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Originally Posted by Riot
The jockeys say it is a problem, because they are the ones suffering the permanent adverse health consequences with heart and kidney damage, esophageal erosions, etc. in exchange for a career of any length. They have the same health problems anorexic and bulemic young women do.
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If you are too big and need to flip to make weight than a career change is needed. It is a shame that guys devote themselves to this career at a young age and grow out of it but that is not the fault of the horse racing industry. It is about personal choices. If you choose to do unhealthy things to yourself in order to keep riding then a look in the mirror is needed. The recent HBO show highlighted the death of Chris Herrell. Herrell died from a heart attack from years of flipping. He also was naturally a 150 lbs guy. Do you think raising the weight scale 2 pounds would have done anything for him?
The weight scale has been raised especially at the bottom of the scale. There is not a shortage of jockeys. No one forces anyone to be a jockey. The fact that people have gotten bigger over the years is a moot point.
The fact is that raising the scale a few pounds will not do a thing except make it easier for heavier people to try to ride. Bulemia is a disease and very few jockeys will just stop if the scale was raised a few pounds. The same problems will exist, nothing will change.