Fall guys feeling let down

"They're an amazing bunch with pain thresholds you just wouldn't believe," she said.

"A lot of Jump jockeys hit the deck at least once a week, so they carry chronic injuries around on a regular basis, and although they get on with the job I guarantee that any ordinary member of the public wouldn't dream of going to work if they had the same problems."

At present, a group of 17 tracks - including most major courses - pay to ensure that a physio is present for all their fixtures.

A £30,000 contribution from the IJF enables the team to make occasional visits to another 14 Jumps courses, but well over 20 tracks still feel an on-site physio is a luxury they can well manage without.

Not surprisingly, feelings in the weighing room are running high.

Dual Grand National winner Carl Llewellyn feels his 20-year career has been "helped a hell of a lot" by the physios and feels "any reduction in the service would be madness".

He added: "If you don't get a knock treated straight away it tends to get much worse. There is plenty of money to pay security guards to tell us to turn our mobiles off, but it's crazy that there isn't enough to provide a service which other sports supply as a matter of course."

Andrew Thornton, Mick Fitzgerald and Jim Culloty, who have won five Gold Cups between them, echoed Llewellyn's view and drew comparison with tennis to illustrate the problems they face.

"Some people feel we should get treatment when we get home at night, but nobody tells Roger Federer that when he cramps up on court - and he isn't getting kicked by horses' hooves," said Thornton."Having regular physio at the track can make the difference between being fit and being out of the game. It can lengthen your career considerably if you use it right and it's daft that a £100million sport doesn't recognise that."

Culloty describes the flying physio service as "invaluable", while Fitzgerald feels it "would be a crying shame if it was reduced".

HE added: "Instant treatment is the key when you have a fall. There's a hell of a lot of money in the system nowadays and it's about time some of it crept down to make sure jockeys are looked after properly."

Slattery's experience has taught her not to expect too much movement. "I've been doing this for 13 years and, even though we've proved ourselves time and again, we're no further ahead than when we started," she said. "It's depressing, but I've seen nothing to make me feel the right sort of funding is coming."

At £170 per day plus travel expenses, it would probably cost about £300,000 a year to have a qualified sports physio at every race meeting.

"Some people spend that on one horse," added Slattery. "Sadly, there just doesn't seem to be any interest in paying to make sure the people who ride them are looked after."