Smiling Jockey in Racing Silks coloring page

About this coloring page

This jockey in racing silks is wearing a diamond pattern for a reason. In horse racing, the colors and designs on a jockey’s silks and helmet cover belong to the horse’s owner. Each owner registers a unique set, so fans in the grandstand can pick out their horse even from far away. Some famous stables have used the same colors for generations.

Jockeys are unusual athletes. They have to be light, since each race sets the weight a horse must carry, including the rider and saddle, so many jockeys are small and watch their diets closely. At the same time they need tremendous strength in the legs, core and arms to stay balanced on a half-ton animal moving at highway speed.

Jockeys ride with very short stirrups, crouched above the horse’s neck, to stay out of its way and cut through the air. They wear a helmet, a safety vest and goggles to block the dirt and mud kicked up by the horses ahead.

The horse in this picture wears a hood with blinkers. Those cups limit side and rear vision, helping some easily distracted racehorses focus on the track in front of them.

• jockey
• horse racing
• racetrack
• racehorse
• sports