Kentucky Derby Museum

Fearless female jockeys and their journey to break down barriers in Thoroughbred racing take center stage in the Kentucky Derby Museum’s new exhibit, “Right to Ride”opening October 16.

“Right to Ride” puts a spotlight on the stories of female jockeys, from trailblazers like Diane Crump, to modern day jockeys like Rosie Napravnik and Donna Barton Brothers.

Female jockeys of the 1960s and 1970s had one thing in common: they just wanted to ride horses. But they faced gender discrimination and rules that didn’t allow for them to do what they loved.

This exhibit centers around their stories of fighting for their Right to Ride in Thoroughbred racing. Between October 2019 and March 2020, the Museum’s team amassed more than 20 hours of oral history interviews with female riders who had an impact on American horse racing. The interviews form the centerpiece of the exhibit.

Accompanying the oral history footage are artifacts, photographs, and print media that provide deeper engagement with the personal careers of women in the saddle and the era which made their breakthroughs possible.

Read the full article here.