Jockeys and Jeans

As an x-jockey from the days gone by, I can never remember when there was not a Massage Therapist in the Jock's room. These talented and great folks got many a Race Rider back in shape to go out and do their job. Barry

It’s time to raise the bar, by Julie Ramgeet, Horse Racing Today

Jockey’s..the most underrated, athletically diverse, accessible, sports athletes in the professional sports industry, and yet they still are struggling to be noticed and treated as such.   The public sees the highlights, the glorified wins with usually a very small percentage of the actual jocks colony in America, being the top 5% riders who usually get the most attention.  Not to take away from them, their accomplishments deserve the attention but more importantly than the praise, statistics online, and ITM percentages, something is lacking big time for these professional athletes and that is the basic standard of athletic necessity, that is not withheld across the board at all racetracks.  Do you know what the NFL does for the players inside the locker room?  Even with halftime only being about 7 minutes of downtime they are treated as athletes, not just someone putting on entertainment, and then when stepping into their private locker room goes forgotten about.   Bathroom breaks, of course, but also proper hydration being provided, stretching, medicine as Motrin provided by medical staff if needed, and staff making sure the players feel strong and ready to go back out and finish the rest of the game.  Why do these athletes and many more, NBA, MLB, Olympic teams, Golfers, etc get the basic care availability needed to perform at their best but our jockeys who ride horses 40mph, providing the thrill that comes with racing, along with the betting aspect that comes with the sport for the public, making money for the racetracks, by bringing in a handle and spectators, not deserve the same basic care?   Some would say the salaries of those NFL etc. players make the difference but then the point of the average handle generated across the United States, brought in by horse racing and simulcasting alone certainly holds weight in comparison.  Is it lack of funding causing the lack of both mental and physical support our jockey colonies need, or is it simply a lack of awareness, that jockeys are far more than what you see televised once or twice on TV during yearly feature events?

Let's start by bringing to light the daily struggles so many riders face that the public or even fans are not aware of.   Mornings start before the sun comes up, most jockeys are at the track waiting to work while the rest of America is just getting out of bed, they work in the mornings, hoping to get the mounts to be competitive at the call to post.   Some struggle with weight to maintain, a lot of them are away from their families and know no one, many relying on a weekly paycheck in hopes they are going to get that one special horse to take them up the ladder of the colony ranks to be noticed enough to get to a comfortable place to really be able to support their families and themselves.  A few hours off in between morning work and the race day card, then if they have mounts, reset their minds and pray for safety and success as they put their helmets on and head out to race.  Easy right?  Throw on some flashy silks, shiny boots, and a bright helmet, and get paid to ride horses.  Some would say that sounds like fun, they don’t realize the pressure that a jockey gets in just one race, let alone a full-time career.   Is the saddle on the right? Are girths tight? Do I need to pull braids out of the mane so I have something to grab? Is this horse sound? Feeling good under me? The trainer told me what to do. I hope the race plays out the right way.  Don’t drop your stick, keep your horse in a straight path, ride to win, oh yeah, and don’t forget to breathe.  Didn’t win?  Now they are faced with bringing their horses back with the potential to get harassed about their riding style or possibly not following directions all with the one fact forgotten usually, those who can tell a rider what they have done wrong often in a loss, usually have never ridden horses. Not to mention the influx of harassment jockeys now have to deal with off of the track, the great worldwide wide.  Jockeys, most of all that I have spoken to, have received threatening messages via social media.  Nasty, hateful, just downright mean messages.  Not thinking when pressing the send button, what is this person on the other end going through in their life.   It's not as simple as some make it seem and the riders, win or lose don’t get half the credit or attention they deserve as human beings let alone professional athletes, perhaps it's time we level up our way of doing things, with that brings change, is that too much to ask for or is it something that is long overdue?  

Proper weight loss and exercise equipment, i.e. saunas, whirlpools, treadmills, bikes, kitchen accessibility, on-site doctors, and physical therapists/masseuses, are just some of the available things in some of the jock's rooms across the country.  Did you read that right? Some.  Why are physical needs only being met in some of the rooms and not across the board in every jock's room in the United States?  Again, the argument of money will come into play, as purse comparison, location, and more, all of that should be categorized as excuses at this point when we are talking about the needs of, yes, professional athletes.   If their physical needs and accessibility to proper equipment are to no avail, with the mental pressures already being a daily struggle, that's when we get into dark waters with mental health coming into the forefront, adding unnecessary pressures to the riders of how well they manage weight and or physical fitness, when this could easily be provided by every single racetrack across the board.  

That’s right, mental health.  Something so commonly ignored in America and hardly ever spoken of on the backsides.  We are all far past the time of breaking the stigma of being afraid to speak out but yet so many of our own are still afraid to speak up!   You can’t love horseracing and not love the jockeys, who help make some of the most memorable moments even more special.  Creating a place for them all when they step inside their jockey room to go ride that gives them a sense of security, comfort, and safety should be of the utmost importance.  Educating riders on proper nutrition, opening kitchens in the rooms with chefs who serve healthy, energizing meals to keep them properly nutritionally sustained, while being able to maintain their riding weight.   Can you imagine the unloaded pressure that would dissolve from a rider who may be struggling with food, perhaps looking to lose weight in unhealthy ways, being presented with the opportunity to go to work, eat properly, not have to starve, and feel strong when they go to post?!  We are talking about one thing here that makes that available,  a chef/nutritionist in each jockey room.  

While I do believe riders always have medics available during racing and training hours for emergency services, let's raise that bar and include an onsite medic/doctor who is also a qualified mental health therapist.   Giving all of them the availability of talking to someone, because again, a lot of these jockeys do not have family here in the states, could make all the difference in not only their mental health but their success as well.  We expect them to go out and perform back-to-back at a top-tier level but then do the bare minimum when it comes to supporting them.  There is no reason why a rider should have these things in hand reach when racing in one state and then going to ride at a new track perhaps for just a day, or to relocate, and not having the exact same care and availability they once did.  Aren’t they just as important and valuable to our racing community in one town as they are in another?  Could a uniform system of physical and mental health be put in place at each and every racetrack to help better support our athletes?  Could racetracks become somewhat of a safe place for any jockey or horseman struggling with mental health? Supporting the fact that it's ok to be kind, check on each other, and talk to someone if you're having an “off” day?!  What negative impact, if these things were in fact put into place could come? I see none.

Julie Ramgeet

Horse Racing Today