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Jockeys are a vital part of the sport of racing. They set the pace of the race and help the horse out maneuver and out smart the other horses. They are the brains of the brawn. However, they cannot make a horse run when it can’t or just won’t(I’ve bet on a few of those that just weren’t in the mood to run). The job is extremely dangerous but very exciting and rewarding. When figuring the outcome of a race, the combination of jockey/trainer is of utmost importance. Good trainers beget good horses and good horses beget good jockeys and good jockeys beget a winning performance. Pictured here is my father’s hero, Pat Day.

Here are some interesting facts about horses:

• Horses have better vision at night than humans.

• Horses produce approximately ten gallons of saliva a day.

• Horses cannot breathe through their mouths.

• A foal is a young horse that is either male or female.

• A horse is measured in units known as hands. One hand is equal to four inches.

• The average thoroughbred today is 16 hands high.

• Adult female horses have 36 teeth.

• Adult male horses have between 40 to 44 teeth.

• A horse’s upper jaw is wider than its lower jaw.

• A colt is a young male horse that is four years or younger.

• A filly is a young female horse that is four years or younger.

• A horse’s age can usually be determined by its teeth.

• Dam is a term given to a mare when she becomes a mother.

• Sire is a term given to a stallion when he becomes a father.

• Horses have monocular vision which means that they can see a different image by both eyes.

• In other words, they can see two different images at once.

• A horse is a herbivore meaning it feeds on plants.

• A mule is a cross between a male donkey and a female horse.

• A hinny is a cross between a male horse and a female donkey.

• Any marking on a horse’s forehead is called a star whether it is shaped like a star or not.

• Horses are in the same family as zebras, mules and donkeys.

• A yearling is a foal after its first birthday.

• A mare is pregnant for eleven months.

• A horse’s average lifespan is twenty to thirty years.

• There are more than 350 breeds of horses.

• A horse’s normal body temperature is 100-101 degrees.

• Horses cannot vomit.

• Horses can sleep standing up.

• The Celts regarded the horse as a sacred animal.

• There are approximately 75 million horses in the world.

• The horse that had the starring role as Mr. Ed in the 1960’s television series by the same name was a golden palomino.

In a time when racing was reaching it’s peak, before simulcasting, on-line betting and greyhound parks in every town, I was introduced to the sport of kings at one of the top tracks in the mid-west, Ak-Sar-Ben in Omaha, Nebraska. Notice how the crowd was so large they had to park the cars in the infield. It was a couple years before Secretariat would crush the field in the triple crown and set off the horse racing bubble of the 70’s and 80’s. My site and this blog is dedicated to remembering those horsemen who went before us and to help educate and promote horse racing to all, especially to the next generation.