Third Grade
Worksheets
Out In Front
What is a jockey? A jockey is a person. He rides horses in a race. He controls the horse. Willie Shoemaker was one of the world's most famous jockeys.
Willie (also called Bill) Shoemaker was born on August 19, 1931. He was born in Texas. Willie was born early. He weighed about two pounds at birth. Doctors told his mother that he would not live. He needed to be kept warm. Researchers say that he was kept warm by an oven. He was put in a shoe box. He was placed near a warm oven. He survived. Willie was always small. He grew to be four feet eleven inches tall. He weighed about ninety-five pounds. Little did he know that his small size would help him.
Willie's father was about six feet tall. He worked in cotton mills. He moved his family around. When Willie was seven, he moved to his grandfather's farm. His job was to get the mail. Willie rode a horse to the mailbox each day
