mental health

In an industry where the hours and expectations fall far outside of the typical 40-hour work week, peers are also your biggest competitors, and the fine line of balance between work and life can be nonexistent, the struggle with mental health is prevalent among the Thoroughbred industry's participants. However, growth of understanding through research, increased discussion and an expanded network of resources is hoping to change all of that, as shared in the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders' Association (ITBA)'s Mental Fitness and Resilience in the Thoroughbred Industry online seminar, held Wednesday...

Midwest-based jockey Alex Chanchari passed away Wednesday at the age of 29. His passing was confirmed in a tweet by Canterbury Park, where Canchari had 334 career winners. "Alex Canchari achieved his dream as a jockey, following in the footsteps of his father and brother," the tweet read. "The news of this talented and genuine young man's death has deeply saddened the Canterbury Park family." Though no cause of death had been revealed by Thursday morning, it appears that Canchari's death involved mental health issues. "My heart physically hurts," his...

Happy Blue Monday, if that's not a contradiction in terms. Some of us may feel that the whole of January is utterly foul, but someone, somewhere, once decided that the third Monday of this month was the most depressing day of the year, so here we are. Fear not, however, because if you need a little pick-me-up on this dark day then you could do worse than follow the Twitter account of trainer Fergal O'Brien (@OBMRacing), head of the most upwardly mobile National Hunt stable in Britain, which is guaranteed...

A new app making it easier for people in the UK racing industry to access 24/7 support was launched by Racing Welfare on Tuesday. The Racing Welfare app offers a range of information, advice and guidance including: Mental health Physical health Careers Advice and Training Services (CATS) Money matters Retirement Housing It is available for download at Google Play and The App Store. Racing Welfare's Regional Welfare Manager, Brian Watson said, "It's a super resource for anyone who might need to access our services--all the information you can get from...

The 2022 Mental Health Awareness Week campaign--that centers on loneliness this year--kicks off May 9 and continues through May 16. Racing Welfare, supporting the British horseracing workforce, launched the initiative to mirror the national initiative run by the Mental Health Foundation. Workplaces across the horseracing and Thoroughbred breeding industries are encouraged to set aside time during their working day to take part in the #TeaAndTalk initiative. Mental Health Awareness Week aims to promote open conversations on all aspects of mental health with Racing Welfare's campaign specifically raising awareness of the...

The Leaders' Line has been launched as a confidential support system for employers, leaders and managers working or self-employed in the British horseracing and Thoroughbred breeding industries. A webinar detailing the service will take place on Feb. 24. Industry Wellbeing Chair Simon Jones said, "Leaders and managers play a crucial role across the horseracing industry, often juggling the needs of their organisations and the wider sport, alongside being responsible for the wellbeing of their staff. While there is a broad range of support available for people working across the industry,...

Sponsored by 1/ST Racing    The TDN's 'Let's Talk'--a podcast series featuring TDN's Christina Bossinakis and TVG's on-air analyst Gabby Gaudet, offers candid discussion on personal, and sometimes difficult, topics that are often uncomfortable for many to speak about in an open forum.    The latest edition presents a trio of successful jockeys--Journeyman John Velazquez and retired Ramon Dominguez--both in the Hall of Fame--in addition to retired rider Richie Migliore, currently serving as a NYRA and FOX Sports on-air analyst. Few will dispute the fact that jockeys are the iron...

Few will dispute the fact that jockeys are the iron warriors of horse racing. Physical danger is a very real part of the everyday existence of a rider, as is the continual adversity they are forced to endure and adapt (and react) to. On this edition of Let's Talk, the TDN's Christina Bossinakis and TVG's on-air analyst Gabby Gaudet talk to a trio of top jockeys about the stresses they suffer on the job.

While racing seems to be scrambling for any piece of positive public perception it comes across, Sally Jane Mixon has a vision. She wants to save the lives of people across the country, and she wants to do it by bringing them to the backsides of racetracks to work with retired racehorses. "Mental health is a huge crisis right now everywhere you go," Mixon said. "The hope is to bring people who maybe have a bad taste in their mouth for racing and they'll come and work with off-track Thoroughbreds...

Irish Injured Jockeys has introduced a mental health app called Leafyard that provides tools, activities, and support to help all jockeys with any general mental health concerns. Research commissioned by the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board in 2019 and 2020 found that injured jockeys were 46 times more likely to meet the criteria for depression than non-injured jockeys and reported higher levels of dissatisfaction associated with meeting the criteria for distress and generalised anxiety. Ruby Walsh, former champion jockey and chairman of the Irish Injured Jockeys, said, "I suppose I wasn't...

As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, the subject of mental health seems to be working its way closer to the forefront of the news media and the public's attention. Data released by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention earlier this month revealed that as many as one in four people between 18 and 24 years of age surveyed between June 24 and 30 had had suicidal thoughts in the past 30 days. The study showed that 11% of adults in the general population had considered suicide during the...

Working in racing has always been a stressful occupation; a roller-coaster of emotions, triumphs and tragedies, long hours and travel. Add a global pandemic and unprecedented economic worry, with many participants fearing for their health, livelihoods and businesses, and the stress can become almost overwhelming. It's the sort of topic many people don't like to talk about, but we asked several industry participants to open about what particular GRAHAM MOTION  It is a stressful sport to be involved in, but at the end of the day, it's still a sport....