Fifth Grade
Worksheets
Julie Krone: Female Jockey
A person who rides horses professionally in a race is called a jockey. The word jockey comes from the Scottish proper name "Jack," meaning "boy" or "fellow." Professional jockeys have always been men until the late sixties. In 1968, a woman named Kathy Kusner went to court to become a jockey in America. In 1969, Diane Crump became the first woman jockey to ride in a race in North America. That year, several women jockeys began riding. These first women jockeys have all been very successful, but the name at the top of the list has to be Julie Krone.
Julie Krone was born on July 24, 1963, in Benton Harbor, Michigan. She grew up on a farm along with her brother, Donnie. Her father was an art teacher, and her mother was a horseback-riding instructor. Julie had a natural feel for horses. This became clear when her mother put two-year-old Julie on a horse she was trying to sell. She wanted the buyers to see how gentle the horse was. The horse trotted off, but Julie grabbed the reins and turned the horse around like a pro.
Julie's life on the Krone farm was anything but normal. Her parents let Julie and her brother run wild. The children were pretty much on their own when they weren't in school. Julie won her first riding event when she was five. By the time she was ten years old, she knew that she wanted to become a jockey. She continued to ride and perform tricks on the back of a horse until she reached age fifteen.
