In our first trainee blog, Harry Winnard, from the 23rd Godolphin Flying Start class (2025-2027), considers whether jockeys should once again have access to saunas at UK racecourses.A jockey running laps of the track in an outfit resembling a bin-bag is a habitual sight for racegoers in the UK. Since the removal of saunas during the COVID-19 restrictions of 2020, jockeys have increasingly relied on alternative methods to make weight. Taking approaches that in some cases may be perceived as extreme and placing a strain on both their physical and mental health.It must therefore be questioned whether the removal of saunas has ultimately benefited jockey welfare, or if it has instead introduced new risks and affected public understanding of the demands placed on riders.The removal of saunas in 2020, alongside a temporary increase in weight allowances of 3lbs, later reduced to 2lbs, was presented as a welfare initiative. However, evidence suggests that the intended benefits may not have materialised as expected.From driving to the racetrack with car heaters on full blast, dressed warmly enough for a day's skiing in the alps, to running laps of the track in scorching summer heat, jockeys are pushing their bodies to extreme measures to lose weight on raceday, just through less controlled means. Reports of riders deliberately dehydrating for extended periods prior to racing, in some cases for over 12 hours, to compensate for the lack of sauna facilities on course, point toward a shift not away from risk, but moving toward more dangerous forms of it.The risks associated with these alternatives are evident. The mental and physical risks of extended periods of dehydration are scientifically significant and will impact a jockeys ability to perform not only on the day, but their long term health. Such methods can result in heat exhaustion and severe dehydration.Removing the sauna did not remove the requirement to make weight. It simply removed one of the few more easily regulated and controlled methods of doing so.Reintroducing saunas would enable jockeys to manage weight within a controlled and supervised environment. Introducing a structured system with medical oversight, time restrictions, and hydration monitoring would offer a safer alternative to some current practices.An additional consideration is the social aspect of saunas, which offer a communal space for jockeys to interact and decompress. In contrast, many current alternatives are solitary, such as sitting alone in a heated car or running alone on the track. Given the mental demands of the occupation, this social opportunity is significant.It therefore begs the question, did the recent investment into weighing room facilities across the UK omit a key facility that should have been planned and included? Conversely, Keeneland included a modernisation of the sauna facilities on offer for jockeys in 2026, and I argue the English tracks ought to follow suit.With a focus on the mental health of the athlete, more should be done to support jockeys in all aspects leading up to their rides, including weight. The reintroduction of saunas would allow a regulated and medically overseen way to help the athletes, as opposed to adding a barrier to which they search for alternatives.Within the discussion, medical advice on minimum weights could be considered. In Australia, the regulatory body, on the advice of medical professionals attaches a minimum weight to each individual jockey, based on what weight they can safely make. This removes the pressure to take extreme measures to push their body beyond its limits to take rides at a weight they simply physically cannot do.The industry has a responsibility to the mental and physical health of its athletes. Reintroducing racecourse saunas in the UK within a regulated, welfare orientated framework would represent a positive step in supporting our athletes.The post Heating Up: Should Saunas Be Reintroduced to the Weighing Room? appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.