Gambling terms, explained straight

Racing & Pari-Mutuel

Horse racing weights explained

Horse racing weights are the total weight a horse must carry in a race, including the jockey and any equipment, set by race conditions or a handicap system.

Also called
impost (in handicap racing)
Apprentice allowance
7 lb on the Flat, reducing to 5 lb after 20 wins, 3 lb after 50 wins, gone after 95 wins1
2022 minimum riding weight rise
Flat: 8 st to 8 st 2 lb; Jumps: 10 st to 10 st 2 lb2

Key points

  • In a handicap, better horses carry more weight to level the chances of every runner winning.3
  • Jockeys weigh out before a race and weigh in after it; lead is added if the jockey is lighter than the required weight.4
  • Weights also apply in conditions races, set-weights contests and weight-for-age events, not only handicaps.5

Where this term is used

Not the same as

  • Horse racing betting — a set of wager types on race outcomes, not the physical burden a horse carries
Racing Horse racing odds explained How betting odds are displayed and calculated in horse racing. Racing Horse racing program explained What information is in a race program and how to read it. Racing Handicap horse racing A race type where horses carry different weights to equalise chances. Racing Going horse racing The condition of the racing surface and how it affects performance. Racing Form horse racing A record of a horse's recent performances used to assess its chances. Racing Furlong horse racing A unit of distance equal to one-eighth of a mile, used in race lengths.

Sources

  1. How handicap weights are determined britishhorseracing.com Provides apprentice allowance figures and the BHA's weight-setting rules.
  2. BHA confirms raising of riding weight for jockeys on Flat and over ... britishhorseracing.com Confirms the 2022 increases to minimum riding weights.
  3. Handicapping | British Horseracing Authority britishhorseracing.com Explains how handicap weights are used to equalise chances.
  4. Weighing In & Out | Racing Explained thejockeyclub.co.uk Describes the weigh-out and weigh-in procedures.
  5. What is a Handicap Race? | Racing Explained thejockeyclub.co.uk Defines handicap races and notes that weights apply in other race types.

Sources are drawn from regulators, universities and published research, and each one is labelled with what it actually is — a preprint is not called a paper. Bookmaker and affiliate pages are never cited here, because a page that sells betting is not a neutral authority on it.

Written and maintained by Ellis Warrender, writer and maintainer.

Last updated 28 July 2026. Spotted an error? Tell me and it gets fixed and logged on the corrections page.