I need an explanation of what this means??

Question

OK, I keep hearing "Kent asked him at this point"

What exactly does that mean?

I didn't see him pull out the whip. I am not good at seeing these minute details, so I couldn't pick up on anything.

But I know all you experts - not those who have trolled in here to gloat or blast horse racing and whatever detail they have chosen to pick on - will know and point it out to me, I am sure!

Answer 1

it means when you take hold of their mouths and start pumping with your arms.  they also will chirp or smooch.  they menaing the jocky. many times if you go to the whip at the stat the horse will simply back off and spit the bit. racers are taught that the tighter the hold the faster they should go.  the exact opposit of riding horses.  they also do not respond to the rider squeezng his legs.  the riders legs are all the way up by their backs, not along their sides like riding horses.

edit...holding them back is basically putting a choke hold on the reins.  if u r asking them to run from a hold back (called rating) you will have to give them the reins for a stride or 2 before you can ask them run.  you will frequently see jocks make exagerated gathering motions to the reins, before they begin pumping with their arms.  also when you hold a horse you use your body by bracinng against the forward motion...when you ask them to run you hunker down closer to them and allow them to move forward. most horses do not respond well to being rated...it is only done undr extreme circulsatnces like if u r going crash...or if the horse is just being a maniac at the start and wont settle ..... 1 1.2 miles is a longggggggggg way to go.  the horse that won found a comfortable stride right from the start.  BB was struggeling the whole time 2 strides for every one the winer took.  in the final anylisis i think it will be that the bad foot was biting him with every stride he took.  he just could not overcome the pain.

Answer 2

There's a lot of ways to ask a horse.  I'm sure he yelled at him to go... you've probably heard jockeys growling at their horses or saying "ya" to get the horse to go on.  What he did physically was he started to push him forward... He put his knuckles into Big Brown's neck and started really riding him... he wasn't just sitting there like he had been... now he was physically sort of bouncing around a little more.  He wasn't holding onto the reins and being still... he started throwing his hands more forward into Big Brown's neck.  The movement on the reins would cue him to go on faster.

Answer 3

Kent asked him by easing up on the reins, and by striding/rowing forward with his upper body/arm motion - it is a signal to the horse to go as fast as he wants to/is able to run - kind of like turning him loose.  Ordinarily, BB would then have accelerated tremendously, but today, two or three times in the last half of the race, BB unfortunately had nothing to give (no burst of power), and the possible reasons for this are just beginning to be explored.

Addendum: Yes, I think you've got it exactly.....it almost seems as though the jockey does what he hopes the horse will also do:  he begins (as described above) to move/stretch  his own body in rhythm/stride with the horse....he relaxes the reins, even draws them forward, in a reaching/stretching motion toward/on the neck, and leans down into/with the horse - he thereby allows/encourages the horse to reach/stretch forward with his head, and to maximize his stride length and speed.

Answer 4

It was plain as day that the horse was running and was fatigued,, period

It was clear that the horse was going to have his way but the jock knew better ,,  

he did not have a horse under him. If Big Brown got his way he would be dead ,,,  

so Yes.. Jockey s do have the right and the experience to make that choice.... Thank God he used his head and not his Ego



he just got beat and it was NOT HIS DAY TO RUN

I have said it all long that he ran hard the first two races and that anything can happen in the last leg

And that a long shot WILL and would come in

But ALL I got was thumbs down

oh well

he is still a nice horse

But needs some time off

and he should come back as a better 4 yr old

So all of you kind people who put me down all long about Big Brown

and me saying a long shot would come in

I told you so

he ran very hard the two races everyone says well he won them easy

You don't know that,,,, it looks that way !

I have been with these horses many many yrs

you could see that he was very tired

yes the Jockey did right

Thank God no one got hurt

man or beast

He will be back ,, next year and he will win