Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-08-08
LIFE OF A JOCKEY.
WHAT ONE MUST % TO BE A
SUCCESSFUL RIDER.

Tho Excitement of Winning = Race-Ne-
COSTLY of Careful Habits-A Cool Head
and Good Judgment-A Certain Knack.
Exhilaration.
The life of professional jockey is full Of
the widest and most unrestrained excite
ment doubt if its parallel can be found
in any other vocation. Watch even the
casual spectator of horse race as he sits on
the grand stand calmly viewing the start,
and then see him as the horses speed around
the track, the on locker becomes interested
more and more until by the time the winner
has crossed the line, he is standing in his
chair, madly waving his arms and cheering
until his breath is gone.
That Is the way closely contested nee
affects even passive spectator. To what
feverish excitement then is the jockey him.
self subjected, who, next to the good mount
under his saddle, is the most active partici-
pant in the contest! Yet amid it all the
rider must be as cool and clear-headed as il
he were simply taking a constitutional
morning canter on his fathers favorite mare.
CAREFUL IN HABITS.
In order to be successful as jockey one
must be in what we might call partial train
ing all the time. There is no necessity for
the rigorous diet and abstemlousness which
is considered essential to thos, who engage
in athletic sports, but the most extreme care
is absolutely necessary, that the weight may
be kept down to the proper figure, and for
, that reason all food which has q tendency to
increase flesh mast be avoided
For my own part l may say that have
always been temperate in my habits. use
tobacco to q small extent, but eat almost any
thing to which take a fancy, although some
times am obliged to pay the penalty. It is
my purpose always to keep myself down to
about liz pounds in weight. The lowest
weight have ever attained was 107 pounds,
and the highest $50 pounds, SO, to reduce
myself to the right avoirdupois, I was once
forced TO knock OF just eighteen pounds Of
superfuous flesh, and it was no easy under
taking.
When find myself accommodating weight
too rapidly begin to take long walks, wear
ing sweaters and the heaviest winter cloth
ing, which is not especially enjoyable in hot
summer weather. A walk Of from eight to
ten miles, dressed in the condition described,
will usually dispose Of from one to two
pounds of extra flesh. These walks are in
dulged in only when the necessity requires,
and are by no means of daily occurrence, for
which l am duly thankful.
The one all important requisite for sue
cessful jockey is to keep a cool head and to
possess an unerring Judgment, for if he loses
one and fails of having the other at q critical
moment, he will never overcome the many
obstacles that meet him with every turn Of
the track, and never win race unless he is
mounted upon horse that will carry him
through in spite of himself. There is as
much strategy and finesse to be exercised on
the race course as on the battlefield One
must know his enemy thoroughly, and must
be alive to take instant advantage Of any
errors his opponents may make He must
endeavor to make his rivals use up all their
strength before the critical moment comes,
and must reserve for himself sufficient force
to carry him safely through the final
struggle.