Chronic weight control impacts on physiological function and bone health in elite jockeys

Warrington, Giles D.; Dolan, Eimear; McGoldrick, Adrian; McEvoy, Johnson; MacManus, Caroline; Griffin, Michael J.; Lyons, Declan

doi:10.1080/02640410802702863

Cited by 63 publications

(86 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…17 Compared to other weight category sports, jockeys do not have a specified weight at which they must compete, instead jockeys must align their weight with that of the horse they ride in each individual race which may vary quite dramatically and results in constant weight cycling to allow the jockey to compete at the stipulated weight allocation. 5 This caused difficulties for the retired jockeys to specify an indicative body mass throughout their professional racing career. For this reason, inferences were drawn from BMI data on current professional jockeys.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Physiological and health characteristics of ex-jockeys

Cullen

Donohoe

McGoldrick

et al. 2016

Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Physiological and health characteristics of ex-jockeys

Cullen

Donohoe

McGoldrick

et al. 2016

Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport

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“…Participants consisting of an experimental group comprising 12 apprentice jockeys, and a control group (n = 12) completed 2 testing sessions (baseline and retrial) 48 h apart. All participants were requested to attend the first testing session in a euhydrated state, despite jockeys typically being dehydrated on a race day (Warrington et al, 2009). Jockeys were requested to consume fluid regularly and avoid the use of any weight-making practices prior to baseline testing as a safety precaution for the subsequent reduction in body mass.…”

Section: Study Design Overviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In Ireland, weight classifications for jockeys racing in flat races range from 52.7 to 64 kg and are inclusive of the saddle, clothing, riding boots and protective equipment required by the jockey. Such weight classifications are considerably below normal living weight and are not reflective of secular changes in mass and stature of today's population (Warrington et al, 2009). It has been reported that jockeys may be experiencing increased difficulty in achieving such a low body mass, particularly apprentice jockeys (Wilson, Drust, Morton, & Close, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…A strong reliance on rapid weight loss for competition is evident amongst jockeys, primarily achieved through dehydration by sweating in saunas or exercising in sweat suits, accompanied by severely restricted fluid and food intake (Dolan et al, 2011;Labadarios et al, 1993;Leydon & Wall, 2002;Moore, Timperio, Crawford, Burns, & Cameron-Smith, 2002). These weight-making practices appear to result in jockeys living and competing in a dehydrated and energy deficient state (Dolan et al, 2011;Warrington et al, 2009), which have been associated with many adverse implications for health (Dolan, Crabtree, et al, 2012;Greene, Naughton, Jander, & Cullen, 2013;Waldron-Lynch et al, 2010;Warrington et al, 2009), psychological status (Caulfield & Karageorghis, 2008) and physical performance (Dolan, Cullen, McGoldrick, & Warrington, 2013;Wilson, Hawken, et al, 2014) in jockeys.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

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The impact of making-weight on cognitive performance in apprentice jockeys

Cullen

Dolan

McGoldrick

et al. 2015

Journal of Sports Sciences

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Jockeys regularly engage in rapid weight-loss practices in preparation for competition. These practices are thought to impair cognitive function, although the evidence in support of this theory remains inconclusive. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of making-weight on cognitive function in apprentice jockeys in a simulated and competitive environment. Apprentice jockeys (n = 12) reduced their body mass by 4% in 48 h in a simulated environment using weight-loss methods typically adopted in preparation for racing. Simple and choice reaction time, attention, learning and memory were assessed before and after the weight loss. A further 10 apprentice jockeys performed the cognitive function assessment in a competitive racing environment at both a self-reported "normal" and "light" body mass. Hydration status and body mass were assessed in all trials. In the simulated environment, body mass was reduced by 4.2 ± 0.3%, yet no change in cognitive function was observed. Cognitive function also remained unchanged in the competitive environment after a body mass loss of 5.7 ± 1.9%. Typical reductions in body mass in preparation for racing have no effect on cognitive function in apprentice jockeys in a simulated and competitive environment. Further research is required to investigate the physiological mechanisms preventing the adverse effects of making-weight on cognitive function in jockeys.

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“…The author also acknowledges that there are human costs associated with thoroughbred racing (e.g. Hitchens et al 2009, Warrington et al 2009, Castañeda et al 2010, Bogdanich et al 2012, Benns 2013, Duffy 2013. The human impact is an important aspect of the sustainability of thoroughbred racing but its closer examination is beyond the scope of this paper.…”

Section: An Overview Of Some Of the Ethical And Welfare Issue In Thormentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainability, thoroughbred racing and the need for change

Bergmann¹

2015

PHK

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Summary: Globally, the thoroughbred breeding and racing industry is reporting a declining trend. A report commissioned by the Jockey Club in the US, known as the McKinsey report, explicitly linked the public's concern with animal welfare and the use of drugs to declining betting and attendance in the US. In various racing nations in Europe, in Australia and the US, thoroughbred racing is experiencing pressures from external sources and from within, with even industry participants calling for change. The industry is concerned with the integrity of racing. Structural changes, regulation and transparency in reporting are all issues identified in need of improvement in some racing nations. These are important issues and potentially contribute to better welfare outcomes. However, they do not address the principal question emerging from evolving social norms and values of whether thoroughbred racing is ethically justifiable, and if so, how it can be conducted so that it is socially acceptable. To address the declining trend, the McKinsey report framed the suggested strategies around the concept of sustainable growth and thus adopted the rhetoric of sustainable development. The research in this paper takes up the theme of sustainability and applies it to the thoroughbred industry. Elsewhere it has been shown that a focus on growth, as in the sustainable development model, is at the root of unsustainability. Therefore, it is argued in this research that an ecologically oriented sustainability framework is better suited to fully address the ethical and welfare issues in the industry. In this study, it is assumed that society, for the time being, accepts thoroughbred breeding and racing. Under this assumption, the concept of ecological sustainability is applied as a methodological tool by using it as a language system to investigate ethical and welfare issues in the thoroughbred industry. The following recommendations emerge from this research: There is the need for the industry to engage with issues of normativity and to develop alternative models of what constitutes success beyond winning a race. There is also need to advance knowledge production to better understand and respect the experience of thoroughbreds and thoroughbred knowledge systems, determinants of how to remain within the natural physical and emotional limits of the horse, the limits of human uses of horses, and how to promote the flourishing of horse and human-horse relationships in this industry. Engagement with these matters can better address issues of (un)sustainability and move the industry from an economically driven business and management model to a welfare driven model. The discussion of what constitutes a sustainable horseracing industry is inevitable. The question of the continuation of the use of thoroughbreds requires social negotiations in the interest of social sustainability. This is an ongoing dialogue as society's ethics and values evolve. It would appear that the thoroughbred industry can expect to greatly benefit from proactively engag...

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Chronic weight control impacts on physiological function and bone health in elite jockeys

Cited by 63 publications

References 30 publications

Physiological and health characteristics of ex-jockeys

Physiological and health characteristics of ex-jockeys

The impact of making-weight on cognitive performance in apprentice jockeys

Sustainability, thoroughbred racing and the need for change

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