Horse Racing - Weight

By: Dave Articlesubmit

When racing people talk about weights they are refereeing to the weight of the jockey, his saddle and saddle cloth. If this is less than the horses allotted weight the difference is made up by placing weight s in the saddle cloth. Before every race the jockeys are “weighed out” by the Clerk of the Scales and “weighed back in “after the race.

In the UK there are basically two types of horse race, handicaps and non-handicaps. In the first an official handicapper allots a weight to each horse running in the race. What he is trying to do is arrange it so by adjusting each horse’s weight they should all finish the race in a straight line. This is something that never actually happens but that is the handicappers aim.

As the name implies a non-handicap race is one in which horses start off at level weights. However, dependent upon the conditions of the race some horses may be carrying more or less weight than others. This is because in some races colts may be required to carry 5lb more than fillies or older horses may have to carry extra when competing against younger. Supposedly less well developed horses.

Another factor in deciding what weight a horse will carry is if it has won a race recently. After a win the horse may have to carry a penalty weight because of its success. The actual weight penalty can be anything from 3lbs up to 10lbs dependent upon the conditions of the race. A horse successful in two consecutive races will often carry a double penalty.

Another factor that can affect the weight a horse can carry is the experience of the jockey. At the beginning of their careers apprentice e and amateur jockeys are give a 7lb allowance which mean their horse will carry 7lbs less than its allotted weight. AS the rider gains in experience and achieves a level of wins that allowance drops to 5lb then 3lb and finally disappears all together. There are also some circumstances when you will see an apprentice jockey given a 10lb allowance. The conditions of some races allow inexperienced riders to receive an extra 3lbs if they are riding a horse from the stable they are apprenticed too. This is in part to encourage trainers to give young apprentices opportunities to race ride.

Weight can make a big difference on how a horse will perform in a race. The one point always to remember that n increase in weight can slow down a fast horse but the reverse is not true. Talking weight off of a slow horse will not make it run any faster.

Article Source: http://www.collectibles-articles.com

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