THE likelihood of jockeys being forthcoming about the full extent of their injuries is slim, so the least we can do is try to protect them. While researching head injuries for a recent article, I came across a study about helmets titled: “Do equestrian helmets prevent concussion?” Before reading the study, my answer to that question would have been an obvious ‘yes’, but the results were eye-opening.

For this study, 216 helmets were collected – 176 from amateur jockeys and 40 helmets from professional jockeys, following falls, the damage to each helmet was recorded, along with each rider’s injury. The study shows 139 of the jockeys reported a head injury, but if we cast our minds back to my June 9th article on head injuries, that number is likely to be an understatement.