Horse-racing injuries in children before and after the introduction of safety regulations in Mongolia.

Horse racing injuries among children in Mongolia have not decreased in frequency or severity despite new safety regulations introduced in 2019; injuries continue to occur in underage children and during banned seasons.

Study Objective and Background

• The research aimed to evaluate the impact of safety regulations on injuries in child jockeys participating in traditional Mongolian horse racing.
• Traditional Mongolian horse racing involves children under 15 years old, posing significant risk for injuries.
• New safety regulations introduced in 2019 included:
  • Mandatory helmets and protective clothing for all jockeys
  • Banning jockeys under 7 years of age from participation
  • Prohibition of horse racing during the cold season, November to April

Data and Methodology

• National injury surveillance data was collected for two periods:
  • Before regulation: 2015–2018 (4 years)
  • After regulation: 2019–2022 (4 years)
• The dataset included injuries from animal-riding activities among children aged 3 to 14 years.
• Analysis focused on:
  • Number and age distribution of injured children
  • Frequency of injuries during banned seasons
  • Proportion of head injuries before and after regulation

Key Findings

• A total of 6309 animal-riding injuries in children were reported across both periods:
  • 2539 injuries before regulations (2015–2018)
  • 3770 injuries after regulations (2019–2022)
• The proportion of injured children younger than 7 years old decreased only slightly after the regulations, indicating persisting participation despite the ban.
• During 2019–2022:
  • 294 injuries occurred in underage children (below 7 years), contravening the age restriction.
  • 855 injuries took place during the banned season (November-April), highlighting noncompliance with seasonal restrictions.
• The proportion of head injuries among injured children stayed almost the same before and after the regulations:
  • 33.7% before regulations
  • 34.6% after regulations

Conclusions and Recommendations

• The new safety regulations introduced in 2019 have not effectively reduced the number or severity of horse-racing injuries among children.
• Underage jockeys continue to participate despite the age ban, and racing continues during the restricted cold season.
• Wearing helmets and protective clothing has not yet led to a detectable decrease in head injuries, possibly due to inconsistent use or enforcement.
• The study recommends:
  • Stricter enforcement of regulations throughout the entire year, not just during permitted seasons.
  • Implementation of harsher penalties and fines for noncompliance to discourage participation by underage jockeys and off-season racing.
  • Possibly increased education for communities and families on the risks of child jockey participation.