Horseracing injuries: an analysis of injuries resulting from professional horseracing in France during the period 1991-2001. A comparison with injuries resulting from professional horseracing in Great Britain during the period 1992-2001

Paul McCrory ^1*, Michael Turner ², Benoit LeMasson ³, Christian Bodere ⁴ and Alain Allemandou ⁴

¹ University of Melbourne, Australia
² The Lawn Tennis Association, United Kingdom
³ Chief Medical Adviser, France Gallop, France
⁴ Association de Formation et d'Action Sociale des Ecuries de Courses, France

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: paulmccr{at}bigpond.net.au.

Accepted 2 May 2006

Abstract

Background: It has been previously demonstrated that professional Jockeys suffer high rates of fatal and non-fatal injuries in the pursuit of their occupation. Little is known however on differences in injury rates between countries.

Aim: To determine the rate of fatal and non-fatal injuries in flat and jumps jockeys in France and to compare the injury rates with those in Great Britain and Ireland

Method: Prospectively collected injury data on professional jockeys were used as the basis of the analysis

Results: Limb fractures occur four times more commonly in both flat and jumps racing in French jockeys compared to GB and similarly dislocations are diagnosed twenty times more frequently in flat and three times more frequently in jumps racing. This difference is surprising given that French jockeys have less falls per ride than their British counterparts in flat racing although they do have more falls than the British in jumps racing. Similarly concussion rates seem higher in French jockeys although there may be a difference in diagnostic methods utilised in different countries. By contrast, soft tissue injuries account for a far smaller percentage of injuries as compared to the injury data from Great Britain.

Conclusion: There are striking differences in injury rates between countries which may be explained in part by a difference in track conditions (e.g. harder tracks) or different styles of racing (e.g. larger fields of horses per race).