Captains Courageous: Gentlemen Riders in British Horseracing 1866-1914

Abstract

Gentlemen riders played a significant role in British horse racing before 1914, particularly in National Hunt, where higher weights and less stringent legislation encouraged greater participation than on the flat. Men from the hunting field and the military took their skills and courage to the racecourse and often competed successfully against professional riders. However, racing's intimate association prevented an amateur ethos from emerging and too many gentlemen riders were guilty of dubious practices. National Hunt racing was a sport in which shamateurism developed on a considerable scale, with supposedly amateur jockeys making money from the sport.