This article presents and analyses injury incidence rates for amateur and professional racing jockeys in Ireland, France and Britain by means of a retrospective study and review of published data. Amateur jump racing was seen to have the highest fall risk in these three countries (between 115 and 140 falls/1000 rides). Jump racing also had the highest rates of injury/ride amongst both amateur and professional jockeys. Flat racing, however, had the highest rates of injuries/fall (34-44%). Of all the injuries in both jump and flat racing populations of amateur and professional jockeys, 15% were concussive head injuries, and more than half of these involved loss of consciousness. Professional jump jockeys in Ireland fell less frequently than those in France or Britain. Their injury/fall rate and injury/ride rate were highest in Britain. Professional flat racing jockeys in France had the lowest rates of injuries/fall and injuries/ride, while those in Ireland had the highest.

Objectives: To provide a breakdown of injury incidence from amateur jump racing (also known as point to point racing) in Great Britain and Ireland during 1993-2006 and to compare the injury epidemiology with professional horse racing in Great Britain, Ireland and France. Design: Retrospective review. Setting: Great Britain and Ireland. Participants: Amateur jockeys. Main outcome measures: Injury rates. Results: Injury data suggest that point to point racing is more dangerous from an injury point of view than professional jump racing, which has previously been shown to be more dangerous than flat racing. Amateur jockeys have more falls than their professional counterparts, and this in turn puts them at greater risk of sustaining more serious injuries. Conclusions: Amateur (point to point) jockeys represent a sporting population that previously has been little studied. They represent a group at high risk of injury, and hence formal injury surveillance tracking and counter measures for injury prevention are recommended.