Attendees from across the equestrian disciplines attended the inaugural Cross-Industry Concussion Symposium 2023 hosted by the Injured Jockeys Fund and British Equestrian
The inaugural Cross-Industry Concussion Symposium 2023, hosted jointly by the Injured Jockeys Fund and British Equestrian Federation (BEF), saw 100 attendees from across the equestrian disciplines in the UK gather at Cheltenham Racecourse on Friday 27th October.
With presentations from three key speakers -Dr Jerry Hill, Chief Medical Adviser for the BHA, Dr Anna-Louise Mackinnon, Lead Medical Adviser at the IJF and Chief Medical Officer for British Equestrian and Rosy Hyman, Racing Industry Concussion Practitioner - the objective of the Symposium was to look at the history, development and government guidelines around concussion and discuss best practice and shared learnings for a more collaborative approach moving forwards.
“One of the key issues is that concussion is largely invisible, and it is often not treated in the same way as a broken limb” said Dr Anna-Lousie Mackinnon “And yet correct diagnosis and recovery are vital to the rider being able to return to safely continue participating in their sport in whatever they do and at whatever level.”
Racing leads the way in concussion guidelines
Currently, racing is the most advanced of the equestrian sports with very specific guidelines around identifying concussions, baseline testing and recovery procedures before a participant can return to ride, albeit only on a racecourse and not to the same extent for staff in yards.
The BEF introduced general concussion guidance for equestrians as part of an education campaign this summer.
“Racing is fortunate in that we have over 20 years of awareness as to the implications of concussion and we are very keen to share those learnings and best practice with other equestrian disciplines” said Lisa Hancock, CEO of the IJF
“What was so encouraging today is that whilst we all know the logistical challenges this creates, everyone seems to want to work together using education and communication to improve things for the 1.8 million people that ride, regardless of skill, age, or discipline.”
“We need to promote the concept of collect responsibility with concussion” explained Dr Hill, Chief Medical Adviser for the BHA “You can’t have medical staff being the only people concerned, you need the support of other colleagues across the equestrian spectre, particularly decision makers and funders as some of the changes we need are structural. If you are the doctor, or first aider, you need support of the organisation behind you.”
Higher risk in returning too early
“We know that if you return too quickly, you are at a much higher risk of another injury” said Rosy Hyman, Racing Industry Concussion Practitioner
“So, the key focus must be what we call the four R’s – Recognise (the signs and symptoms). Remove (the injured person from all horse-related activities). Recover (until all symptoms have been resolved). Return (to ridden activity through gradual, stepwise process).”
This was also reflected in the findings of an Australian study published in the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport in June 2023; this University of South Australia report suggests extended recovery times may be needed for youth athletes suffering from head trauma as new research shows a concussion can increase future injury risk by 50%.
Jockeys share concussion experiences
Jockeys, past and present, including Tom Scudamore, Martin Dwyer, Tabitha Worsley, Kevin Brogan, and Harry Bannister, shared their experiences of concussion. They said that, in some incidents, you do not realise you have it and in some, you want to ‘cover it up’, ‘beat the Doctor’ and not lose rides.
However, they all acknowledged that riding with concussion is not only dangerous but will not have you performing at your best, and so as times move forwards, all jockeys and staff at yards are going to have to change attitudes and use the help at hand, especially at the IJF’s three centres. Concussion procedure will therefore start to become the norm.
“We at the IJF believe that we are very well placed to help others in equestrian sport to develop and follow good practice for the benefit of our participants and for the benefit of those who have some social and legal responsibility to those participants be they trainers, owners, or organisers” said William Norris, KC, Chairman of the IJF
“Everyone needs to understand and follow good practice, partly because it’s the right thing to do and partly because that is the way in which they can discharge their legal duty of care. It won’t be an overnight fix; it is a question of developing ways of educating and sharing our experiences across equestrian sport generally.”
