Women had been riding racehorses in assorted races for decades, some openly, others disguised as men. Once licensure became required for riding in recognized
parimutuel races, women were generally discouraged from applying or denied licensure, even in locations where women were not explicitly barred. The "modern era of female jockeys" began when
Olympic equestrian and
show jumping competitor
Kathy Kusner, who had also ridden as a jockey, successfully sued the Maryland Racing Commission for a jockey's license in 1967 under the
Civil Rights Act. She won her case in 1968 and became one of the first women to be licensed in the United States, though an injury prevented her from racing at the time. In late 1968,
Penny Ann Early was the first woman to earn a mount as a licensed Thoroughbred jockey in the U.S., but when she entered three races at
Churchill Downs in November, the male jockeys announced a boycott of those races, and so she could not ride. On 7 February 1969,
Diane Crump was the first licensed woman rider to ride in a parimutuel Thoroughbred race in the United States at
Hialeah Park Race Track in
Florida. She required a police escort to get to the
paddock. Two weeks later, on 22 February at
Charles Town in
West Virginia, Barbara Jo Rubin became the first licensed woman to win a race in the modern era. == References ==