Functional Stability and Fatigue Risk Factors in High-Performing Occupational Equestrian Athletes

Functional stability and fatigue risk factors in high-performing occupational equestrian athletes Abstract: The occupation of jockeying is one of the most dangerous jobs for elite athletes. It includes maintaining a low weight, traveling on a regular basis, and riding young animals in a group of other unpredictable horses at a speed of 35-45 mph. Despite the emphasis on risk and injury in this occupation, little research addresses fatigue-related risk factors for injury. No research has established how a typical workday influences functional stability in these workers. Additionally, little research evaluates how perceived and physical fatigue affects jockeys in a single day. The proposed project will establish preliminary data on jockey fatigue and how it affects stability in their racing position. Additionally, researchers will evaluate eventers, a group of equestrian athletes who ride in similar environments, but do not have the other stresses associated with jockeying. This will allow comparison of effects from fatigue in jockeys’ stability to eventers’ stability during high-performance work events. To accomplish this pilot project, a multidisciplinary team with comprehensive expertise in equestrian sports, sports medicine, and risk factor assessment has assembled and establishes data in two novel populations. Specifically, the aims of this pilot project include: 1) Quantifying jockey functional stability pre- and post- a typical racing day, 2) Quantifying evening professionals’ functional stability pre- and post- a typical cross-country trial, and 3) Evaluating relationships between self- reported lifestyle, fatigue risk factors and functional stability within and between occupational populations. The results of this pilot project will inform further studies with these non-standard work communities and provides description of baseline factors for interventions to promote well- being and safety of high-performing occupational equestrian athletes.