem.
 
I'm very pro using a ring bit. The horse I most recently used it on had been running away with everyone. After sticking the ring bit on, he learnt to settle, drop his head and became a lovely soft ride including in his races. The jockey even thanked me for doing this.
So long as you have a good pair of hands on the reins!
 
jinnyj said:
I'm very pro using a ring bit. The horse I most recently used it on had been running away with everyone. After sticking the ring bit on, he learnt to settle, drop his head and became a lovely soft ride including in his races. The jockey even thanked me for doing this.
So long as you have a good pair of hands on the reins!
Click to expand...

Quite right. It doesn't matter how severe the bit used, if the rider has good hands and understands what he/she is asking of the horse then no problem.
 
Back
Top