To the untrained eye, a jockey looks like they are sitting on the horse. In reality, they are hovering.
To maintain their riding weight, modern employ nutritionists and cryotherapy, but the old habits of saunas, diuretics, and starvation still linger. A jockey might lose three to five pounds of water weight in a steam room mere hours before a race, only to rehydrate immediately after the finish line. This yo-yo effect is brutal on the kidneys and bone density. Yet, to stay competitive, they cannot grow. jockey
According to the University of Liverpool, a jockey falls once in every 240 rides. That is a catastrophic injury rate. One in 1,000 falls results in a fatality or permanent paralysis. In the US, the Jockeys' Guild reports that two to three jockeys die from racing injuries annually. To the untrained eye, a jockey looks like