The Dickinson press., 1889-02-16
LIFE OF A JOCKEY.
WHAT ONE MUST DO TO BE A
SUCCESSFUL RIDER.

The Excitement of Winning IL Racc-Nc-
ccssity of Careful IIabits-.A Cool Head
and Good J~udsmcnt-.A Certain Knack.
Ixhilaratiun.
The life of Il professional jockey is full of
the widest and most uarcstraincd excite
ment. doubt if its parallel can be found
i'll any other vocation. Watch even tho
casual spectator of Il 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
las crossed the line, he is standing in his
chair, madly waving his arms and cheering
until his breath is gone.
That is the way II closely contested race
affects even a passive spectator. To what
fcverish excitement then is the Jockey him
self subjected, who, next to the good mount
under his saddle, is the III ST active partici-
punt in the ~contesti Yet amid it all tho
rider must be us cool and clcar-hcadcd as il
lie were simply taking a CONSTITUTIONAL
morning canter on his fathers favorite mare.
CAREFUL IN HABITS.
In order to be successful as Il jockey one
hi't7S - '1 al IL iiio M tillN1
must be in what we might call partial train
ing all the time. There is no necessity for
tilc rigorous diet md abstcmlorls,iess which
is considered essential to thos who engage
i'll athletic sports, but the most extreme care
is absolutely necessary. that the weight may
he kept dow to the proper figure, ut for
that reason all food whicl, has Il tendency to
increase flesh must be avoided.
For my w part l may say that l have
always been temperate IN my habits. | use
tobacco to Il small extent, but cat almost any
thing to which | take a fancy, althoughsomc-
times l an obliged to pay the penalty. 1t is
my purpose always to keep myself down to
about ll2 pounds in weight. The lowest
we'll | ave ever attained was l07 pounds,
and the highest l30 pounds, SO, to reduce
myself TO the right a%voirdupois, l was once
forced TO knock off just eighteen pounds of
supcrfluous flesh, and it was no easy under.
taking.
When find myself accumulatins weight
too rapidly l begin to take long walks, wear
ing sweaters and the heaviest winter cloth
ing. which is not especially enjoyable in hot
summer weather. y walk of from eight to
ten miles, dressed in the condition described,
Will usually dispose OF from ono to two
pounds of extra flesh. These walks are ill.,
dul. ed in only when the necessity requires,
AID are By no means of daily occurrence, for
which | am duly thankful.
Thc o:!e all important requisite for Il SIC
c"ssful jockey is to keep q cool head and to
pa'scss an u%nerrins Judgment, for if he loss
ohe and fails of having the other at a critical
moment, he will never overcome the many
obstacles that meet him with every turn of
the track, and never win Il race unless lie is
ounte upon u horse that, will carry him
through Ill spite of himself. There is as
mach strategy and tineSse to be exercised on
the race course as on the battlefield. One
must know his enemy thoroughly, and must
Ia, alive TO take instant advantage of any
".rors lis opponents ma make. He must
c-o.euvor to make his rivals use up all their
strt!gt.i he ore the critical moment comes,
AMI must reserve for himself sufficient force
To carry him safely through the final
struggle.
A l.NACK OF RIDING.
But above all, lie should be very intimately
Z acquainted with the capabilities Of his "
Il y q, and must be thoroughly conversaat
"itA al its points Of weakness, as we'll rs its
clements of strength, for the former may
often he t...en advantage of if they are not
known to his opponents. There is q certain
knack OF riding which it is difficult to OK
plain, hut which has Il substantial existence
jus, the same, that enables one to almost lift
las horse along, especially i'll passing under
lie wire, when a fortunate leap will carry
Yuu 10 the front by even q nose. Many a
llriy Win OF miIe has been made in this
W., noticcubly in the recent race where
In Tray aud Tristan were at tho fore.
and tristan Won By So small u fraction that
L. is said that no one on the track saw the
true result, excepting the judges. In that
race, which was one of the most exciting in
which | have ever been engaged, | was able
to lift Tristan almost by main STRENGTH,
When | felt That | had surely lost. Just enough
to win.
The sensations which a jockey experience.
in speeding around the track are many AID
varied, aud there is always the utmost e.
hilaration of mind, and every muscle of lis
1ody Is drawn to a tension approaching Tic
breaking point. He has little time to view
t.ic landscape within the inclosure, or TO SCI
the mad crowd that is cheering him on from
the grand stand, or at the fences close by the
track, even if his eyes are not blinded by the
showers of I'D or the clouds of dust wit,
which the enemy in front delight to greet
him. But he knows instinctively that the
landscape and the crowd are there, and lie
hears the cheers of the mob family above The
gathering of the horses hoofs. These arc
quiet and subdued sounds at the start, which
are completely lost the moment the first tur1
is made, and then they cease altogether unit
the homestretch is gained, when the moist
grows gradually louder, but seldom become:
u good sized one for the Jockeys ears. 1t il
when the race is over and the victory is VOL
that the Jockey remembers all he has passet
through. The nervous exhaustion occasionc,
by q record breaking mile is excessive, but {
bath and rub dow soon puts the Jockey il
healthy trim for tho next race.-Willian
Hayward in Inter Ocean.