Welcome to Racing to School! Name: ................................................................................................................................... School: .................................................................................................................................. Venue: ................................................................................................................................... Date:..................................................................................................................................... Racing to School is a registered charity responsible for developing and delivering the Racing to School education programme. Racing to School supports and enriches the learning and development of pupils and students of all ages throughout the UK, using the context of racing and thoroughbred breeding to deliver excitin g, hands-on activities in an open air , healthy environmen t. Racin g to School is a key part of British Racin g’s community engagement programme, RRacing Together . Racing to School supports The Horse Comes First initiative which aims to improve understanding of the ca re given to horses throughout and after their careers inin racing . The Racing to School programme has been officially recognised as a quality Lea rning Outside the Classroom provider . The LOtC Quality Badge emphasises our commitment to providing a high quality programme to children, young people and schools . 2 Weighing Out 1. What happens in the Weighing Room? a) The horses are weighed b) The jockeys are weighed c) Both the horses and the jockeys are weighed 2. What is the name of the system of measurement you use at school? ............................................. ......................................................................................... Above: Racing to School 3. In this country, in horseracing, we use the old fashioned system for measuring weight. goes behind the scenes What is this called? in the Weighing Room. ............................................. ......................................................................................... 4. Fill in the missing !gures a) 1 kilogram = ..................... grams c) 1 pound = ................. ounces b) 1 stone = ..................... pounds The comparisons below help jockeys to convert their weight from one system to the other . 1 kilogram = 2 .2 pounds 450 grams = 1 pound 5. Use the !gures/conversions above to answer these questions. a) How many pounds are there in 2 kilograms? ............................................. ......................................................................................... b) How many grams are there in 2 pounds? ............................................. ......................................................................................... The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) is the Government recognised body 6. You might be given the chance to see how much you weigh. responsible for the regulation of horseracing. Before you do this note down your estimation below: British Racing is one of the My estimation ................. st ............... lbs / .............................. kg world’s best regulated animal activities. My actual weight ................. st ............... lbs / .............................. kg The safety of the horse and rider is top priority on a race day. The difference between my estimation and my actual weight is ............... lbs / ............... kg 3 7. There are two types of Horseracing in the UK, National Hunt (Jump) racing and Flat racing. See if you can !nd out which of these famous horse races are Jump or Flat races. In horse years, a two year old horse is the equivalent to a The Aintree Grand National Jump Flat teenage human being. The Epsom Derby Jump Flat Research shows that starting The Doncaster St Leger Jump Flat training racehorses before The Cheltenham Gold Cup Jump Flat the age of two is not harmful. Quite the opposite in fact – it has been proven that controlled 8. What are the minimum and maximum weights for a "at jockey? exercise from a young age promotes and stimulates bone growth and density and Min: .............................................................................................................................. also improves the elasticity in ligaments and tendons. Max: .............................................................................................................................. Because they start racing younger and race over shorter distances demanding more 9. What are the minimum and maximum weights for a jump jockey? speed, Flat horses tend to be of a slighter build than jump Min: .............................................................................................................................. horses and therefore are asked to carry less weight, a maximum of 10 stone. Max: .............................................................................................................................. The lead which is used in the weight cloth is malleable so 10. What is the range of weight, in pounds, that a "at jockey may have that it moulds to the shape of to alter his or her weight by? the horse. ............................................. ......................................................................................... 11. Why do "at jockeys have to be lighter than jump jockeys? ............................................. ......................................................................................... 12. Put a tick against the statements below which you think are true. a) In some races the horses are different ages, so they put a lighter weight on the younger horses to help them b) Because some horses are better at racing than others, they put more weight on the faster ones to slow them down and less weight on the slower ones to speed them up . c) When the female horses race against the males they sometimes give the females less weight to carry to help them 4 A Jockey’s Kit 1. Draw lines to connect each of the pictures below to the correct name. Silks Waterproof breeches 1lb ½lb Above: Two future jockeys Light breeches try out the kit for size! Weight not Polo-neck top 1lb counted Weight cloth Weight not counted Light saddle ¼lb 2lbs Bib Heavy boots 1lb Safety vest 1lb ¼lb Light boots ¾lb Skull cap Heavy saddle ½lb 6lbs Lead 2lbs 5 2. Choose the equipment you think a jockey riding at a heavy weight would use, and add them together to !nd their total weight. Item Weight Item Weight ......................................... ................ ......................................... ................ ......................................... ................ ......................................... ................ ......................................... ................ ......................................... ................ ......................................... ................ ......................................... ................ ......................................... ................ Total ................ 3. a) If the jockey still isn’t heavy enough, what do the valets put into the weight cloth to add extra weight? ..................................................... b) Give two reasons why this material is chosen ............................................. ......................................................................................... 4. Now choose the equipment you think a jockey riding at a light weight would use, and add them together to !nd their total weight. Item Weight Item Weight ......................................... ................ ......................................... ................ ......................................... ................ ......................................... ................ ......................................... ................ ......................................... ................ ......................................... ................ ......................................... ................ ......................................... ................ Total ................ 5. If the jockey is still too heavy even using the lightest equipment, what could he/she do to lose weight quickly? ................................................................................................. 6 a) What is most of your bodyweight made up of? .............................................................. b) What percentage of your bodyweight does this make up? ............................................. c) How would you write this percentage as a fraction? ...................................................... 6 Parade Ring Possibilities Above: Can you think why Above: The horses are lead around the Parade Ring, or Paddock, before they race. it helps the horses to walk around the Parade Ring before they race? Your task: The racecourse needs to know how many horses can safely parade at any one time in the Parade Ring. You are going to carry out a risk assessment to !nd this out for them. 1. Complete the information below. a. The average length of a racehorse: ................................................... metres b. Length of safety zone between each horse: ................................................... metres c. Total distance needed for each horse: ................................................... metres 2. How could you work out the distance around the perimeter track if you didn’t have any equipment to help you? ............................................