Jockey Perception of Shoe and Surface Effects on Hoof-Ground Interactions and Implications for Safety in the Galloping Thoroughbred Racehorse

Abstract

Riding racehorses is a high-risk profession and optimizing safety alongside performance is paramount. Horseshoes play a critical role in providing traction with the ground surface and are therefore a major determinant of safety. However, the subjective perceptions of expert riders influence attitudes towards using different shoes and must be taken into consideration before any changes may be implemented. This study used a questionnaire-based method to evaluate jockey opinion of four shoeing conditions (aluminum, steel, GluShu, and barefoot) trialed at gallop over turf and artificial surfaces. Nine Lickert-style questions explored impact, cushioning, responsiveness, grip, uniformity, smoothness of ride, safety, adaptation period, and overall rating for each shoe-surface combination. A total of 94 questionnaires, based on 15 horse-rider pairs, were assessed using descriptive statistics and linear mixed models performed in SPSS (P < .05). Data indicate that shoe type significantly affected all question responses, with the exception of impact. Surface-type significantly affected perception of grip and safety. Overall, jockeys showed a preference for aluminum and steel shoes across both artificial and turf tracks. These rated "excellent" and were considered to be "very supportive" in approximately 80% of trials, with a 100% "active" response, good grip, and a quick adaptation period. In contrast, barefoot and GluShu conditions were generally considered "moderately supportive," with barefoot appearing favorable on the artificial surface. On turf, barefoot was deemed the least smooth and the only condition that jockeys sometimes marked "unsafe" (17% of responses). Future work aims to investigate the relationship between jockey opinion and hoof kinematic data.

Keywords: Jockey; Questionnaire; Racehorse; Shoeing; Surface.