Is this a fact or is my friend pulling my leg?

Question

My friend asked me of all the atheletes who do I think is the most physically conditioned, i answered boxer or basketball player someone who is constantly moving, he said that I was wrong in both guesses, he said the jockey is the most physically conditioned, i laughed at him until he said think about it a jockey weighing 120 lbs. sitting on a horse weighing 1200 lbs, jockey on his haunches, pulling and controlling with reins, squeezing with his knees, he said that the overall condition of jockey just to ride and control the horse proves he is the superior conditioned athelete, do you agree?

Answer 1

I'd have to say a soccer player (not the goalie). They are always running back and forth all over the 120 meter field.

Answer 2

I totaly agree as a horse rider my self I know how conditioned to have to be to even ride and ride well. And that's riding normal with one leg on each side of the horse. I exercised horses for awhile and let me tell you practically standing on the horse with your knees to your chin is no easy feat. It was sports illustrated who orginally did the article and yes pound for pound a jock is superior. The only reason a nfl player would even somewhat be able to handle a racer is b/c they weigh so much it would be a completely different experiuence for the horse and they wouldn't know how to react!!!

ok the person who siad they dont work full time obviously does not know the life of a jock is a 7 day a week job, when not riding up to 10 races a day they are exercising horses in the morning and sometimes even hot walk them.

Answer 3

No. Athletes train for their particular type of activity. IT is difficult to make any assumption such as your friend does.

For one, I have read that the old American Cowboys, spendings days in the saddle, hungry, weary, were of the most fit and conditioned people on earth. This is way tougher that a jockey that rides a horse a few times a week.

In my country they run the Comrade's marathon, 98 km (some 60 of 70 miles) the winners do it in 5 hours. We are also a rugby playing nation (World champs for 2007) , playing 80 minues of hard, running, highly competitive sport in one match. So does soccer and a host of other sports. Think of boxing. guys that spent years in gyms, on the track running, hundreds of thousands of push ups, and then to have to fight for 12 rounds of 3 minutes each.

There is no way you can say that jockeys are the fittest and best conditioned athletes. I would not even class them as athletes as they are better termed businessmen (and wowen), as they only practise a full time job. Their horses are fit, themselves not.

True athletes do it for fun, competitiveness, money, heatlh and a host of other reasons.

What does you pal say about guys scaling Mount Everest - no jockey has done this ever?

Answer 4

I think it is also to do with the amount of work they have to put into the day.  Here in England they sometimes ride 6 races during the day, and have to do the same for evening race meetings.  In addition they often ride out horses during the morning for trainers, before they get to a racecourse.  Many jockeys have to achieve lower weights than they would normally be, and this means fasting and sitting in saunas to achieve this.  Some have to keep their levels of fitness on next to no food or normal drinks!

Answer 5

Technically speaking your friend is right. Jockeys are small people with (in proportion to their weight) large muscles to control an animal, a horse. Over all, both in the cardio and muscular departments I'd say it 's a Quarterack or basketball player. Neither have an animal and both need to be at peak performance.

Answer 6

no i would say football players

Answer 7

1.

swimmers.  swimming works like all the muscles in your body, horseback riding is mainly your legs, even though you do have to use alot of control and stuff for the horse...

2.

gymnastics. well actually all sports are all hard in a sense where you have to do "work". yes..... but gymnastics.. man. is hard.

1.

ok horsebackriding. do you do that because if you do then you would know that to ride and control the horse isnt only strength its mainly technique and keeping in the right form. so ya. tell that to your friend who likes jockeys or something.

2.

I agree with number 1. and yes, tell your friend........ that obviously isn't happy with you answer........that he should try other sports like pie eating or something... yah... instead staying all cold and skinny stay warm and phat... joking. fat.

1.

like the walruses.

2.

yes just do that..... :) umm.. sports are all great.. oreaven what the heck...

practice changing channels using the remote on that cozy, fluffy, green, couch you have... :) k? stay happy!!

1.

yers all sports r good why do you think the greek people invented them???

SUPPAGE :)

Answer 8

I think that's true.I wish I could ride like that.They are very strong and in great physical condition.

Answer 9

no sorry i cant agree with your friend . i would say a boxer or weightlifter or swimmer something like that

Answer 10

yes, the jockey is pound for pound the better

athelete.

Answer 11

As hard it is to believe, YES!  They have to be SO strong and know how to move WITH the horse.  They can't make a wrong move or they will lose.  Pick me as best answer!

Answer 12

i completely agree. do you have any idea how much leg power and precision it takes to control such a powerful animal moving at that speed?

Answer 13

I mean who knows...but i have to disagree, i have to believe that its a boxer.  They are the prime athlete....

Answer 14

I'd say percentage-wise he's more muscle than a bigger athlete

Answer 15

yuppers the jockey is a better athlete

Answer 16

I definately agree they are they are the top athletes.... besides having to waste down to sometimes the point of blacking out, being in top physical form, risking your life everytime you ride a horse let alone in a race.

How would you like to be a 5 and a half foot male who should naturally weigh like 70kgs having to waste down to 50-55kgs?? on top of that moving along at 75km/hr, with your only balance being stirrups that are like 30cm long... having to control a 500kg plus racehorse that is bred to run, with 10 or so other horses surrounding you..that is 40-60 hooves that could crush or kill you if you fell off. And you need to be constantly alert and aware of everything and then try to win the race!!!

I am not a jockey (possibly yet), but have ridden horses in trackwork (training) and after my first day which i rode two horses.. i almost literally could not walk.. that is how physically hard it is... and i am not exagerating one bit nor am i at all unfit.. Yet most trackwork riders average ten horses a morning.

Also even myself who as a girl has actual arm muscles i struggle a lot sometimes to hold a racehorse back in trackwork, which is cantering the pace before gallop, so imagine how hard it is to hold them back in a race.

Sorry for the novel :)

Answer 17

haha that's true!

it does take a lot of strength to be able to control a race horse, both physically and mentally.

Answer 18

Did ya know a couple thousand jockeys die each year in north america alone?

okay, go up agaisnt a wall, crouch down and sit like your in a chair. hold this for three or four minutes. Add having to stay on a tall horse moving 40 mph that could fall from right under you at any time and plus the pressure of having to take a good place or you won't get your next pay check.

Now you know what its like to be a jockey, I would say its the toughest and the most dangerous job I can think of.