Investigation of the Physiological Demands of Jockeys During Horse Racing and Development of a Standardised Sport Specific Fitness Assessment Protocol for the Horse Racing Industry

Despite the international popularity of horse racing, limited information exists on the relative physical demands of flat national hunt (NH) racing or the typical physical preparation strategies used by jockeys in preparation for horse racing. This project aimed to investigate race demands and preparation strategies of professional jockeys whilst also developing a standardised physical fitness testing battery for the horse racing industry. This study reinforced and extended previous research which suggested that horse racing is a physiologically demanding sport while providing novel data over multiple distances in both flat and NH racing. Jockeys do not appear to meet the high intensity nature of competitive racing while riding out and are not optimally prepared to meet the demands of racing.