Tod Sloan

Tod Sloan (born August 10, 1874, near Kokomo, Indiana, U.S.—died December 21, 1933, Los Angeles, California) was an American jockey, who popularized the “monkey crouch” riding style, which at first was derided but later was adopted by most jockeys. He was a colourful, self-assertive personage, but he squandered his considerable earnings and died in poverty.

Sloan’s nickname of “Tod” (he inaccurately stated that his full name was James Todhunter Sloan) was originally “Toad,” referring to the appearance his disproportionately short legs gave him. Because of his unusual build, he found it convenient to use short stirrups and to ride low, with his head almost resting on the horse’s neck. Although the riding style had been developed much earlier, dating at least to the African American slave and jockey Abe Hawkins (died 1867), the majority of jockeys evidently copied it from Sloan.

Sloan raced first in the Midwest. After winning many races in the United States for William Collins Whitney’s stable, he went to England in 1896, and the next year he became rider for the stable of the prince of Wales, afterward King Edward VII. In 1901 the English Jockey Club denied him a riding license because of unspecified “conduct prejudicial to the best interests of the sport,” and by 1906 he had been ruled off the turf everywhere. After an unsuccessful motion-picture career, he died impoverished.

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