Study Shows Jockeys in CA Riding in Quarter Horse Races Had Greater Fall/Injury Rates Than Those Riding in Thoroughbred Races
Preventing injuries to horse racing jockeys
Steps to prevent injuries to racehorses could also reduce the number of jockeys injured or killed in the United States, according to a study by researchers at the University of California, Davis, published June 11 in the Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine.
Postdoctoral scholar Peta Hitchens, associate professor Ashley Hill and professor Susan Stover from the J.D. Wheat Veterinary Orthopedic Research Laboratory at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine analyzed data on falls and injuries to jockeys that occurred at race meetings from January 2007 to December 2011.
The study showed that in California, jockeys riding in Quarter Horse races had greater fall and injury rates than those riding in Thoroughbred races. A jockey riding in California can expect to have a fall every 318 rides in Quarter Horse races and every 502 rides in Thoroughbred races, with more than half of falls resulting in a substantive injury to the jockey.
“Catastrophic injury or sudden death of the horse was reported as the most common cause of jockey falls in both Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse races,” Hitchens said.
Although jockey injury rates were similar to those reported by other countries, the high proportion of jockey falls that were a result of horse fatality is a cause for concern, the authors say.
The research findings support the need to implement strategies that are aimed at preventing horse injuries and fatalities, as this will in turn lead to a reduction in jockey falls and injuries, Hitchens said.
The findings of the study are available online at www.ojsm.org.
About UC Davis
For more than 100 years, UC Davis has engaged in teaching, research and public service that matter to California and transform the world. Located close to the state capital, UC Davis has more than 33,000 students, more than 2,500 faculty and more than 21,000 staff, an annual research budget of nearly $750 million, a comprehensive health system and 13 specialized research centers. The university offers interdisciplinary graduate study and more than 100 undergraduate majors in four colleges — Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Biological Sciences, Engineering, and Letters and Science. It also houses six professional schools — Education, Law, Management, Medicine, Veterinary Medicine and the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing.
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