Dr. J on obesity and horse racing
Contributor: “Dr. J”Dr. J offers his irreverent, slightly irrelevant, but possibly useful opinions on health and fitness. A Florida surgeon and fitness freak with a black belt in karate, he runs 50 miles a week and flies a Cherokee Arrow 200.
A few years ago on a trip to Boston, after arriving late and hungry, I asked the manager at the hotel if there were any restaurants open that late in the area. Luckily, he said there was a small pub only a short walk from my lodging that served sandwiches and was still open for a few hours!
It was classic old-time Boston! Dark, yet homey and inviting, despite it being nearly one hundred years old! Going up to the small sandwich bar, I was happily greeted by an elderly Bostonian gentleman.
Dr. J’s 100-year-old horse Zalau from calorielab on Vimeo.
“Welcome! What can I get for you?” He asked in an accent that was very different from the “y’all” I was used to.
I ordered from the numerous menu listings on the wall behind him. “Excuse me,” he queried, “but I was just wondering. Are you a jockey?”
(Can’t say I’ve ever heard that one before, though with my horse and years of riding I felt like one.) I broke into a big smile!
“Sorry, no, but perhaps in my next career I’ll give it a try!” We both laughed! “Why did you ask that?,” I asked?
“We’re having a big race in town this weekend at the horse track, and almost everyone else that’s come in tonight is a jockey, so I just thought you might be one too,” he said with an innkeeper’s smile!
Overweight kids won’t grow up to be jockeys
I hadn’t thought much about that day until recently, when I saw an article about obesity with the title: “Next generation of jockeys threatened by child obesity.”
It is ever apparent that we are living in a world constantly challenged to solve the problems caused by our changing physical dimensions. Obesity can have far-reaching effects into every corner of our lives, even little-considered areas, such as the horse racing industry.
Research suggests that child obesity and the fear of doing hard physical labor is preventing today’s teenagers from becoming the next generation of jockeys and stable workers.
“They are unable or unwilling to withstand the rigors of mucking out and riding for hours each day.” says Deborah Butler PhD, who conducted the research.
(I can’t say the I am a big fan of mucking out either, but although it’s a dirty job, someone’s got to do it, and my horse is not presently volunteering for the task. Though he may think that he is already contributing to the muck part! Must be his regal upbringing, something that I have not experienced!)
Not the typical PhD!
Dr. Butler not only has a PhD and tutors part-time at the University of Warwick, she also gets up at 4:45 a.m. four days a week to work at a stable, mucking out and washing off the horses, and riding them three hours a day.
She said that stable workers need to be fit and used to physical labor, and calls the decline in fitness and increase in size of today’s youth worrying. Jump racing jockeys usually weigh around 125 pounds, while flat racing jockeys are around 112 pounds. (I know my horse appreciates a low load.)
“We all know about growing obesity levels among young kids,” Butler said.
The industry is definitely going to hell in a hand basket, or maybe a large steamer trunk.
It seems to me that if no other solution can be found, perhaps the Budweiser Clydesdales can expand into running the Kentucky Derby in the future!
(Send your questions for Dr. J to calorielab@gmail.com or leave a comment. If your question is used by Dr. J, CalorieLab will send you a $25 Dining Dough restaurant certificate — limited to U.S. residents. More Dr. J posts can be read in our archives.)
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December 4th, 2008 at 10:37 am
Does a jockey pay better than Dr? just wondering.
December 4th, 2008 at 11:07 am
Dr J,
This example of how overweight individuals causes a huge effect (no pun intended) horse racing parallels my post today. (I’m sorry for my shameless plug.) The cost of doing any business is changing dramatically because of the epidemic of obesity in our country. This is one more that can be added to a whole industry that suffers from weight control.
December 4th, 2008 at 11:13 am
It’s amazing how far reaching the effects of the childhood obesity epidemic are, isn’t it? So sad.
December 4th, 2008 at 12:04 pm
I am sure even though there are plenty of fat people in the world (and will continue to be due to the prevalence cheetos, sugar cereals, fats, TV and video games) that there will still be enough whimpy-ass (no offense to smaller, tiny, jockey-style people) people to ride a race horse.
The article would have been just as safe by saying “Future Generations Threatened by Childhood Obesity. Why narrow down to jockeys? Lawyers, nurses, janitors will all be threatened. While the author is at it, he could write about TV threatening our future generations, murder threatening our future generations, people in government positions who don’t care/or plan well for saving folks living in hurricane-prone areas are a threat to the next generation.
How about crappy food being a threat? Or the corn lobby being a threat to jockeys? We eat crap, we watch crap, we live in crap and for that matter, war is a threat to the next generation too.
Okay, off my bitch rant.
love,
POD
December 4th, 2008 at 12:15 pm
jh!
I agree about the horse racing industry, as I wrote about in this post:
http://fitarella.com/?p=154
Dr. Hubbard!
Don’t know about the pay scale, but I imagine the malpractice insurance is much less :-)
Tom!
Thanks for your comment! Of course I agree.
Sahar!
It’s the tip of a large iceberg!
POD!
You sound like me in my “hopeless” column! Sorry if it was catching. I’m better now, I hope :-)
December 4th, 2008 at 12:23 pm
Not exactly. I don’t feel hopeless etc. I am annoyed at this idea that obesity ruin the jockey industry. It’s like who cares except that one episode of The Girls Next Door when Hugh Hefner took them to the Kentucky Derby.
Obesity is a boon for other industries including the medical ‘industry’. Huge toilets, enormous beds, big huge coffins even larger urns for the ashes, not to mention the food industries and all the jobs affected by those industries.
We have to have some perspective. I’m just not all that excited about a horse race and a bunch of tiny guys.
haha
December 5th, 2008 at 8:47 am
Agree a bit with POD, but I see where Dr. J is going here, and it’s not a slam-dunk, but more an outsiode shot from inside the 3 point line (sorry). I think this scenario is a reasonable mile marker in knowing where we are on the road to obesity. I never prop my own website or news column (NEVER) by way of other’s, but if Dr. J will indulge, the link below is one I just happened to write this week, and I believe it’s relevant in this discussion. http://emergefit.com/articles/F_Evolution.htm
December 5th, 2008 at 9:23 am
Like others, I don’t particularly mourn the potential loss of horse racing as a sport, but do think it’s fascinating/scary to see the continuing evidence of the obesity epidemic.
The part about fearing physical labor was especially interesting. Not that I’m lining up to do it either! But just that even wanna-be jockeys aren’t willing to do it like they used to seems a sign of the times.
December 5th, 2008 at 10:38 am
Roy!
Always did like shooting from the outside!
Crabby!
Yes! Horse racing was merely the light vehicle of the story to illustrate the changes that are occurring. The avoidance of the physical permeates our society, and is rarely a good thing for a physical creature. My horse, for example, just runs for fun sometimes! Maybe he’s got a deeper reason, but I think it just feels good to him.
December 5th, 2008 at 10:53 am
Something I wouldn’t have thought of before! It really makes you wonder how many jobs are going to be having problems with them in the next 10 or 20 years simply because of the obesity epidemic in children right now… that’s a scary thought.
I used to dream about being a jockey. I love riding and I’m small enough for it hehe. If only it weren’t so expensive to actually go and become a jockey!
That is so cool that you rode horses and all.
December 5th, 2008 at 11:22 am
Ha! I like the pay question by Dr. Hubbard…….nice one Dr. J, I missed your posts! I am updating my blogroll….do you mind if I include you?
December 5th, 2008 at 12:42 pm
Sagan!
Yes, I love to ride!! Did you ever hear, “The best thing for the bottom of a person is the top of a horse!”? I love the story told by the first female jockey to win the Kentucky Derby. I’ll have to use it in a post somehow.
Mark!
Thank you!! Of course, add me to the blog roll! Some jockeys make a lot of money, I’m sure.
December 5th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
Sagan!
My bad, Julie Krone won the Belmont Stakes, as the only female jockey to win a triple crown race!!!
December 5th, 2008 at 3:12 pm
Childhood obesity scares me and saddens me even more than adult obesity. My heart goes out to the children, and I’m worried about the implications to our society.
December 5th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
Check out SoG’s post today; http://www.Sog.com
December 5th, 2008 at 3:27 pm
ehrrrr. http://www.sonofgrok.com. Sorry SoG
December 5th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
Vered!
I feel the same! It’s painful to see kids going down that path. I, all to often, see the destructive effects, on their still growing bones and joints, of carrying more weight than the structure was designed to handle.
December 7th, 2008 at 9:47 pm
Good heavens. I predict an uptick in the trafficking of small foreign children.
Seriously though, I think this just represents one of many ways our children have lost touch with the natural world in general.
December 8th, 2008 at 5:00 am
sosososo many thoughts about the racing industry —inlaws own race horses.
one word offtopic: FLIPPING.