Hold 'Em Steady

Ever wonder how important a jockey's posture and movement are to the outcome of a race? Well so did a team from the Structure and Motion Laboratory at the Royal Veterinary College in the UK. According to a recent report on NPR, based on a study recently published in the journal Science, jockeys use the laws of physics to help their horses run faster.

The general idea is for the jockeys to remain as steady and "weightless" as possible even as the horse beneath them excels to speeds in the range of 40 mph. They do this by crouching as low as possible on the horse for almost the entire distance of the race, which means that their legs and arms are absorbing most of the impact, working like pistons.

Think it's easy? Just try working out on the Equicizer, a machine that simulates the motion of a horse. There is one on display at the Museum of Racing in Saratoga and you can try for yourself. Trust me, it is quite a workout! Your legs and arms will remind you the next day.

It is training on devices like the Equicizer that enable jockeys to maintain their steady "weightless" crouch for most of the race. In effect, the jockeys have adjusted their riding style to minimize what is known in physics as inertial losses--the energy that horses spend to bounce their riders out of these steady, "weightless" states.

Turns out the crouching riding style was developed by an American jockey named Tod Sloan. When Sloan moved to England in 1897, jockeys started copying his style. In this way, the low riding position became universal since crouching stances reduced winning race times by more than 5%.

Over the years, jockeys have concentrated on mastering the motionless, crouch position that has become the signature stance of the sport. Shortening the stirrups as high as possible has also contributed to faster and faster race times.

Next time you watch a race, watch and see how still the jockey holds himself and see if there is any correlation between his/her stance and the outcome of the race.