Pound for pound, jockeys are among the world’s most elite athletes. Aboard thousand-pound animals, they hover over a tiny saddle, balancing their weight on their toes while also navigating through a collective of equine locomotives guided by similarly sized pilots. These men and women put their lives on the line daily, often fighting their own bodies to stay both small and strong enough to get the job done. Sometimes that battle asks too much and the rider must find a new outlet for their physical gifts.