A jockey is an individual who adopts horse riding as a profession for living, in racing competitions. This job requires them to be physically fit and lightweight. As a jockey, you enjoy a very unique career that allows you to enjoy the opportunity of riding different kinds of horses. This career has the potential for a gratifying career, but how much horse racing jockeys earn will be discovered in this article. Let us know more detail about ‘Salaries For Horse Jockey’.
Salaries For Horse Jockey
You require patience, dedication, experience, and skills to be a horse jockey. You must have patience because jockeys might also have to handle eight to nine races in a day. The winning jockey’s percentage of the winning amount is nearly 20%, which is a handsome amount to earn if the jockey is participating in eight to nine races in a day.
The horse jockey in the US, on average, earns $52,737 per year. Individually, a jockey earns between $28 and $184,000 per race. The jockeys with less experience only enjoy 2% to 5% of the owner’s share in the tournament. The jockeys with years of experience in horse racing enjoy 10% to 25% of the owner’s share as their salary other than the bonus. On average, the horse jockeys earn the most in San Francisco, amounting to $79,630, which is 51% more than the US average. Let’s read Salaries For Horse Jockey.
Experience Required to Become a Jockey
Jockeys become experienced in racing after attending jockey school or traineeship. Horseback riding experience is gained this way. A high school diploma is a must for attending a jockey school.
Strength requirement
The traditions of horse riding are learned by students at jockey schools or through their traineeship. Racing demands toughness, fitness, and strength all at the same time from a jockey. Along with physical strength, it requires a strategic mind as well.
After gaining experience from the school, an individual over 18 years of age gets a license to be a jockey.
Physique requirements
- The height of the jockey must be between 4’8″ and 5’6’’, although it is not the limit. The weight of the horse jockey on average must be between 108-118 pounds. Fitness is the key to fulfilling the demands of horse racing.
- Early mornings and late nights, too much traveling, and chances of injury are part and parcel of a jockey’s profession.
Salaries for horse jockeys
Horse jockeys in the US earn $52,737 per year on average. This salary is based on:
- The race’s class level in which the jockey is competing
- How many races have they competed in?
- What is the location of the race?
- A jockey can make as little as $28 and as high as $184,000 per race.
Salary at the Entry-Level
- The entry-level salary starts at roughly $10,049 and later starts building up from there. Time and experience are the keys to placing you higher in the rankings.
- Novice jockeys normally compete in claiming races, which consist of horse racing for sale purposes, and maiden races, which are for horses that have just started their career.
- Medium-experienced jockeys prefer allowance races, which are ahead of claiming races.
- Highly experienced jockeys prefer to compete in graded races, where they earn more based on grades 1, 2, or 3.
Top Professional Jockey Salary: Salaries For Horse Jockey
Not many professional jockeys reach the top rankings. Some of the top-ranking professional jockeys reach an average of $271,427 every year, but very few get the privilege of moving up towards a huge number of $2 million per year.
Becoming a millionaire with this job was possible only for a few horse jockeys because it requires a lot of practice. In the US, more than a hundred grade 1 races take place, with each race having an average purse of $ 800,000. Top jockeys are part of the graded and allowance races where they earn most of their money after winning them.
Jockeys’ Earnings per Race
The purse of every race serves as a deciding factor in how much a jockey will earn per race. The jockey who wins is eligible for 10% of the owner’s share in the purse. For example, a race that has a purse of $100,000 will give the owner 60%, which is $60,000, and the winning jockey will get 10%, i.e., $6,000.
In smaller circuits, the purse values less than $10,000, so the jockey gets $600 or less in return for each race.
Runners up Earnings
The jockeys receive 5 to 10% of the owner’s winnings when they reach 2nd and 3rd place in the race. The owners receive 20% for the 2nd position and 10% for the 3rd position in the purse money.
The mount fee is given to all jockeys in a race, which is between $75 and $135 per race.
World’s Highest Paid Jockeys
John R. Velazquez
John R. Velazquez is the highest-paid jockey in the world with earnings of $ 439,231,021 till now. His career started in 1990 and he got trained in Puerto Rico’s school. He has been part of 34,000 races, among which he won 6,300.
Other Highest Paid Jockeys
John R. Velazquez is the second-highest-paid jockey in the world with earnings of $360,048,076. Mike E. Smith is the third highest-paid jockey in the world with earnings of $335,757,413 now. In fourth and fifth place are Pat Day and Jerry D. Bailey, with earnings of $297,914,839 and $296,113,529, respectively, till now.
Eddie Arcaro
Eddie is the greatest jockey ever and was among the first to reach a million dollars in earnings. In his twenty-five-year career, he earned $2.2 million, which is equivalent to $30,000,000 today.
Salaries Classification State Wise
A state-wise classification of the salaries of horse jockeys is mentioned below:
Pennsylvania
The Horse Jockey in Pennsylvania earns on average between $55,819 and $56,858, which is 6-8% above the national average horse jockey salary.
California
The Horse Jockey in California earns on average between $35,948 and $79,630, which is between 32% less than and 51% above the national average horse jockey salary. On average, the horse jockeys earn the most in San Francisco, amounting to $79,630, which constitutes 51% more than the US average.
Arizona
The Horse Jockey in Arizona earns on average between $41,442 and $51,354, which is between 3% and 21% below the national average horse jockey salary.
Ohio
The Horse Jockey in Ohio earns on average between $52,284 and $54,428, which is between 1% less than and 3% above the national average horse jockey salary.
Texas
The Horse Jockey in Texas earns on average between $51,999 and $53,546, which is between 1% less than and 2% above the national average horse jockey salary.
Conclusion
Now we’ve learnt about ‘Salaries For Horse Jockey’, Almost 1500 jockeys are working in the US, and among them, only a few of them have succeeded in earning over a million dollars. This career is demanding as well as highly rewarding. The salaries offered are satisfactory, so it is a good profession to choose for handsome earnings.
FAQ’s
- Do all jockeys earn the same amount as their salary?
Horse jockeys do not earn a fixed salary. They are paid based on their performance in each race, so what they earn varies with the purse amount of each race.
- What is the tax percentage paid by the horse jockeys?
An estimated average federal tax on the salary of an executive producer would be 22% annually.
- How much do top-ranked jockeys earn?
Some of the top-ranking professional jockeys earn an average of $271,427 every year.
