No, jockeys are not permitted to own the horses on which they ride. Too much money is at risk, and even the appearance of impropriety is avoided. However, some jockeys do become friends with the owners of their mounts and may even take care of the animal when it is sick or injured. They work too hard for this to be true, but according to the JOCKEY CLUB magazine, some jockeys do have relationships with their mounts. The magazine reports that among its readers, there are still jockeys who believe that a jockey can become friendly with his or her horse. In fact, many jockeys feel that they have a special connection with their horses. They say that the horse understands what they are feeling and that they can tell by looking in the eye of the horse how she is doing. Some horses may even seem to know exactly when their jockey is going to win something. Of course, this relationship is only apparent because horses don't talk. Even so, there are certain advantages to being able to communicate effectively with your horse. Horses prefer consistency and confidence from their riders, so being able to read each other's minds allows them to follow each other's lead in situations where words wouldn't make sense.