Hall of Fame jockeys Damien Oliver and Darren Beadman have backed former champion jockey Shane Dye’s damning criticism of Australian riding vests.
In an exclusive column published on Racenet Monday morning, Dye said rigid Australian vests worsen the injuries jockeys sustain in falls as they are unable to roll with the impact.
Dye said Australian riding vests worsen the effects of falls with a study from the Australian Government’s Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation finding neck injuries have increased since their introduction.
Dye, who rode more than 100 Group 1 winners around the world, said Australian racing authorities ignored his pleas to allow riders to wear different vests.
Darren Beadman (right) with James McDonald.
Oliver said Dye was spot-on with his comments while Beadman says “urgent” action is needed on the issue.
Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Michelle Payne, however, credits the vests for saving her life.
Oliver told Racenet on Monday: “I agree with everything Shane says.”
“Reading some of his comments, I agree the vest creates a bit of a jackknife effect between the vest and the helmet, which I think has significantly increased the number of spinal injuries,” he said.
“The facts in Shane’s story are quite compelling and horrifying, to be honest.”
Oliver broke two vertebrae and had back surgery after a fall in the early 2000s.
He said the vest he wore that day could have worsened the impact of that fall.
“I had a bad spinal injury in the early 2000s where I had six vertebrae fused,” Oliver said.
“I broke two vertebrae and the vest I rode in for that fall, I refused to ride in again because it was too rigid.
Riding great Damien Oliver agrees rigid Australian riding vests exacerbate the effects of race falls on jockeys. Picture: Vince Caligiuri/Getty Images.
“They seem to be more interested in protecting a jockey from impact such as a horse standing on the rider rather than the fall itself.
“The bigger injury from a jockeys’ concern arises from the fall itself rather than the horse standing on you.”
“That’s where the jackknife effect of the helmet and the vest increase the risk of spinal injury.”
On Monday, Beadman wrote on social media: “(Shane) well said, when you jump on your soapbox you’re comments/opinions are divided, however, on this topical and urgent message I couldn’t agree more.”
“The stats are alarming,” Beadman wrote. “I myself have raised this to a number of people in an authoritarian position and it has fallen on deaf ears.”
Payne, on Monday night, said the issue needed “multiple voices”.
“Speaking first hand after fracturing many vertebrae in multiple falls, and then being stood on in a fall at Mildura, I absolutely believe the vest saved my life in that fall,” she wrote on social media.
Payne credited former champion jockey Greg Childs with developing the Viper vest which “is so far advanced from where we were when they first became mandatory”.
Oliver said there was a solution already available but Australian authorities refuse to allow jockeys to wear the Japanese riding vest, which he said was a superior product to the local one.
“I know a few of the jockeys that have ridden in Japan, myself, Willo (Craig Williams) and probably Hugh Bowman, say they have got the best vest,” he said.
“But the Japanese vest wouldn’t pass the Australian standard, which is ridiculous because it’s the best vest going around.
“That’s the style of vest that I think the jockeys would be most comfortable in because it allows them a bit more freedom of movement and allows them to roll with the fall a bit more like Shane described.
“A model adopted on the Japanese vest would be the best solution I think.”
Sheila Laxon has spoken out about the vests.
Former champion New Zealand jockey Bob Vance also weighed in: “He is 100 per cent right,” Vance wrote on social media.
“I’ve been saying it for years. You can’t roll naturally when you fall.”
Other former jockeys who have supported Dye’s views on the vests, include Damian Browne and Glyn Schofield.
“100 per cent agree with Shane,” Browne wrote.
“I had falls both with and without a vest and definitely would prefer NOT to have one of approved vests on.”
Leading Bris rider Mike Cahill believes the compulsory “Body protectors/vests” need to be improved upon
Cahill says there seems to be a higher percentage of upper neck injuries following their introduction.
Michael fractured his C4/Scapula on Fri night
Not alone with his views pic.twitter.com/Wtkt4DBbvH— STEVE HEWLETT ???????? ????????????♂️????♀️ (@stevejoseph69) December 7, 2021
On Monday, current jockeys have also backed Dye and Oliver’s view.
Queensland-based Ryan Wiggins said on social media: “Shane is right here I’m not saying we shouldn’t wear them at all but the ones we have now are definitely causing more neck injuries than ever”.
“Time to let jockeys wear whatever brand they feel safe in. It’s our lives on the line,” he said.
Another QLD-based jockey John Kissick wrote: “The vests do bugger all; they don’t allow your body to move the way it should to absorb the impact and energy in the fall, they should be gotten rid of.”
Melbourne Cup-winning trainer Sheila Laxon wrote: “(Spot) on, I’ve been contacting whoever I can reiterating exactly what Shane is saying.”
“And, more importantly, where is all the analytical testing done prior to these vests being approved?” Laxon wrote on social media.
“Let’s all have a look at how the vests impede the necessary rolling action needed to reduce the impact when hitting the ground? That had to be a very complex and relative study before approving these vests for riders.”
A jockey’s vest in 2011.
WHAT ARE THE RULES?
Under the Australian Rules of Racing, rule 123 relates to safety vests.
(1) When mounted on a horse, including but not limited to in a race, official trial, jump-out or trackwork, a rider must wear a properly fastened safety vest which: (a) complies with a standard prescribed by Racing Australia; (b) has been approved by Racing Australia; (c) is in a satisfactory condition; (d) has not been modified in any way; and (e) has attached to it a manufacturer’s label that states that it complies with a standard prescribed by Racing Australia.
(2) A rider required by these Australian Rules to wear a safety vest must not have in his or her possession a safety vest that does not comply with the requirements in subrule (1).
(3) The Stewards may confiscate or order the satisfactory repair of any safety vest that does not comply with the requirements in subrule (1).
(4) Subject to subrule (5), when mounted on a horse during darkness, a rider must wear: (a) a safety vest that complies with the requirements in subrule (1); and (b) over that safety vest, or over clothing worn over that safety vest, a harness or braces that contains safety warning lights of a type approved by Racing Australia, a PRA or the Stewards.
(5) Subrule (4) does not: (a) apply to any rider who complies with AR 122(6); (b) apply to any location where the Stewards have ruled that sufficient artificial lighting exists; 65 (c) affect the requirement that trackwork may only be conducted where Stewards have ruled that sufficient natural or artificial lighting exists.
(6) If an apprentice jockey breaches subrule (1), the apprentice jockey’s master and/or any other person who was in charge of the apprentice jockey at any relevant time may also be penalised unless that person satisfies the Stewards that he or she took all proper care to ensure that the apprentice jockey complied with that subrule.
Note: Pursuant to this rule, Racing Australia has ordered that: (a) the following standards of safety vests are prescribed: (i) ARB Standard 1.1998; and (ii) European Standard EN 13158; (b) the following Level 1 safety vests are approved: (i) Hows Racesafe; (ii) Ozvest; (iii) Racelite Pro; (iv) Vipa; (v) Vipa 1; (vi) USG Flexi Race; and (vii) Airowear Swift; (c) the following Level 2 safety vests are approved: (i) Vipa II. [rule amended 1.2.21]