Big Move Forward on Concussion Protocol

The Jockeys' Guild and Kentucky tracks hope to take a big step forward this year in rider concussion protocol.

Speaking at the Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit June 28 at Keeneland, Dr. Carl Mattacola, professor of athletic training and rehabilitation sciences at the University of Kentucky, outlined plans for the concussion protocol pilot study to be conducted in Kentucky. Mattacola said the Guild and Universtiy of Kentucky hope to have a point person hired soon who will oversee the program, set for a three-year pilot study.

The industry supported effort will redouble efforts to have riders participate in baseline studies that will assist physicians if those riders suffer a head injury. Jockeys will undergo a Sport Concussion Assessment Tool (SCAT 3) test to develop a baseline score so that pre- and post-fall responses can be compared. The SCAT3 is an instrument used to assess physical and cognitive function.

Mattacola said the plan, announced earlier this month, is to have all Kentucky riders participate in the tests each year and new riders who arrive in Kentucky also will be asked to participate. He said the goal is to start the program in Kentucky and then build on it regionally and nationally.

The University of Kentucky, Mattacola, and Kelly Ryan of MEDSTAR (launched in September 2015 by the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association and Maryland Jockey Club), have modified accepted recommendations on returning to sport to apply to riding. 

In contact sports the recommended stages to return to competition after a concussion call for a time of no activity, followed by light activity, specific sport exercises, non-contact drills specific to the sport, full contact practice, then return to play.

For riders returning to horse racing, the stages also begin with a period of no activity followed by light aerobic exercise (30 minutes on bike or jogging for instance), equine-specific exercise (for instance Equicizer), trotting a very safe horse (which helps the rider regain balance), exercise riding (lively gallop), and then return to competition.

Also at the Welfare and Safety summit, retired riders Chris McCarron and Ramon Dominguez along with Ontario racing official Gunnar Lindberg discussed use of the whip and its regulation.

McCarron and Dominguez both said that as their careers went on, they relied less on riding crops but both said some horses respond to its use.

"We're not talking about motorcycles. We're talking about horses...one size does not fit all," Dominguez said. "We need to educate fans about how the riding crop is actually beneficial. Just for safety reasons, if I'm on the back of a racehorse, I want to be sure one is in my hand."

McCarron said at his riding school he tries to teach proper use of riding crops. He said more education of young riders and even established jockeys is needed. He said it bothers him to see a rider whipping a horse who is well out of the money.

"It is important to strike a horse in the correct location," McCarron said. "We need more education for new riders and even veteran riders who use a style that hits the horse in the flank all the time."

Lindberg said that since rules have been put in place at Woodbine that limit a jockey's use of the crop to three hits before giving the horse time to respond—along with enforcement and stiff penalties for violators—riders have adjusted. He said the sport will have difficulty attracting new fans if it does not address to a public that increasingly opposes use of the riding crop.

"Since we've limited the number of strikes, horses are still running fast, still setting track records," Lindberg said. "Our sport is looking to increase its fan base; we're not going to increase it without addressing these issues."