Safety and education underpin all aspects of work undertaken by the Medical Department of the British Horseracing Authority. These are co-ordinated by Dr Michael Turner, the Chief Medical Adviser and as a result of the initiatives introduced since 1992, jockeys riding today are far more aware of the levels of fitness and the dietary regimen required for race riding. In addition, the problems of returning to action too soon after injury are now clearly appreciated by all involved in the sport.

"Owners and trainers are worried if there is the slightest thing wrong with their horse," says Michael Turner, "but the jockey is expected to turn up an hour before racing and be 100% fit, every day a week for the whole season. A horse is allowed an off-day, but not a jockey because he runs the risk of losing his livelihood."

The responsibilities of the Medical Department include:
Injury monitoring - The Medical Department maintains a database on all jockeys' injuries - including those incurred off the racecourse - which forms the basis of a computerized Medical Record system. Dr Turner monitors the progress of injured jockeys to ensure that they only return to race ride once it is safe for them to do so.

Head injuries are often the most dangerous, and therefore there is a particular procedure in place for jockeys returning to race ride following concussion. Racing is the only non-team sport operating a standardized concussion management program in the world. The programme was introduced in October 2003 and has proven to be highly effective and popular. All jockeys are required to undergo baseline neuro-psychological screening at one of the 9 Regional Centres - prior to the granting of a licence. Following a concussive incident, a specialist reassesses the rider and a comparison is made of his/her repeat neuro-psychological tests against the baseline values. When these have returned to normal, the jockey is allowed to return to race riding.
This system has been recognised internationally and has created enormous interest within the field of sports medicine. The Chief Medical Adviser has been an invited speaker at the 2nd World Congress on Concussion hosted by the International Olympic Committee, FIFA and the International Ice Hockey Federation at Prague in November 2004 and has presented on the topic at the 1st World Congress on Sports Injury Prevention at Oslo in June 2005.

Raceday medical care – The British Horseracing Authority sets the standards of medical care that each racecourse must provide on every raceday and carries out regular 'medical inspections' of racecourses to ensure that the Instructions are being complied with. To view the standards (BHA General Instruction 11), please click here

Drug testing of jockeys - this is co-ordinated by the Chief Medical Adviser and is carried out on behalf of the British Horseracing Authority by Medscreen, the largest provider of employment based drug screening in Europe. The emphasis is on testing jockeys for any product that is performance impairing (e.g. alcohol, cocaine and cannabis). Unlike some sports where the use of a proprietary nasal decongestant could result in a lengthy suspension, the focus is on providing a safe arena for competition in the most dangerous of all professional sports. Any impairment of performance could not only pose a serious risk to the safety of the jockey concerned but it could also put other jockey’s lives at risk. Details on banned substances can be found here.

Testing days are split between breathalyser-only testing days and urine-only testing days. On a breathalyser testing day, all the jockeys riding at that particular meeting will be tested, and anyone failing the test twice will be stood down from riding for the day. Further disciplinary action will depend on the levels of alcohol found. On urine testing days, up to 12 riders are chosen by ballot and the urine is tested for performance impairing drugs as mentioned above.

In 2007, 452 urine samples were taken on-course, alongside 394 breath tests. There was one positive sample for banned substances, and four positive tests for alcohol on the breathalyser. There were 115 tests carried out at the two Racing Schools for which there were no positive samples.

Medical Standards of Fitness to Ride (or Licences)– The Medical Department first published Medical Guidelines for Fitness to Ride in 1993 and after extensive international review, the current Medical Standards were issued in 1998. These apply to all jockeys, whether professional or amateur, and can be found here.

Jockeys’ Protective Equipment – as well as monitoring jockeys’ injuries, The Chief Medical Adviser is also involved in the evaluation and equestrian use of personal protective equipment (PPE)

Body Protectors - After a lengthy period of consultation, a new European Standard for body protectors was published in March 2000 (EN 13158:2000). Incorporated into the standard is a category which is specifically reserved for race riding - Level One. The inclusion of this level was only achieved after extensive lobbying by the racing authorities and SATRA.

Helmets - The existing European Standard (EN 1384:1996) is under review and an enhanced standard has been proposed by the EU. Head injuries continue to be a major concern in equestrian sport and research in this area is being undertaken by the racing authorities in Ireland, GB and France.

Racecourse Physical Therapy – Approximately 30% of racecourses now employ physical therapists to work on racedays and the racing industry also funds a team of therapists who cover another 25% of racecourses. This scheme is now administered by the JAGB but founded in 1993 as the “Flying Physios” by Dr Michael Turner, Mary Bromiley and Michael Caulfield of the JAGB.  The Jockey Club Charities initially provided 100% funding for the project and once established, the operation of the scheme was taken on by the Injured Jockeys Fund. After 13 years of charitable support, direct financial support from the industry was finally agreed in 2006.