An impost is the weight that must be carried by a horse in a race. Horses carry lead weights during the course of a race as a form of handicap. Such a race is also sometimes termed a “handicap.” These weights supplement a jockey’s weight to give a horse his assigned impost. The jockeys use saddle pads with pockets called lead pads to hold the lead weights.

These riding weights are assigned by the racing secretary based on factors such as performances, distance so as to equalize the chances of the competitors.

The weight for age scale was introduced by Admiral Rous, a steward of the Jockey Club. In 1855 he was appointed public handicapper. In that role he introduced the weight-for-age scale.^[1]

Notes

1. ^ Wood, Greg, ”End of an era as Jockey Club falls on own sword“, The Guardian, Monday April 3, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-04-17.

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