Barbara Jo Rubin (born November 21, 1949) is an American

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase (horse racing), steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used ...

. She was the first woman to win a professional horse race.

Early life

Barbara Jo Rubin was born on November 21, 1949, in Highland.

Licensing

Women had been riding racehorses in assorted races for decades, some openly, others disguised as men. Once licensure became required for riding in recognized

parimutuel Parimutuel betting, or pool betting, is a betting system in which all bets of a particular type are placed together in a pool; taxes and the ''house-take'', or ''vigorish'', are deducted, and payoff odds are calculated by sharing the pool among a ...

races, women were generally discouraged from applying or denied licensure, even in locations where women were not explicitly barred. The "modern era of female jockeys" began when Olympic equestrian and

show jumping Show jumping is a part of a group of English riding equestrian events that also includes eventing, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes are commonly seen at horse shows throughout the world, including the Olympics. Sometimes shows ar ...

competitor

Kathy Kusner Kathryn Hallowell "Kathy" Kusner (born March 21, 1940) is an American equestrian and Olympic medalist in show jumping. She was one of the first women to ride for the United States Equestrian Team (USET), the first licensed female jockey, and the ...

, who had also ridden as a jockey, successfully sued the Maryland Racing Commission for a jockey's license in 1967 under the

Civil Rights Act Civil Rights Act may refer to several civil right acts in the United States. These acts of the United States Congress are meant to protect rights to ensure individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private ...

. She won her case in 1968 and became one of the first women to be licensed in the United States, though an injury prevented her from racing at the time. In late 1968,

Penny Ann Early Penny Ann Early (later Penny Ann Hill;https://www.statscrew.com/basketball/stats/p-earlype01 May 30, 1943 – June 23, 2023) was an American athlete who achieved two notable firsts in her lifetime as she was the first female jockey to be licensed ...

was the first woman to earn a mount as a licensed Thoroughbred jockey in the U.S., but when she entered three races at

Churchill Downs Churchill Downs is a horse racing complex in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States that hosts the annual Kentucky Derby. It opened in 1875 and was named for Samuel Churchill, whose family was prominent in Kentucky for many years. The first ...

in November, the male jockeys announced a boycott of those races, and so she could not ride. On 7 February 1969,

Diane Crump Diane Crump (born May 18, 1948 in Milford, Connecticut) is an American jockey and horse trainer. Crump was the first woman to ride in a pari-mutuel race in the United States; her participation in the event was so contested that she required a fu ...

was the first licensed woman rider to ride in a parimutuel Thoroughbred race in the United States at

Hialeah Park Race Track The Hialeah Park Race Track (also known as the Hialeah Race Track or Hialeah Park) is a historic racetrack in Hialeah, Florida. Its site covers 40 square blocks of central-east side Hialeah from Palm Avenue east to East 4th Avenue, and from East ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

. She required a police escort to get to the

paddock A paddock is a small enclosure for horses. In the United Kingdom, this term also applies to a field for a general automobile racing competition, particularly Formula 1. Description The most common design provides an area for exercise and is ofte ...

. Two weeks later, on 22 February at Charles Town in

West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...

, Barbara Jo Rubin became the first licensed woman to win a race in the modern era. She went on to win 11 of the next 22 races she rode.

References

American female jockeys American jockeys 1949 births Living people 21st-century American women 20th-century American sportswomen {{US-equestrian-bio-stub