The Forgotten Athletes: Jockeys' Health reinvented

The pressures of life as a jockey are huge. They must get rides, win, keep their weight down, and recover from injury in time for their next pay day.

The death in June 2020 of rider Liam Treadwell from misadventure linked to depression is the tip of the iceberg with research by LJMU and Racing Welfare finding 87% of jockeys experiencing “stress, anxiety or depression” within the previous 12 months.

Work on jockeys' physical and mental health by sports physiologists and nutritionists at LJMU is going a long way to change traditional pressures on jockeys to be race-ready.

Dr George Wilson, himself a former jump jockey, talks here about his involvement and the impact of his work with Professor Graeme Close in our video ‘The Forgotten Athletes: Jockey’s Health reinvented’ launched today on our news and social media channels (Thursday, 19 May at 1pm).

Dr Wilson’s work with partners including The Racing Foundation has positively impacted the health of more than 400 jockeys and led to the widespread adoption of new practices across the industry.

Please feel free to use the video on your channels and reshare.

- Sport & Exercise Science at Liverpool John Moores University was rated second in the UK in the Research Excellence Framework 2021, with 96.2% of research studies rated ‘world leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’.