Athlete Without Equal: The Underappreciated Quarter Horse Racing Jockey

Would you dare apply for the following job?

"Wanted: Missile Riders. Apply at Cape Canaveral. Must be willing to risk life and limb to entertain the unappreciative masses. Will be strapped to the outside of a new missile being tested. Commission only."

The Quarter Horse racing jockey—surely the ultimate daredevil—does not have an easy job, even though he or she makes the job look effortless. Your 1,200-pound partner, who can´t listen to reason, may not want to dance. Hell, you may get kicked, bitten, or bucked off before the music even plays.

Jockeys have died in the waiting room. The metal cage backstage may be padded now, but it´s still a house of horrors—you´re sort of trapped in there with a super-muscular Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and at any moment the monster may toss you around like Linda Blair in "The Exorcist."

Ouch.

But wait—the fun´s just beginning. You´ve still got a little work left.

Somehow you´ve got to hold on—and steer at the same time—when your horse lunges powerfully forward from a dead start. You´ll pitch-and-roll like a hapless sailor aboard a storm-tossed ship, so your balance had better be pretty damned good. As good as any Surfer Joe riding the Pipeline.

Once the rocket´s flying, you´ll need eyes on both sides of your head to avoid getting bumped, squeezed, sandwiched, or knocked around. Your steering system´s kinda primitive, so there´s no guarantee that you´re gonna head in the right direction. Plus your brakes and shocks aren´t that hot either--don´t rely on them to get you out of an equine pickle.

Don´t forget to maintain a straight course—on a dirt highway without any painted lanes.

Oh, one more little thing—you must be able to move your whip from hand to hand while still managing to hold onto the reins. The public won´t believe you´re trying unless you use the whip. After the finish line, negotiate the turn safely without drifting out too much, slamming into somebody, or clipping heels.

Of course, riding´s only part of the job—there´s also public relations.

Yikes.

After the race, be prepared to face the merciless betting public, whose beliefs can be summarized so: "Horse wins, jockey had nothing to do with it; horse loses, jockey´s a bum."

Put on your psychological armor, because you´ll be ripped to cheese steak if you didn´t run to your odds. The public´s a fickle Western gambling posse looking for scapegoats. It´s never the horse´s fault, you know.

They´ll string you up without a fair trial, and you´ll be called every name in the book. Even the owners you work for may turn against you.

That´s racing, I guess.

(Steve Sharp is the author of "Fast Horses, Fast Money: The Complete Guide to Quarter Horse racing. His website is www.fasthorsesfastmoney.com; his e-mail is slqhracing@yahoo.com.)