A Stop Horseracing Article from All-Creatures.org

Do You Care About the Jockeys' Mental Health?

FROM HorseracingWrongs.org
October 2024

They choose to do this (a luxury, obviously, not afforded to their partners, the horses). They are complicit in the killing of many hundreds of horses every year. In short, as long as they're in the business of hurting animals for profit, I care not a whit about their mental health.

At the "International Jockey Concussion, Safety and Wellness Conference" last week, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) and the Jockeys' Guild announced a partnership with an "athlete-specific" company to provide jockeys with mental health care. Said HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus in the Thoroughbred Daily News:

"Jockeys face immense physical and mental demands – and their mental health is critical to their long-term success and well-being. Jockeys are highly skilled professional athletes who confront unique stressors. By partnering with Onrise, we are providing jockeys with a safe space to connect with professional athlete peers who understand their experiences, offering them valuable support as they navigate the pressures of this demanding career."

I think you know what I'm going to say. One, jockeys are not "highly skilled professional athletes." With whips in their hands, they are garden-variety animal abusers. Two, those "stressors" and "pressures" – this "demanding career" – are wholly self-inflicted. They choose to do this (a luxury, obviously, not afforded to their partners). Three, they are complicit in the killing of many hundreds of horses every year. In short, as long as they're in the business of hurting animals for profit, I care not a whit about their mental health.

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Posted on All-Creatures.org: October 18, 2024
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