Tag: Videos

The past several weeks have seen a rise in mainstream media coverage of racing fatalities in the lead-up to this year's Kentucky Derby and Preakness. So far, nine horses have died at the Churchill Downs spring meet, while the Preakness undercard saw one fatality from the same barn as Preakness winner National Treasure.

All this raises questions — not for the first time — about horse racing's social license to operate. “Social license” refers to the tolerance of society for an industry or activity, as well as the public's comfort level with that industry or activity.

Horse racing isn't the only equine sport that struggles with questions about its social license to operate. Social license has become a topic of discussion within the U.S. Equestrian Federation and the Federation Equestre International in recent years.

David O'Connor is a team and individual Olympic medalist in the sport of eventing and since retiring from competition has been involved in leadership of USEF, which is the governing body for a range of equine Olympic and non-Olympic sports.

On this week's episode of The Friday Show, editor in chief Natalie Voss and news editor Chelsea Hackbarth asked O'Connor about how the discussions around social license have evolved in equine sport, and what USEF members are learning from racing's public struggles.

Watch this week's episode of The Friday Show below:

The post The Friday Show Presented By The Jockey Club: David O’Connor On Equine Sport’s Social License To Operate appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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“The life of the jockey has always been difficult, but the recent death of jockeys Avery Whisman and Alex Canchari by suicide have the racing industry asking itself tough questions about why it's so challenging – and who can help,” writes Natalie Voss, editor in chief of the Paulick Report, in her two-part series earlier this week on the mental health challenges facing jockeys.

Obviously, there are physical pressures as well – the dangers from the inevitable falls and the struggles to maintain a low enough weight. For many riders, especially those competing at tracks with lower purse levels, there are financial challenges, too, especially in a game where you lose far more often than you win and even the best riders go through slumps. Add to that the relatively new phenomenon of criticism from fans and horseplayers on social media.

As jockey Ferrin Peterson said, “It's a snowball effect.”

Links to the series:

Part 1: Not A Job, But A Lifestyle
Part 2: 'They're Human Beings, They're Not Machines

In this week's Friday Show, three-time Eclipse Award winner Voss and Remi Bellocq – executive director of BCTC Equine in Lexington, Ky., a program that prepares students for a career in the horse industry as jockeys and other jobs – join publisher Ray Paulick to share their insights on the challenges of one of the sports world's toughest and most dangerous jobs.

Watch this week's episode of The Friday Show below:

The post The Friday Show Presented By The Jockey Club: Mental And Physical Challenges Facing Jockeys appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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