What is an "OutRider" ? And R there female OutRiders?

Question

What is an "OutRider" ? And R there female OutRiders?

Answer 1

Outriders are the people on their own horses who escort the runners through the post parade and 'warm-up' before the race is actually run.  They are given their assignments before the racing day starts and join up with their respective runners as they come on to the track for the post parade (usually about ten minutes before the actual race).  They are NOT responsible for corralling (sp?) a horse if they get loose and run amok.  They do lead their respective horses to the starting gate and hand the horses off to the starting gate crew who, in turn, loads the horses into the gate before the action begins.

Answer 2

Out riders are the uniformed people who start and end the post  parade to the gates.  Usually one leads the post parade and two take up the rear of the post parade. Occasionally they pony horses to the gates if there is not enough pony people to pony every horse to the gates.  They are also responsible for catching loose horses on the track.  Basically they are there to insure the safety of horses and riders before and after the race.  Yes there are female Outriders not as many as there are male Outriders but the female Outriders that I know are in my opinion  just as good as the male Outriders.

Answer 3

Balmoral Park and Sportsman's Park in Chicago have female outriders....A lot of tracks do

Answer 4

The track employee who leads the post parade and who, along with his/her fellow outriders, keeps all the horses and jockeys in line and gets them to the starting gates on time, also catches any loose or runaway horses. They do have female outriders

Answer 5

go to wekepedia.com and find it out

Answer 6

an outrider is someone who leads the horses to the gates and goes to catch any that get loose before, during or after the race.

Keeneland has a female outrider and I believe Churchill Downs does too.

Answer 7

Outriders are the people on horseback who lead the horses to the post, catch any horses who break from the gate too early or throw their rider and get loose on the track. Yes, there are many females who are outriders.

Answer 8

To Chris M : The riders you refer to are called pony riders.

These are normally employees of either the track itself or of the stable to which the horse they are escorting belongs. You are correct when you say that these riders do not catch horses which are loose during races. However, that is NOT what this asker was asking about. Outriders are the red coated ( some also wear blue, green, or even black coats, depending on the season and the track where they work) riders who lead and bring up the rear of each post parade, and who are also responsible for the safety of ALL the horses and riders in a race.These people, the great majority of whom are men, have been rightly called a "jockey's and exercise rider's best friend" as indeed they are. These people are EXPERT horsepeople and riders- they have to be, because their lives and the lives of the people they serve depend on their ability in the saddle. The outriders are normally mounted on horses which are either Thoroughbreds or part Thoroughbreds, and many of these horses are ex-racers themselves. These animals are also chosen for their manners and calm, tractable tempers- it's important that an outrider's horse be able to get along with other horses, and that the animal not be upset by the antics of a young, nervous, and often out of control racehorse.

Outriders perform many functions besides escorting post parades. They catch loose horses or horses which have thrown their riders during races, and they assist anyone who has a fall of ANY type. The outriders all carry radios, and some of them have cameras mounted to the tops of their helmets, which allows them to help the news media and the stewards during races. During the morning workout hours, outriders will provide escorts for horses who have problems with things like bolting and with starting gate issues. Another duty of the outrider is to catch up with and escort the winners of races to the winner's circle- if you watch TV coverage of important races ( like the Triple Crown races) then the winner of each of those races is always caught by the outider at the conclusion. Lastly, outriders perform an extremely important duty in that because they carry radios ( and some of them also carry first aid kits on their saddles) they can call for help in case of an accident. When a horse breaks down or throws its rider, or both, the first person on the scene is typically an outrider- usually the one that is stationed closest to wherever the accident has happened. An example of this was when Barbaro broke down at the start of the Preakness last year. The first person on the scene, and the one who called the horse ambulance to come and pick the colt up, was the outrider who'd been stationed just up the track from the starting gate. It was the outrider who helped the colt's jockey calm him and get him under control until the ambulance and his trainer, Michael Matz, could get there. Outriders can also help a jockey whose horse has bolted and is out of control-and this DOES happen during races.  In that case, usually 2 of them will go after the horse, one on either side, and they will get along side the animal and slow the animal down. If they can't do this, they will rescue the jockey.  And in the unfortunate situation where a horse has to be euthanised on the track ( the way Go for Wand did at Belmont Park during the Breeder's Cup) the outriders are the ones who will put up the canvas or plastic tarps around the scene for privacy. The outriders caught the filly when she was hobbling around with her smashed leg, and they were with the filly and her connections until the end.

As far as whether or not there are female outriders, the answer to that question is a definite YES. I have actually been to some tracks that employ women in that role- and they are very, very good at what they do. I can't say what the exact numbers are of women as opposed to men, but I know that women are still in the minority, which is not to say that they are not capable. They are- it's just that there are still not that many of them yet.  I hope this answers your question.

PS: I truly believe, and I am sure that I am not alone in thinking this way, that outriders are the unsung, unmentioned heroes of most tracks in this country. These people save lives with their skills- both human and equine. They deserve far more recognition than they ever get, from both the media and the public. It takes a special breed of person to be an outrider- anyone who aspires to this needs to be an EXPERT all around horseperson, and they must also have enough people skills to be able to get along well with people who are often upset, angry, or frightened. It's not easy to calm an excited, often terrified, 1000 pound animal who has broken down or has bolted and thrown its rider- but this is an example of something outriders face and deal with daily. It's also difficult to watch a horse that has broken down get euthanized in front of you- and that is something else that  all outriders see regularly.  Our tracks need these people- they, and the sport of racing, could not survive without them.  My hat is off to them, no matter their age, gender, or where they work.  Just my thoughts.....