Resources are finally being directed at the alarming effects on jockeys of essential weight control. More broadly, racing has belatedly recognised that its human athletes have been starved of the scientific support that has long been offered to their equivalents in other sports.
Concerns over increases in self-induced vomiting, or “flipping”, were reported in The Times last month. Now, Jerry Hill, chief medical adviser to the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), has revealed research aimed at improving the lifestyle of jockeys, minimising cases of depression and alienating such practices.
“The elephant in the room is making weight,” Hill, 50, said. “Jockeys have to do it on a daily basis and don’t have the luxury of rehydrating before they compete. The biggest current concern is flipping. The solution is not to identify those who do it but to make it unnecessary, so it goes away naturally.”
Alongside an already advanced PhD study into jockey health and nutrition at Liverpool John Moores University, Hill’s team has instigated a two-week study of eight jockeys and their energy expenditure. “It is being done by analysing urine over a period of days.” Hill said. “By defining their essential attributes, we can then give them the scientific information they need.”
It is not before time but it comes with inbuilt challenges. Partly through historical neglect, jockeys have grown thick skins and independent spirits. The instinct of many is to rebel against measures that may be perceived as diluting their routines or depriving them of treats.
Advertisement
At Kempton Park last week, jockeys protested successfully against the withdrawal of fizzy drinks from the weighing room catering. It cannot have been that they failed to see the logic behind the change — such drinks are full of the sugar that dieting jockeys must avoid — but they objected to a dictatorial regime.
Hill is keenly aware of this issue, and of the need to work with the Professional Jockeys’ Association (PJA). “If, as a regulator, we make a rule without proper consultation, the natural instinct is to kick back against it,” he said. “Kempton was following the latest nutrition advice but nobody had taken the time to explain it to the jockeys.”
Communication and collaboration is vital to successful progress, a fact explored within the PhD study, commissioned by the BHA. “It goes live in October and one of its key aspects is how best to engage with jockeys,” Hill said. “We have to get the information across so that it is understood and translated in practice.”
A year into his role as the sport’s senior doctor, Hill offers an insight into the reasons why too many jockeys have fallen into bad habits and psychological problems. As he also works with professional footballers on a weekly basis, at Crawley Town and with England’s age-group squads, he is well placed to assess the differences.
“Even in lower league football, players have a network of doctors, sports scientists and psychologists,” he said. “They are also paid if they get injured. Most jockeys are self-employed and they haven’t had the support other athletes get. We are trying to change that.
Advertisement
“Athletes live to play their sport. That’s what makes them tick. Anything that threatens that can potentially lead to psychological problems, especially for the self-employed with financial drivers. Jockeys trying to control their weight can have issues of mood-swings and could show clinical markers of depression. If we get their nutrition right, we’ll be helping in this area, too.
“A lot of the habits and practices that jockeys currently follow, especially to make weight, have been learnt from their peers. It’s a culture that has grown over time, because jockeys have lacked advice.”
This is a stark admission by Hill and one that the sport needs to take seriously. Here is a man with broad sporting experience — he also headed up a medical team at Olympic equestrian events in 2012 — identifying that jockeys have been ignored over generations. Until quite recently, no one in authority has shown they cared for their welfare.
“Racing has lagged behind, we can’t pretend otherwise,” Hill added. “Other professional sports have moved forwards. We can’t create clubs of jockeys with an inbuilt support system but we can be intelligent about what we offer the individual.
“My hope is that jockeys who respond to what we’re doing will see both their performance and sense of wellbeing improve. Flipping, and other such habits, will become redundant. This is an exciting time. We’re starting to bring sports science to jockeys and to treat them like other elite athletes.”