Journal Articles

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/7915

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    Relationship between experience and head kinematics in race riding jockeys
    (Springer Nature Limited, London, 2025-04-26) Legg KA; Cochrane DJ; Gee EK; Chin Y-Y; Rogers CW
    Thoroughbred race-riding requires jockeys to attenuate horse movement and maintain postural stability whilst galloping at high speeds. This study aimed to investigate the head movement of jockeys in relation to race-riding experience. Accelerometer and heart rate data were collected from twelve apprentice and two senior jockeys during 85 exercise rides and 82 trial rides. Mean head displacements were determined for each jockey by double integrating the filtered acceleration data. A mixed effect multivariable linear regression model was used to investigate the relationship between jockey experience, physiological variables and head kinematics. The median (IQR) head displacement was higher for exercise riding (0.12 m, 0.09–0.14 m) than trial riding (0.06 m, 0.05–0.09 m). Jockey head displacement decreased with increasing speed of the horse (p < 0.001) and greater jockey experience (p = 0.007). Higher exercise load had a greater effect on head displacement with less experienced jockey’s (p = 0.02). The effect of speed was lower for trial riding than exercise riding (p < 0.001). More experienced jockeys had a greater ability to attenuate horse oscillation than inexperienced jockeys. This ability became more pronounced at higher exercise loads, reflecting a higher level of physical fitness and riding skill level. Measurement of jockey head displacement may provide a simple measure of assessing jockey race-riding ability or fitness.
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    Preliminary Examination of the Biological and Industry Constraints on the Structure and Pattern of Thoroughbred Racing in New Zealand over Thirteen Seasons: 2005/06-2017/18
    (MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2021-10) Legg KA; Gee EK; Cochrane DJ; Rogers CW; Peterson M
    This study aimed to examine thirteen seasons of flat racing starts (n = 388,964) in the context of an ecological system and identify metrics that describe the inherent characteristics and constraints of the New Zealand Thoroughbred racing industry. During the thirteen years examined, there was a 2-3% per year reduction in the number of races, starts and number of horses. There was a significant shift in the racing population with a greater number of fillies (aged 2-4 years) having a race start, and subsequent longer racing careers due to the inclusion of one more racing preparation post 2008 (p < 0.05). Additionally, there was an increasingly ageing population of racehorses. These changes resulted in more race starts in a career, but possibly because of biological constraints, there was no change in the number of race starts per season, starts per preparation, or days spelling between preparations (p < 0.05). There was no change in the proportion of horses having just one race start (14% of new entrants), indicating that the screening for suitability for a racing career remained consistent. These data identify key industry parameters which provide a basis for future modelling of intervention strategies to improve economic performance and reduce horse injury. Consideration of the racing industry as a bio-economic or ecological model provides framework to test how the industry may respond to intervention strategies and signal where changes in system dynamics may alter existing risk factors for injury.
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    Reproductive production constraints within the New Zealand racing industry
    (2016) Rogers CWW; Gee EK; Bolwell CF
    The New Zealand Thoroughbred industry has seen rationalisation in response to changes in the domestic market and more recently the Global Financial Crisis (GFC). To quantify changes in production, end-of-season reproductive data for active Thoroughbred sires were extracted for the 1989/90 to 2011/12 breeding seasons. There were reductions in the numbers of mares bred and foals produced (10,176 mares & 5,882 foals vs. 5,826 mares & 3,927 foals, respectively in 1989/90 and 2011/12 seasons) resulting in a greater relative proportion of foals registrations (57% vs. 67%). During this period, the number of active sires decreased (265 vs. 94) and number of mares per sire increased (33 IQR 18-53 vs. 49 29-91). The 2007/08 season (GFC) was associated with an acute reduction in the number of shuttle stallions imported for breeding (from 23% in 2006/07 to 11% of active sires in 2007/08), and a temporary increase in number of mares bred (13%), in response to the 2007 Equine Influenza outbreak in Australia. The proportion of sires covering >100 mares per season increased from 6% (1989/90) to 25% (2011/12). Despite the reduction in active broodmares during the same period (43%), there has not been a proportional decrease in export numbers (24%) or domestic numbers of horses racing (6.5%).