Concussion in sports is usually a topic that’s hottest in the world of contact sports. However, given the nature of horse sports, and the propensity for falling off a horse, concussion in horse riders often goes undiagnosed.

A traumatic brain injury such as concussion is an invisible injury. Because of this, it gets less attention despite potentially more severe consequences than other injuries. This, coupled with the common school of thought that you should remount your horse as quickly as possible after a fall to avoid a confidence knock, can be a recipe for disaster.

What is concussion, and how does it happen?

Concussion is a type of brain injury that can occur after a head injury or a forceful knock to the body. Even without a direct blow to the head, face or neck, concussion is still a risk when a blow is received elsewhere on the body and an impulsive force transmits through to the head.

Even the force of falling off a horse and landing on your feet can be enough to cause concussion in horse riders.

“Concussion shouldn’t be feared as it can normally be dealt with by quality and appropriate care at home,” explains sports therapist Katy Stephens, owner of Bouncing Back Injury Clinic. “What is more serious is diffuse cerebral swelling, also known as second-impact concussion.

“This is a second concussion that occurs minutes, days or weeks after another episode of concussion that has not yet healed. It’s particularly dangerous if the first concussion wasn’t diagnosed and key professionals aren’t aware of the initial injury.”

According to a recent interview study by mental health charity Riders Minds, concussion awareness in the equestrian community is lacking. In an example from the new concussion in horse sport research, one participant said she did not know she was concussed and carried on. Her recovery took two years and nine months.

Long-term effects of repeated episodes of concussion include memory loss, persistent headaches, brain damage, depression and Alzheimer’s. If you suspect you or someone else are suffering from concussion, seek medical attention immediately.

Symptoms of concussion

Symptoms are the effects someone might feel if suffering from concussion. These include:

• drowsiness
• headaches
• nausea and/or vomiting
• blurred vision
• change in emotional responses
• sensitivity to light
• ringing in the ears
• issues with balance

Medium to long-term effects might include changes in sleeping patterns, anxiety and/or depression and memory problems.

While these symptoms can present immediately, they can also be delayed in onset. Therefore, it is important to monitor a potential sufferer for a few days after a fall and seek medical attention if any of these symptoms start to develop.

Signs of concussion in horse riders

The signs aren’t always obvious when observing others, and according to the NHS and British Equestrian (BEF) include the following. Seek immediate medical attention if you notice any of these signs:

• poor performance
• a blank expression
• struggling to balance
• slow reactions
• slurred speech
• inappropriate emotional responses, such as laughing or crying without explanation
• taking an unusually long time to respond to questions
• acting out of character (often irritable)
• confusion or inability to remember events before or after the fall

“If you are teaching a rider who has a fall and you are unsure whether they have concussion ask them some long- and short-term memory questions like ‘which pony are you riding today?’ and ‘what did we learn in our lesson last week?’” says Katy.

“Make sure you know your riders so you can identify any behaviour or personality changes which could be symptomatic of concussion.”

Awareness is especially important if you are riding with a child. Children are more susceptible and vulnerable to concussion because their brains are smaller and have more room for movement within their skull.

Annual statistics from the NHS showed that from 175,000 admissions that had a primary diagnosis of concussion, 33-50% of them were in children under the age of 15.

How equestrian sporting bodies deal with concussion

BEF has extensive guidance on monitoring and managing concussion in horse riders. The guidelines were released in March 2023.

British Showjumping (BS) brought in new concussion protocols this year that include a 21-day suspension to prevent competitors from returning to competition when they could still be vulnerable. They will also alert other British Equestrian member bodies of the suspension dates.

British Dressage (BD) told H&H it follows the same protocols as BS, including suspension date sharing.

How long after concussion can you ride a horse?

While remounting after suffering an innocuous fall can be a positive step to help regain confidence, if the rider is showing any signs or symptoms of concussion they should not remount, and should instead seek immediate medical attention.

“Sixty-one percent of coaches have seen a parent pressure a young person into remounting after a fall,” says Katy. “It is important to be able to recognise the symptoms of concussion and prevent riders from remounting or remove them from the saddle if you have any doubts.”

In case of concussion, BEF’s guidelines include extensive advice on returning to the saddle and outline specific stages of recovery. According to this advice, a rider who has suffered with concussion should:

• Commit to complete rest for at least the first 48 hours post-injury and limit screen time
• Resume sport-specific exercises with no risk of head injury, such as walking/jogging, horse grooming or practising riding position, not before seven days post-injury
• Resume training drills, such as resistance training, groundwork and yard chores, not before 14 days post-injury
• Return to supervised riding of a suitable horse in calm, non-competitive conditions not before 21 days post-injury
• Return to regular riding following the previous stage when ability and confidence are restored

Concussion is not an easy injury to diagnose, but if you are in any doubt as to whether someone you know has suffered from it following a fall then they should not be allowed to ride a horse until they have sought medical advice.

• Enjoyed reading this? For more expert training advice from top riders and coaches, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You might also like:

5 helmets that incorporate MIPS technology

Lack of concussion awareness and misdiagnosis contribute to delayed recovery in horse riders

Scared after falling off a horse? A confidence coach explains why this might happen

Best air jackets for the ultimate protection, comfort and performance – options to suit every rider

Information shared in new showjumping concussion suspension rule: ‘We have to protect riders’

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Research has highlighted the need for “vastly improved” awareness of concussion in horse sport – as progress is being made in this area.

Mental health charity Riders Minds supported work on the effects of and recovery from concussion, and the level of understanding of the condition, carried out by researcher Amelia Collins.

A Riders Minds spokesperson said the interview study of female riders “highlighted the lack of education around both the symptoms and the severity of concussion as a brain injury and misdiagnosis from professionals, leading to delayed care and prolonged recovery time”.

“Findings show that prolonged concussion recovery is not only physical but psychological, social and identity-related,” the spokesperson said. “Many riders reported cognitive and emotional changes such as poor concentration, low mood and mental fatigue that were not initially recognised as concussion-related and were sometimes attributed to stress or anxiety, which delayed appropriate care.

“A lack of concussion awareness also meant many riders underestimated their symptoms and continued riding or working through them, unknowingly prolonging recovery.”

One participant said she did not know she was concussed and pushed on – her recovery took two years and nine months. Others reported being dismissed or misdiagnosed, but also downplaying their own symptoms.

Concussion in horse sport: more action needed

“A key finding was that cognitive and emotional symptoms, including poor concentration, low mood and mental fatigue, were frequently not recognised as concussion-related,” the spokesperson said. “Riders reported that these symptoms were often initially attributed by medical professionals to stress, work pressures or anxiety, delaying appropriate concussion-specific care. This lack of early recognition contributed to confusion, frustration and prolonged recovery for many participants.”

The study found limited awareness meant many riders ignore warning symptoms, prolonging their recovery; physical issues such as numbness, pins and needles or fatigue were often not understood to be signs of a brain injury.

Ms Collins said: “Being both a coach and a rider, I’ve seen first-hand how often concussion symptoms are minimised. Many riders just focus on pushing through, unaware that this is a serious brain injury that can have long-lasting effects, and that recovery from concussion can be a hard process.

“I’m incredibly grateful to all the interview participants who generously shared their time and insights; this research wouldn’t have been possible without them. Speaking to them was a powerful experience for me and I hope this research helps raise awareness of concussion in equestrian sport. Change starts with education and by sharing these stories, we can begin to turn knowledge into action within the sport, supporting riders as they navigate their concussion recovery journeys.”

Riders Minds says the study shows the need for better awareness of concussion in horse sport, and recognition of symptoms, as well as education on prolonged recovery.

British Showjumping (BS) has brought in new concussion rules this year; any rider taken directly to hospital from a show or in whom medics, officials or organisers suspect a concussion will be suspended for 21 days to prevent competitors returning to competition during a time when suffering a second brain injury could have catastrophic effects.

BS will also alert other British Equestrian (BEF) member bodies, not of medical information but of suspension dates. To request the period be shortened, a rider must provide a hospital discharge sheet or doctor’s report clearing them to compete.

The dangers of a second head injury

“We’re not trying to spoil anyone’s fun but we need to help educate people – especially those responsible for young people in the sport – about the dangers of a second head injury in that time period,” BS CEO Iain Graham told H&H.

A British Dressage (BD) spokesperson told H&H BD follows the same protocols as BS, including reciprocal suspension arrangements with other BEF member bodies as “it is vitally important for the health and safety of all participants, both equine and human, that we follow the correct policies and procedures”.

Head of British Riding Clubs Rachael Hollely-Thompson told H&H anyone who experiences symptoms of suspected concussion, however brief, will be suspended for a minimum of 21 days.

“We ask that they are symptom-free for 14 days before the suspension comes to an end and that they have written confirmation from a registered medical practitioner,” she said. “It’s incredibly important that this rule is followed, across all disciplines, mitigating any risks so that the rider can go on to enjoy future events.”

The BEF confirmed it is researching a centralised system for co-ordinating suspensions across member body activities and directed H&H readers to its concussion hub, at which there is extensive guidance and advice.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout 2026, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

How to recognise concussion in horse riders – and when it’s safe to get back in the saddle

Whether you’re a rider, instructor or have a child who rides, do you know how to recognise concussion?

Information shared in new showjumping concussion suspension rule: ‘We have to protect riders’

‘Not just a bang on the head’: mental health campaign encourages riders to ‘re-think concussion’

Why riders with concussion must stop trying to ‘beat the doctor’

Groundbreaking concussion and return to riding guidelines released

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Are concussions being under-reported, should we be looking deeper into falls not at cross-country fences – and how can we make sure that frangible devices are activating correctly?

These were the major talking points at the FEI Eventing Seminar (31 January to 1 February), led by FEI eventing committee chairman David O’Connor and FEI risk management steering group chairman Stuart Buntine.

The pair summarised data from events globally, including starters and fall statistics, saying the general picture is “positive”.

“It’s really important we look at a lot of these statistics, not just for what happens this year, but we actually take a 10-year look at the direction,” said Mr O’Connor.

FEI figures show the percentage of rotational horse falls has decreased from roughly one in every 664 starters in 2016 to one in every 1,336 in 2025. Non-rotational horse falls have also decreased – from 1.24% of starters in 2016 to 0.85% 2025.

Mr O’Connor said the reductions show “a lot of the work we are doing is working”, giving examples of frangible technology, course-design, understanding of how horses see and minimum eligibility requirements.

“We want them to continue that road, to go down even farther. That is no question. But it does say these decisions that have been made over the last 10 or 15 years are working,” he said.

The FEI sets maximum horse fall targets for each level, which it aims to be below each year. The percentage of falls came within target at all levels, with the exception of CC3*-L (at 1.56% in 2025, compared to a target of 1.5%).

Mr O’Connor explained that the targets were set 15 years ago and questioned whether they are still appropriate “or can we push a little harder now to judge ourselves in a harder way?”

In recent years, the FEI has also improved the data it has collected on where falls happen at competitions, and on concussions.

Between 2018 and 2025, unsurprisingly most falls (75.21%) were at cross-country fences. But that means around a quarter of falls in this time occurred elsewhere – 6.69% on the flat across country, 11.08% in the showjumping, 6.92% in warm-up areas and 0.1% in the dressage. In 2025, 27.8% of falls were not at cross-country fences, including 10.22% in the warm-up.

“I think that is an important thing for us to realise, not that we’re letting ourselves off the hook for the cross-country falls,” said Mr O’Connor. “The one that surprises me is that 10% of the falls are actually in the warm-ups, getting ready for the competition.”

This sparked questions – in 2018, only 4.36% of falls were in warm-up areas and Mr Buntine asked if that increase can be accounted for by better reporting. Others asked whether there is a correlation between warm-up falls and falls on the cross-country, which has not yet been analysed.

“We are now at a place where the statistics can bring these questions up,” said Mr O’Connor, explaining how the data can lead to more analysis. “We just need to keep asking what the next questions are.”

British Eventing (BE) gave H&H a detailed breakdown of British figures, in national and international classes.

In 2025, there were 1,282 falls in total (FEI and BE); 923 on the cross-country, of which 838 were at a cross-country fence and 85 on the flat across country; and 359 elsewhere (not on the cross-country).

Following her presentation on BE’s engineering innovation competition (news, 18 December) on the second day of the seminar, BE chief executive Rosie Williams brought up the number of falls away from the cross-country course.

“We are looking into why is that happening, when’s it happening, what was the weather, was the horse shod… Because we need to reduce those falls as much as possible,” she said.

Eventing safety: are concussions being reported accurately?

Concerns were raised that concussions are potentially under-reported.

The FEI changed how it accounted for concussions in 2018, giving them a separate column in its injury reporting table.

In 2025, a total of 11 serious concussions were reported in international eventing worldwide. In the explanatory notes accompanying the FEI’s risk management data, the FEI states that “22 concussions were reported, 11 combined with a serious injury and 11 with a slight injury”.

Mr O’Connor said he believes the number of concussions is “under-reported” in international eventing.

“I don’t know if that’s an accurate number, though I do believe that number will become more accurate over the years – as we have found out through the data collection process [in other eventing safety statistics], it was probably eight or nine years before we started to get really reliable data,” he said.

“Now we’ve had what we think is fairly reliable data in most things since 2013, so it does take a while and I think this is one of the places we are looking to increase the reliability of that number.”

Frangibles: ‘We have to make sure they deploy correctly’

The risk to safety and sporting fairness when frangible devices are not fitted correctly was highlighted by Mr Buntine.

“If we’re going to use these [devices], we have to make sure they deploy correctly,” he said, referring to the situation in general rather than to any specific country, as was the case throughout the seminar.

Mr Buntine showed examples of where fences have moved when hit by a horse, dissipating the force and meaning that a device has not activated. And he cited cases where measurements involved in fitting a frangible device have been incorrect, which again means it has not worked as it should.

He said it is both a safety and an integrity issue if frangible devices do not deploy correctly.

“Athletes must have confidence that the technology is correct and it works in the correct manner,” he said.

“We need to make sure these fences do work – and work when you want them to work, so they do save falls. But also that they don’t activate too soon, because we don’t want to be issuing penalties when they shouldn’t be there.

“They’re there to prevent or reduce rotational or bad falls, and that’s their role, but not to activate early. So I think as officials, if we can just keep a focus on that, it would hopefully help some of these wrong activations from happening.”

Falls not at cross-country fences: the German picture

The German federation has dug into its own data and found that most falls in its national competitions are not at cross-country fences.

“We see in our national competition an unbelievable number of 75% of all rider falls happen without even jumping the fence,” said Philine Ganders-Meyer, of the German federation. “It’s enormous, and we are still working on it. It is, in the end, [about] rider fitness and rider education.”

The German data from 2025 shows these unseats are on the flat, and in situations associated with approaching a fence. It also showed that 16 of its 30 horse falls were either on the flat (15) or “without jumping the fence, but combined with the approach” (one).

“I think there’s a couple of things maybe to look into, because it’s a surprisingly high number,” said Mr O’Connor.

• To watch the full seminar, visit: https://inside.fei.org/fei/disc/eventing/risk-management/seminars-2025-2026

To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

‘We’re delighted to bring loyal readers this benefit’: H&H magazine subscribers get free website access

Sharing how to make traditional cross-country fences frangible set to improve eventing safety worldwide

British Eventing launches £10,000 Innovation Prize to find new cross-country safety solutions

A young rider whose head was trodden on by her horse in a fall walked away unscathed thanks to her riding hat – as the caved-in helmet serves as a reminder of the importance of wearing the correct safety equipment.

Minna D’Ath, 14, was taking part in the Berks & Bucks Draghounds fun day on 9 November with her mare Kiki when she became unseated after jumping a hedge.

“Minna was riding with a couple of others and didn’t realise they had gone to the side to miss out the jump. Her horse clocked this and wanted to follow, but couldn’t because there was a bigger hedge at the side, and as she never stops at a fence, she jumped it,” said Katie, Minna’s mum.

“I could see from a distance Minna was clinging on, but she slipped round the front, came off and went underneath Kiki and then was just lying on the ground.”

Minna, who was wearing a Charles Owen hat, was attended to by medics and taken to hospital.

“She had been knocked out but had come round. The side of her hat was totally crushed in and had a split, either from being trodden on or kicked, so the worry was that she had a serious head injury,” said Katie.

“She had a CT scan and it turned out she was completely fine, but what’s extraordinary is that she doesn’t even have a bruise. The hat saved her life without a doubt. She is incredibly lucky. Obviously she wouldn’t have been not wearing a hat on a hunt, but had it not been a good hat or it had somehow come off, she’d have been toast.”

Amy Lambert, an off-duty doctor who was riding on the day, was called to help.

“I was told someone had fallen off and wasn’t moving. When I got there I was hugely relieved that Minna was awake and talking, and when I saw the helmet there was no doubt that she had been trodden on,” said Dr Lambert.

“I do work for some eventing fixtures and racecourses and I haven’t seen a hat quite that dramatic before. She was incredibly lucky, and thank God it was the hat and not her head. It just emphasises the importance of wearing appropriate safety equipment of the correct standard, no matter what the discipline.”

A Charles Owen spokesperson told H&H the company is “incredibly grateful to hear that the rider is safe and recovering well”.

“Stories like this are a powerful reminder of why we do what we do. Every Charles Owen and EQx helmet is engineered to far surpass the requirements of the safety standards they are tested to, and we invest a tremendous amount of work and funding into ensuring they protect riders in exactly these unpredictable, high-impact situations,” she said.

“We never want accidents like this to happen, but the messages we receive from riders every day – telling us their helmet made a difference – continue to drive us forward in our commitment to improving and advancing safety for all disciplines and all levels of equestrian sport.”

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout 2025, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

Charles Owen update after shock news it will stop manufacturing in the UK

Rider’s safety helmet warning after horse stands on her head

The rider is calling for others to wear a helmet when riding after her frightening experience

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

For riders, identity and the saddle are tightly bound. Riding isn’t just what we do – it’s who we are. So when a fall puts you out of action, the deepest wounds often aren’t the broken bones, but the fear of rebuilding your sense of self.

That fear becomes even sharper when doctors say you might never ride again, as Irish dressage rider Milo Johnston discovered.

“I fell off a three-year-old I was backing,” he tells H&H. “I’d said before I got on, ‘This is going to be my trickiest one of the year’. But I got on her and I thought, ‘Yeah, she feels fine’.

“Then I put my leg on – and it was very not fine. She rodeoed until I fell off. I went over her front, and she reared and smacked me in the chest. I landed on the back of my head, at the top of my neck. I broke my neck in four places, my back in six, and had a small brain bleed.

“At the time, though, me being me, I said, ‘No, I think I’m okay’. I stood up and walked onto the yard, sat on a chair, and the chair broke. I hit the floor again and just cried. I was like, ‘Okay, this is really bad now. I can’t feel my feet’.”

Milo was hospitalised and later referred to the Royal London Hospital’s spinal unit.

The injury meant a lengthy break from the saddle. “Mostly in a neck brace and back brace looking super unflattering,” laughs Milo, who stays remarkably positive, even though he describes those months as the hardest of his life and still lives with ongoing pain.

“It was absolutely horrible. I spent a lot of time inside, too scared to go outside, because I was told if I fell again or someone knocked me the wrong way, I’d potentially need life-changing surgery.

“I remember going to the London International Horse Show not long after, in a wheelchair, and being mortified. Everyone knows me as strong and tough – and suddenly I was vulnerable and scared of everything.”

For Milo, one of the scariest parts was the numbness. “A lot of the time it didn’t hurt,” he says. “There was just a lot of damage all over, but day-to-day, I couldn’t feel how much I might be damaging it further. That was terrifying.”

Doctors advised Milo not to return to riding at all. “They told me I should probably never ride again. I said, ‘Can I get a second opinion?’ They said the same thing. So I was like, well… let’s see what happens.”

Milo Johnston: “I’ve avoided talking about it for so long”

Milo threw himself into rehab, which helped both physically and mentally.

“I tried everything. I was in the gym six days a week,” he said. “It wasn’t just about healing – I’d gone from training several horses a day to lying in bed. I needed a reason to get up.”

Rehab went well, but Milo soon realised how long the road ahead would be.

“I remember when I got the all-clear to take my neck brace off,” he says. “I thought, this is it, I’m back. But then the doctor said, ‘You can take it off – but only for 10 minutes, then put it back on’. Rehab felt endless. The physical side I could fix; the mental side took much longer.”

Even after getting the all-clear, it took nearly two years before Milo felt ready to talk publicly about his accident.

“I started working with a mindset coach called Kieran Smith,” Milo explains. “I was sceptical at first, but it’s been amazing. He’s done for my mind what the doctors did for my broken bones. I couldn’t have done it without the support of my family as well.

“It wasn’t easy at first. I remember coming back and having another three-year-old to back – I was terrified. But Kieran helped me retrain how I thought about it. Instead of my ‘what ifs’ always being worst-case scenarios, he encouraged me to think, ‘What if it all works out?’”

And it did work out. Milo has since moved to Sweden to work at Gunnarlunda Dressage and has bought his own horse, with hopes of competing internationally for Ireland.

“It’s strange, because everyone asks me, ‘How did you get your confidence back?’ And I say, it sounds silly, but honestly, I fell off again after my accident and was absolutely fine. I used to think that any fall meant I’d break a lot of bones, but now I’ve come off a few times and it’s been okay – and that’s helped.

“I’d avoided talking about it for so long,” Milo adds. “I made an Instagram reel about it, but kept it in my drafts for ages, unsure whether to post it.

“Kieran asked me, ‘Well, what’s the purpose of the post?’ And I said, ‘I want anybody going through something similar to know that your life isn’t over.’”

Because if there’s one thing Milo believes, it’s this: “If I can ride a three-year-old after all this, anyone can. Anything is possible. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t.”

Milo’s style in the saddle has evolved, too.

“I’m not as brave now, and I’m weaker down my right side, but I’m a better rider for it,” he says. “I’m more sensible and tactful. I don’t just ride through things anymore. Now I’m more, ‘Let’s look and make a training plan’ – which is better for me and the horse.”

And so, Milo rides on.

“People ask, ‘How do you still do it?’ And I say, ‘I just live and I’m stubborn.’ I dream of competing for Ireland at the Olympics, and I don’t want to give that up. It’s that simple.”

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout 2025, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

From £800 Facebook foal to grand prix dressage: the story of Enzo, the 14.1hh Appaloosa who’s defied all expectations

‘I’ve had my fair share of ups and downs’: Becky Moody on riders’ mental health, social media and dealing with adversity

From unwanted yearling to dressage championship star: the story of Scruffy, the pony who keeps on giving

Fancy trying affiliated dressage, but not quite sure where to start? You need to read this…

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Falling is an inevitable part of riding; it happens to all riders at some point. But while some riders dust themselves off and get back on, others feel scared after falling off a horse. So why does a fall affect individuals so different, and what drives fear after a fall?

“Riders are often told from early in their riding career that they ‘should always get back on the horse’,” says Alison Buttery, a stage four BHS Accredited Professional Coach and founder of The Everyday Equestrian, a rider confidence and mindset coaching organisation. “In my experience, many riders force themselves through their fear, telling themselves to ‘just get on with it’. Sometimes, this rather brutal approach works – but not for everyone.”

According to Alison, riders often foster a mental toughness that “overrides our deepest survival instincts”. This means putting themselves in situations their brains are telling them is dangerous – for example, getting on their horse.

“This triggers more tension, anxiety, stress and fear,” explains Alison. “This causes defensive riding, and could actually make another incident more likely.”

Riders feeling scared after falling off are not irrational, argues Alison. “Your brain is working precisely as it has evolved to – its primary job is to keep you safe. If you’ve ever wondered why you can’t ‘just get over it’, you’re perfectly human.”

Sacred after falling off a horse: understanding your reactions

As Alison explains, a rider’s interpretation of a fall can make them fearful. “The key thing to remember is that it isn’t the fall itself that is the problem, it’s the response to the fall that has the biggest impact on how riders feel,” she continues. “This doesn’t mean some riders are naturally braver than others – it’s simply about how the brain processes perceived threats, real or imagined, and how the mind interprets those experiences.”

Alison reveals a rider’s brain makes a quick, unconscious assessment in the event of a fall. “It asks: ‘Was that dangerous? Should I avoid this situation in the future?’” she explains. “This is a survival mechanism, which happens automatically and much quicker than we think.

“For some riders, the brain processes the fall as an isolated event, allowing them to move on. But for others, the experience triggers the flight, fight or freeze response, creating a heightened sense of caution, which can lead to prolonged anxiety.”

How trauma affects memory

Following a traumatic event, the brain can distort the memory. This can mean details are exaggerated, blurred or blocked out altogether. This can work as a defence mechanism, designed to protect the person, or, as Alison explains, it can encourage a rider to revisit and replay the memory, making a worst-case scenario out of every ride.

“This is an example of cognitive distortion, specifically catastrophising – where the brain exaggerates the potential danger, making future falls seem inevitable and far worse than they likely would be.

“Another common distortion is emotional reasoning. This is where you mistake the intense fear you feel for evidence that riding is genuinely unsafe, rather than recognising that emotions don’t always reflect reality.”

Alison gives the example of retelling the story of a fall to other riders, and how this can impact the memory of it. “Each time we relive a fall and embellish it with all kinds of emotive phrases, we simply make it bigger and more meaningful in our mind.”

Neither dwelling on why you’re scared after falling off a horse nor blocking it out helps. “Instead, work with a mindset coach or psychologist to reframe the event positively and in a supportive environment,” advises Alison. “They will help you manage your response over time so that you can get back to doing what you love.”

The psychology behind a fear of falling off a horse

Feeling scared after falling off a horse – and fearing getting back on again – is often driven by hypothetical thinking and asking ‘what if?’ questions. According to Alison, this is another case of the brain’s survival techniques kicking in. “The mind is a prediction machine; it desperately craves certainty and safety, so it tries to prepare us for all kinds of outcomes, regardless of whether they are actually real or made up.”

Commonly, the brain predicts a painful fall. “The key is to reassure yourself that you can take positive steps to reduce risk,” remarks Alison. “This includes wearing a correctly fitted riding hat, getting some lessons to develop your position and balance, working on your own fitness and training with a qualified, experienced equestrian coach.”

As well as predictions, fearful riders might become absorbed in imagined worst-case scenarios that make another fall feel inevitable. “Another form of cognitive distortion, fortune telling, means you predict negative outcomes without real evidence.

“It’s important to challenge these thoughts and replace them with more balanced perspectives. While we can’t stop thinking altogether, we can practice adjusting and replacing the thoughts we have.”

Secondhand fear?

Interestingly, you don’t actually have to experience a bad fall to develop a fear of falling. “Seeing someone else fall, hearing about an accident, or even watching a dramatic riding mishap online can trigger fear,” says Alison. “Your brain interprets these as personal threats, even if they didn’t happen to you.

“This can be linked to vicarious trauma, where witnessing or hearing about a frightening event can cause anxiety as if you had experienced it yourself.”

Alison warns that the media we consume can play a part in vicarious trauma. “I strongly suggest avoiding ‘funny’ videos online of other riders falling off on social media. It’ll simply reinforce the script your mind is running!”

Embrace steady progress

Conquering fear isn’t an overnight process, so Alison advises fostering kindness towards yourself. “Understanding why you feel the way you do, and taking proactive steps to rebuild confidence, can help you get back to enjoying the sport you love,” she adds.

“By recognising what’s happening and seeking support, you can take control of your mindset and regain the confidence you deserve.”

To find out more about Alison’s work, visit theeverydayequestrian.co.uk

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout 2025, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

Why do you lack confidence when riding or handling horses? Five questions to ask yourself

Struggling with nerves? Boost your confidence and enjoy riding again with these helpful tips

How to improve your balance to help boost your riding skills

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Hundreds of riders have backed Harry Charles’s call for change, after he had “probably the worst fall of my career”.

The Olympic team gold medallist said he was lucky he and the experienced horse he was riding escaped serious injury after they fell through the second element of a vertical-oxer two-stride double in a 1.45m national class at the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) at Wellington International, US. Harry had come in steadily, got a good shot to the oxer and “rode it perfectly”, but the 14-year-old gelding took off after only one stride.

Harry posted on social media afterwards about such doubles; he is concerned that having the oxer second means horses are more eager to take it on, so such combinations can be dangerous.

“Luckily both the horse and I are OK,” he told H&H. “I’ve torn a couple of muscles in my back.

“I didn’t realise how big a problem the vertical-oxer two-stride double was until I posted about it and I’ve had over 400 people reach out with stories of broken backs, necks and horses dying. A lot of riders here, top-level riders, agree that this combination is dangerous.

“There will always be people who disagree, but until something like this happens to you or someone close to you… I or the horse just needed to come down at a slightly different angle and it could have been a much worse outcome.”

Harry said horses have to make some mistakes to learn, but that risk has to be minimised.

“Getting rid of these doubles isn’t going to drastically change the sport; you’re not going to think, ‘I wish they had a vertical-oxer two-stride combination in this course’,” he said. “You’re still going to get the same result, you’re going to get great sport by minimising just 5% risk. Why wouldn’t you want to?

“Triple bars in the middle of combinations used to be normal and we look back and think goodness! Change is hard for some people, but all the feedback I’ve had has been strong and good, and the FEI have been great. I think we’re getting somewhere. I approached them. We have a lot of people getting behind it here.”

Harry added that he has checked all the Paris courses and such doubles did not feature, adding that the Olympic course-designers are the “crème de la crème and they knew what they were doing”.

Nick Skelton: “It was too short in the double”

Former Olympic champion Nick Skelton watched the class.

“It was too short inside the double and it was too long a run to it, so horses were gathering momentum,” he told H&H. “Harry couldn’t have gone any slower; he rode it perfectly and the horse just picked up.

“From experience, I’ve found that if horses are going to pick up off one stride in a two-stride double, it’s always at an oxer; they very rarely pick up off one stride to a vertical.”

Olympic rider Holly Smith had a similar fall, at a two-stride oxer-vertical combination in a 1.45m class, in Spain a few years ago.

She told H&H that when she saw Harry’s post, she realised it was the same type of fence.

“These doubles do seem to have caused a lot of nasty falls; mine and Harry’s horses were lucky,” she said. “But they are leg-breaking, rider-hurting falls. You can have accidents at any type of fence, but when there’s a pattern – the answer is to make them one-stride doubles. Data needs to be collected from all falls; that would be a good start. There might be other stuff that might be more dangerous. Of course we can’t ban shadows, but what we can do is eliminate what we can, based on science and data.”

A course designer’s view: “It has to be done correctly”

Matthew Hoskins, an advanced level national and FEI level two course-designer, told H&H he does not believe the answer is banning this type of double..

“But it has to be done correctly,” he said. “The people doing my job have to make sure it’s long enough [between the two elements]. Harry is dead right; using it as a trap can be dangerous.”

Mr Hoskins agreed with Nick; that the distance in such a double must be longer if it comes after a long run, or a course built on open distances before that point. He added that he had been talking to one leading eventer who likes these combinations to “allow young horses to express themselves”, and another who had been at a show where the distance had not been lengthened between the 90cm class and the 1.20m – in which a rider had a lucky escape.

He said many elements have to be taken on board, including venue, surface, weather and horses and riders, to build correct distances, and that designers and riders must work together to ensure safety.

“I’ve been doing this for 25 years and distances now are probably 20% longer as we’re breeding horses with bigger strides,” he added. “Nick’s right; it’s down to course-designing, which is paramount in producing horses and riders.”

An FEI spokesperson told H&H: “The FEI is aware of the concerns raised by Harry Charles. The matter is being discussed with FEI officials and will be addressed by the FEI jumping committee at its meeting on 17 February. The FEI is continuously evaluating safety standards in equestrian sport and encourages feedback to enhance athlete wellbeing.”

A WEF spokesperson told H&H horse and rider safety is Wellington’s top priority.

“Wellington International invests extensive effort into hiring experienced course-designers, judges and technical delegates whose dedication to safety aligns with ours,” she said. “These experienced officials ensure that every competition is run with the highest standards in compliance with the rules and regulations of the national and international governing bodies.

“The fall of any horse and/or rider is cause for us to evaluate why the incident occurred and if there are suitable actions that need to be taken to prevent similar occurrences. Upon investigation, the element in question was heavily reviewed and determined to be built with the correct specifications for the event.”

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout 2025, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

Inside the life of Olympic gold medallist Harry Charles who’s set to marry Eve Jobs this weekend

‘Britain is the best place to produce young horses, not Europe’s factory shows’, says Harry Charles

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Three-time Olympic dressage champion Anky van Grunsven is recovering after breaking her pelvis in a riding accident.

The Dutch rider was injured in a fall on 31 December, two days before her 57th birthday.

“Unfortunately my year didn’t start well. [On] New Year’s Eve I had a serious fall from a horse. It seems like if I fall, I’ll do it right,” said Anky, who was taken to hospital by ambulance where it was confirmed that she had broken her pelvis.

“Lucky accident; no surgery required. I won’t be on horseback for a while and will try to walk again first.”

Anky’s first Olympic appearance was at the 1988 Seoul Games on Prisco. She went on to compete at every Olympics up to and including London 2012, winning her first medal, team silver, with Bonfire at Barcelona in 1992. She went on to win eight further Olympic medals; four team silvers and a bronze, an individual silver, and three individual golds.

Anky made history when she became the first rider to win individual Olympic gold three times in a row; with Bonfire at the Sydney Games in 2000, and with Salinero at the 2004 Athens Games and in 2008 in Hong Kong. She has also won six world medals, and 14 Europeans.

She and Salinero set a freestyle world record at ’s-Hertogenbosch in 2006, scoring 87.925%, and followed it up with individual gold at the World Equestrian Games in Aachen that year. They also won four World Cup Final titles.

The London Olympics was Anky and Salinero’s final international dressage competition, after which both retired from the sport. Salinero died in 2022 aged 28.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout 2025, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

‘Memories will never fade away’: double Olympic champion dressage horse Salinero dies aged 28

‘Too strong and too ugly’: how did Salinero become one of the best dressage horses ever?

At the recent Global Dressage Forum held at the Bartels Academy in Holland (26-27 October), seven horses were put forward

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

US Olympian Liz Halliday has undergone surgery after sustaining a head injury in a cross-country fall during the USEA American Eventing Championships at Kentucky yesterday (29 August).

Liz was riding the nine-year-old gelding Shanroe Cooley in the advanced final when she fell at fence 21b – the Adequan Shallows water complex.

A statement from US Eventing said that Liz was taken to the University of Kentucky medical centre, where “they are providing care and treatment”.

“Shanroe Cooley, owned by The Ocala Horse Properties LLC, was assessed by the veterinary team on-site and was uninjured in the fall,” said the statement, adding that the USEA and organisers are sending Liz their best wishes.

A later update from Liz’s family and friends, posted to her social media, said that Liz has sustained a head injury and has undergone surgery to relieve the pressure from the swelling on her brain.

“Her team of doctors felt the surgery went exceptionally well. Liz is in stable condition and currently resting comfortably,” said the update.

“We appreciate all the love and support from everyone reaching out and checking in at this time, and we know it also means the world to Liz.

“Thank you to the onsite team and everyone who jumped into action to help at the event, along with Liz’s remarkable team for ensuring the horses are well taken care of while Liz is recovering.

“Thank you also to the doctors and nurses at the hospital for providing the best possible care.

“We will do our best to provide updates as we have them. Please keep sending positive thoughts and prayers.”

Liz, who has previously spent many years based in the UK, is a leading international event rider and partnered Cooley Nutcracker at the Paris Olympics last month.

You might also be interested in:

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

British amateur jockey Alice Procter has undergone spinal surgery following a serious fall at Cartmel racecourse.

Alice, 21, was riding the six-year-old Uggy Uggy Uggy for trainer Keiran Burke in the Cartmel Female Jockeys Handicap Hurdle on Saturday (20 July) when the pair fell at the second flight.

A statement from the Injured Jockeys Fund (IJF) on Sunday said that Alice immediately reported back pain and was flown by helicopter to the major trauma centre at Royal Preston Hospital.

She was taken to theatre under the care of the operating team.

A further IJF update issued on Monday (21 July) said that Alice remains in intensive care at the hospital.

“She is conscious and able to talk for short periods of time. The surgery to stabilise her thoracic spinal fracture was successful, although there are indications of some damage to the spinal cord,” said the statement.

“Alice will remain in hospital as plans are made for her longer term rehabilitation.

“The Procter family are very grateful for all the messages of support from across the industry. However, they recognise that this is likely to be a long journey and they kindly ask that enquires are handled by the IJF.”

Alice, who has evented successfully at novice and CCI2*-L, has had point-to-point wins in the saddle and as a trainer. She was having her seventh ride under Rules when the accident happened.

A post on X from the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) on Monday said “the thoughts of everyone at the BHA are with Alice and her friends and family”.

“The BHA’s chief medical adviser, Dr Jerry Hill, has visited Alice and her family today and will continue to provide support as she embarks upon her recovery,” it added.

You might also be interested in:

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the Paris Olympics, Royal International, Burghley and more with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Irish showjumper Trevor Breen is undergoing further surgery for three fractures of the lower neck and back incurred in a fall during the grand prix at Hamburg, Germany, on Saturday (11 May).

Trevor’s wife Caroline Breen told Horse & Hound today (14 May) that he has undergone surgery to stabilise the most serious fracture and there has been a much more positive prognosis after a worrying few days, but “there’s still a long road ahead”.

Dual Hickstead Derby winner Trevor Breen had been riding his family home-bred Highland President in the first round of Saturday’s 1.60m five-star Longines grand prix of Hamburg when they had a heavy fall at an oxer. Screens were quickly assembled round Trevor and he was attended to at the scene for half an hour.

Immediate medical attention crucial after Trevor Breen’s fall

Caroline says the immediate on-site medical attention proved crucial and she is hugely grateful to Hamburg show organiser Volker Wulff and his medical team, led by a leading on-site consultant.

“They were phenomenal,” said Caroline, who had been watching ringside when the fall happened. “They knew straight away that he had a neurological fracture from doing tests on him on the floor. I can’t thank them enough for saving him – he was just millimetres away from dying from a severed spinal cord.”

Trevor was taken straight to hospital and put in an induced coma but he has since been transferred to a top spinal surgery unit in Hamburg, where he has already undergone one operation. Having originally said Trevor may not be able to ride or walk again, doctors say the prognosis is now much brighter.

“The top orthopaedic surgeon in the hospital has been my point of contact the whole way through, which is amazing,” said Caroline. “He has three fractures in the lower neck and back and a lot of dislocations. The major fracture has been repaired, the spinal cord has been saved; he has no paralysis and he’ll be able to walk and ride again at some point.

“He’s having an MRI scan now to see if they need to fix anything else, but he’ll definitely need one more operation as they continue to stabilise the first fracture – first they had to go in the front, now they have to go in from behind.

“He’s just sat up for the first time with a massive team of physios, he’s talking, and within a week of the next operation, he’ll be flown home with me and that’s when he’ll start his rehab to get him up and about at home.

“He met the consultant this morning and he showed him the X-rays and scans and had a really long chat with him about the future, so he’s in a much better place now than he was yesterday anyway.

“It’s a long road ahead and we have a long way to go, but if everything continues to go as it’s going now, it’s an amazing prognosis.”

An update on Highland President

Caroline also said that 12-year-old Highland President, with whom European team silver medallist Trevor was recently reunited after a spell with Cian O’Connor, is back home and being attended to by their vet, but will be “absolutely fine”.

“He only had a superficial cut with a few stitches,” she said.

“I woke up this morning and had 436 unread messages; I’m replying to everyone, but all the offers that have come from people in the equestrian community are just unbelievable. We’re very blessed and very thankful for all the good wishes, and so grateful to the show organisers and what they’ve done to help us, we’ve had so much support – everyone in the medical teams in Hamburg has been phenomenal. I can’t thank them enough.”

You may also like to read…

The Horse & Hound Podcast 107: Trevor Breen on the Hickstead Derby | Bramham review | Job perks as a vet | News round-up

‘The price you pay for loving them is losing them’: farewell to ‘extraordinary’ horse who made Hickstead Derby history

Trevor Breen triumphs in thrilling Hickstead Derby

After an afternoon of non-stop drama, the Hickstead Derby is won in a nail-biting jump-off by Trevor Breen and his

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Australian Olympic eventer Shane Rose has undergone surgery for a broken femur and pelvis following a cross-country schooling accident.

Shane, who won the Land Rover Horse Show of the Year CCI4*-S with 19-year-old Virgil in New Zealand last weekend, was injured in the fall yesterday (14 March).

“As the saying goes peacock one day, feather duster the next. After a fantastic week in New Zealand where Shane and Virgil secured their Olympic qualifications, this week Shane was brought back down to earth literally,” read a statement from Shane’s team.

“During a cross-country schooling session yesterday Shane suffered a nasty fall. Thankfully his horse was not injured.”

The spokesman said Shane was in the intensive care unit with a “badly broken femur and a fractured pelvis and ribs”.

“He also suffered a heavy concussion. Shane had surgery this morning to stabilise the femur and pelvis,” he said, adding that Shane is in “good hands with a great medical team and support network”.

“While the timing is unfortunate we are hopeful there is adequate time for him to recover and still be able to continue his preparation schedule for the Paris Olympic Games.

“We are so thankful to the fantastic team at home who have stepped up in Shane’s absence to ensure it was business as usual at Bimbadeen Park. Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

Shane Rose is a three-time Olympic medallist. He was on the team that won silver with All Luck at Beijing in 2008, and bronze on CP Qualified at Rio 2016, and in Tokyo he was part of the silver-medal winning team with Virgil, alongside Kevin McNab and Don Quidam and Andrew Hoy and Vassily De Lassos. The Paris Games will be Shane’s fourth Olympics.

You might also be interested in:

Horse temporarily switches from Britain to Australia to have best chance at Olympics

Where will future top cross-country course-designers come from? H&H investigates…

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Event rider Franky Reid-Warrilow is aiming to recover from two fractured vertebrae to take her top horses to Luhmühlen CCI5* in four months’ time.

The former three-star European champion was riding her last horse at home, a young mare, before she caught a flight to the Isle of Man to coach, on 16 February.

“We’d finished jumping and she was cantering round, all happy and excited, then I thought ‘This broncing is getting a bit dangerous,” Franky told H&H. “Then I went splat.”

Franky said she landed awkwardly on her back, and was winded.

“I knew I couldn’t get up,” she said. “I could hear the horse going nuts and my poor groom was wondering whether to go to me or her. I broke my right hip once and that was hurting; I thought ‘Are you kidding me, I can’t have done that again!’”

Franky’s sister called an ambulance, and was told it could be a four-hour wait – no fun on a wet February day.

“I thought there was no way I could wait that out but they brought me two New Zealand rugs and a hot water bottle!” Franky said. “I knew where the pain was; in my pelvis and spine and I knew they’re not good areas for injuries, but I could feel my legs and move, so I hoped it wasn’t too bad and just tried to wait it out.”

In the end, the ambulance arrived after 45 minutes.

“The paramedics were great,” Franky said. “It took about an hour to move me, then the 45 minutes on Welsh country lanes wasn’t fun. The poor paramedic must have thought I was so rude as she was trying to make conversation to take my mind off it, but I do a bit of psychology and was thinking ‘mind over matter’, and listening to The Eventing Podcast!”

Franky was X-rayed and it was found she had fractured the transverse processes, the “wings” of two lumbar vertebrae.

“When the surgeon said it didn’t need an operation, I felt so relieved,” she said. “He said it would be six to eight weeks for the bones to heal, and I’m not allowed to get on a horse for six weeks. I said ‘Does that mean three?’ and he said ‘No it means six’. I said ‘Ok’!”

Franky said she is now feeling better after a tough week, but that that means it is harder to be unable to do much.

“My husband and I have a house on the yard so I keep sticking my head out saying ‘Who’s that, what’s happening now, what are you doing’; The girls are probably thinking ‘Will you shut up’!” she said.

“My first event was going to be Kelsall Hill, which is in nine weeks, and my two main horses are aiming for Luhmühlen (13-16 June); I’m glad I’d already decided that as being ready for Badminton would have been a bit of a stretch.”

Franky was to see a physio this week, and make a plan for rehab, including looking at when she might be able to get back to yoga, to help her muscle tone.

“At least I got injured when I was already fit, rather than at Christmas,” she said. “I felt stupid for not wearing a body protector, especially as I’m sponsored by FOMO, which makes them, but they are big and you get sweaty riding a lot in them at home. But I’ve spoken to them and they’re bringing out a new slimline one. She said she’d send me one and I said ‘Absolutely’. I don’t think I’ll ride without one now.”

You might also be interested in:

‘I had a string of great horses… and two weeks later it was gone’: how to bounce back after a string of bad luck

British five-star eventer recovering after emergency spinal surgery

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

British Team Chasing (BTC) has updated its rider fall regulations ahead of the 2024 spring season, following a trial run of a one-fall-and-out rule in 2023.

The rule is here to stay, so riders who fall off will not be allowed to remount and continue their round. There are also several important changes to last year’s fall rules that riders need to be aware of for 2024, concerning what they must do if they take a tumble.

BTC undertook “an extensive review” of team-chasing falls, Government guidance and how other sports and disciplines handle concussion, which has led to enhanced protocols for 2024.

Anyone who falls off must now be assessed by the onsite healthcare professional before leaving or getting on a horse again. Any rider who falls twice in one day will not be allowed to ride again.

If a rider falls off before fence six, they are eligible to be assessed by the onsite healthcare professional and if deemed fit to ride, can join another team with the same horse. For riders of multiple horses, it doesn’t matter where on the course they fall off – they must still be deemed fit by the healthcare professional before getting on their next ride.

If a rider does not comply with these new head injury assessment protocols, they will be stood down for 21 days.

BTC is also strongly recommending riders wear gumshields.

“We set up a four-person rider safety working group with a particular focus on this rule,” said a BTC statement.

“We have done a significant amount of background research into falls with BTC, including reading all accident forms returned to BTC, Equireel falls video footage, liaison with medical professionals both within equestrian sport and others such as rugby, review of other equestrian sports policies as well as discussion with riders and event organisers. We also attended the annual Medical Equestrian Association conference.

“This allowed us to analyse the data regarding fence type and classes in which falls occur as well as severity of falls.”

The statement added that it found “no other comparable equestrian sport which jumps fixed fences (or showjumping) that allows a competitor to remount following a fall”.

The working group considered various circumstances when considering if riders could be allowed to continue after a fall, but discounted these for a number of reasons.

These included that it would be “very hard to write a clear and unambiguous rule” defining the difference between a soft and hard fall “if there is such a thing”. The possibility of allowing a rider who landed on their feet to remount was also dismissed, as concussion is not ruled out by such a fall.

In the fall data the group reviewed, only four out of 76 riders definitely remained on their feet, and at least five of the 76 appeared to be unconscious.

“Given the time required to write, implement, judge a rule which would likely have very limited benefit and still some potential downsides the working group recommended that no remounting should be allowed,” added the statement.

“BTC would be the only comparable sport governing body which allows remounting, which means the argument that BTC has fulfilled its duty of care would be hard to prove.

“As a result we feel that the current no-remounting rule will remain in place with ongoing analysis of falls data from each event in an attempt to mitigate against the possibility of a rider suffering a repeat concussive injury whilst they are still highly vulnerable due to a prior potential concussive injury.

“Grassroots sport concussion guidelines were published by the UK Government in April 2023 with the overarching tag line of ‘if in doubt, sit them out’.”

You might also be interested in:

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Team chasing to trial one fall and out rule for riders this spring

Groundbreaking concussion and return to riding guidelines released

Why riders with concussion must stop trying to ‘beat the doctor’

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits. 

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Olympic gold medallist David O’Connor has urged other disciplines to start tracking falls as recent figures show around a quarter of eventing falls do not happen at cross-country fences.

Mr O’Connor, the FEI eventing committee chairman, made the call during his address to the FEI general assembly (21 November).

He highlighted the reduction in cross-country jumping falls in recent years, which H&H covered as part of discussions at the eventing risk management seminar in January (news, 16 February).

“There’s been a 16% reduction in horse falls just in the last six years, which is a pretty significant number, and a 70% reduction in any type of rotational fall in the last 10 years,” said Mr O’Connor, adding that this nods to the positive impact measures, including frangible devices, education, course-design, and minimum eligibility requirements, are having.

But he noted one “standout” figure is that 25% of total falls, which includes horse and/or rider falls, do not happen at cross-country fences. These include falls on the flat, in the other phases and warm-ups.

“That’s a fairly stunning number,” said Mr O’Connor, suggesting other disciplines start tracking their fall data to start to understand more about this.

“I know the United States has actually started the process of looking across all disciplines at what is happening, and not just leaving it up to one.”

The FEI has been collecting eventing fall data for many years, but until 2018 any fall not at a cross-country fence was recorded as “non-fence related” – regardless of how and where it happened. Since 2018, these have been separated into more detailed categories, to help the sport better understand any trends.

For example, of the 1,165 falls in 2022, 842 were at cross-country fences, 87 non-fence related on the cross-country, 146 took place in the showjumping, and 90 during warm-ups.

Mr O’Connor added that he encourages other disciplines to record data is because numbers can be quite surprising, and only from knowing these can the sport then start to ask questions about reasons for falls.

FEI medical committee chairman Mark Hart told the assembly of several major ongoing initiatives around rider safety. These are headlined by a project to evaluate the performance of equestrian helmets, with the recommendation for additional testing standards.

An equestrian helmet working group was put together this year, comprising stakeholders and experts such as engineers, academics, manufacturers, medical personnel, an Olympic rider, racing experts and the eventing risk management group.

Dr Hart gave a short summary of some of the group’s main findings; the conclusions are set to be released at the end of the year.

“Our goal is to decrease not only falls, but in parallel, we need to make efforts to further reduce serious head injuries in the inevitable event of falls in our sport,” said Dr Hart.

“[The working group] evaluated the performance needs for protective headgear and assessed the existing standards against those needs, to better determine if current standards could be improved to provide better protection for our riders to reduce serious head injuries.

“After extensive review of the available data, the working group is recommending additional testing standards and reduced head injury transmission limits for improved safety.

“It is expected that these recommendations will evolve as scientific criteria are refined and continuing research is taken out.

“We also hope that this will nudge the certification organisations to quicker update their standards, and hopefully eventually have harmonisation of the certification projects around the world and have a universal common standard.”

In a separate project, the FEI medical committee is coordinating the creation of an expert task force on air vest safety and effectiveness. The aim of the air vests working group will be to conduct a complete literature review of available data on equestrian injury patterns for chest, spine and thoracic injuries to determine what role the devices could have in reducing injuries.

They will also evaluate recommendations of other sports, such as motocross, and develop specific research projects, with the eventual aim of translating these findings into new testing standard recommendations for manufacturers and certification organisations.

Other key projects in the pipeline for 2024 include exploring a new system for reporting rider injuries, to create an “overall equestrian database for injuries”, plus guidance for organising committees on how to set up a mental health emergency plan for their events.

You might also be interested in:

‘A good life for horses’: why equestrian sport’s future rests on all our shoulders, and what are the next steps

Rotational falls in eventing at all-time low – but more work ‘still to do’

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Mary King has been stood down from competition for three weeks after a fall at Dauntsey Horse Trials.

The double Badminton Horse Trials winner reported that she fell off when five-year-old King Patrick spooked cantering across a field between fences, approaching a dark wooded area.

“Gravity took control and won!” said Mary. “All fine except I knocked my head so am not allowed to event for three weeks.”

A three-week suspension is standard in such cases – the British Eventing rulebook states: “If the event doctor reports in the MOR [medical report form] a finding of concussion, suspected concussion, head injury or other injury likely to result in concussion, the competitor will be automatically medically suspended for 21 days.”

Mary’s daughter Emily King will take over the ride on King Patrick at BE100 level at Aston-le-Walls next week and will also pilot another of Mary’s usual rides, the six-year-old Kings Belief, at novice.

Emily has an exciting month ahead as she is building up to her Burghley Horse Trials debut. She will be riding Valmy Biats, owned by his breeder Philippe Brivois and a syndicate, and the pair recently had a good prep run, finishing third in a CCI4*-S section at Burgham.

Another daughter of a former top rider was on form at Dauntsey; 2009 European champion Tina Cook’s daughter, Isabelle, won the sole intermediate section on Espoir Landais. David Doel won the open intermediate with his five-star campaigner Galileo Nieuwmoed, whose owner Gillian Jonas used to own Apache Sauce with Mary King.

You might also be interested in:

Olympic medallists, Zara Tindall and comeback horses head to Gatcombe for British open

Former European champion among commentators for eventing European Championships

‘We’ve had so much fun’: rider pays tribute as stable star bows out from elite competition

How to watch Burghley Horse Trials 2025 live streams and on TV wherever you are

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

A rider who broke six vertebrae last year scored a win on her comeback run at Aston-le-Walls (11 May). Alexa Palmer was out of the saddle for three months and has had a long recovery after her injury, but is now back on track with her competition career and business aspirations.

Alexa, who runs her family’s Greenhays Stud at home in Dorset, was riding a young horse for someone else in the arena at home when the accident happened.

“This horse decided he didn’t want me on board any more and I wasn’t going to stand a chance,” the 24-year-old told H&H. “It hit me hard, but I was really shocked so I jumped to my feet and walked away from the fall.

“I got to the house and thought, ‘I’m just going to ice this’, like us equestrian people do. Then I started not to be able to keep my back straight, so I went to minor injuries and they sent me to hospital, at which point the pain had really kicked in and I was on morphine and lots of drugs. It was then confirmed that I’d fractured six vertebrae, cracked two ribs and damaged the ligament from my neck to the middle of my back.

“I was lying in hospital for three days, flat, not able to eat because they might operate on my back. I was lucky on the third day they decided it was stable enough not to operate and I was sent home in a neck brace.”

Initially, Alexa could not even lift a bottle of water and would struggle to hold a plate of food because her back could not take that weight. But she could walk so she was able to carry on her coaching business while wearing her neck brace, and walk to keep her fitness up, moving on to cycling, squats, lunges and working with weights.

She went on: “I was out of the saddle for three months so all the horses were on holiday without anyone riding them and actually, it did them the world of good. They’d all been working really hard and since I got back on after the three months, they’ve gone from strength to strength.

“Once I was back riding, I didn’t realise after each horse that I’d have to lie on my back and rest it because it got so tired, so I was only riding one or two a day at the start and doing more coaching. Now I’m finally back to full capacity and riding seven horse a day and coaching quite a few lessons.

“Recovery takes a lot longer than you think it will and it’s frustrating when you can see everyone else going to events and doing things and you feel like it’s never going to happen. But it does, with patience. I’ve worked really hard on my fitness.”

This is not the first time Alexa has had to fight to return to eventing as she also suffered a traumatic brain injury in an eventing fall in 2018.

Alexa Palmer: ‘I have a horse I could work towards five-star’

Alexa’s top horse is the 10-year-old mare Global Super Nova, by Numero Uno.

“I bought her as a four-year-old with the profit from selling a home-bred horse, just as I’d left school, and I thought she was going to be a summer project before I went to university,” said Alexa, who holds a degree in business economics from Exeter. “But I never sold her – I didn’t have any intention of trying to sell her, because she was really awesome.”

Nova is only “16hh on her tippy toes” and Alexa was unsure if she would even go to intermediate level, but she won her second event at that level, at Aston-le-Walls in July 2021, and proved her capability with repeated placings at the level. The pair then finished third in their first advanced, the under-25 class at Aston in July 2022, Alexa’s last event before her injury.

“So now I realise I’ve got a horse that I really could work towards five-star,” said Alexa, who is aiming for the four-star at Aston-le-Walls in July this year and then Gatcombe’s British open championships.

Aston-le-Walls has proved a successful venue for Alexa Palmer and Nova and was the site of their comeback win, in open intermediate section L.

“Even though I knew that we were both in good form and had been training well, it’s putting it all together on the same day,” said Alexa. “I set out thinking hopefully we’d put everything into practice, but not with a lot of expectations and she was just so rideable. The whole day was amazing.

“She warmed up nicely for the dressage and was really calm in the test. I was thinking that I could get more marks if I had ridden better, which is a nice thing to think after the dressage – she’s got a lot of potential. Then she jumped two fantastic jumping rounds and to finish four marks ahead of everyone was really good. She a cross-country machine.”

The rider has also taken an embryo from Nova and is waiting for a heartbeat scan of the recipient mare, in hope of breeding a foal by last year’s Hickstead Derby winner Can Ya Makan.

Alexa Palmer graduated during the Covid pandemic and in building her business has benefited from not only her degree, but also being part of the British Equestrian Young Professionals Programme and the Haddon Training Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence. She also now holds a coaching qualification from British Showjumping.

“My dream is one day to make it to five-star — to get a young horse we’ve bred to top-level competition,” she said. “I also really enjoy coaching young people and people who are learning about the sport and wanting to progress.”

You might also be interested in:

‘It’s what I live for’: eventer who suffered serious brain injury returns to competition

‘Doctors have to be quite pessimistic because they don’t want to get your hopes up too much. I was advised

‘We are devastated’: frustration at FEI over cancellation of replacement eventing class

‘She was a force of nature’: Heather Holgate, mother of Ginny Elliot, dies age 97

Piggy March: ‘Ros Canter is the ultimate professional – every inch of her is proper class’

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Keep up to date with all of the breaking news, behind the scenes insight and the best of the action throughout Badminton Horse Trials with no limit on how much you can read from as little as £1 per week with a Horse & Hound unlimited website subscription. Sign up now. Plus enjoy our full 22-page magazine report on Badminton, including in-depth analysis and exclusive comments from Nick Burton and Mark Phillips, in Horse & Hound magazine (on sale 11 May).

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Tom Crisp earned himself the biggest cheer of cross-country day at the Lake at Badminton Horse Trials, presented by Mars Equestrian, after taking a tumble into the water.

His mare, Liberty And Glory, had been giving Tom a wonderful round over Eric Winter’s influential five-star track, and jumped over the rails into the water neatly. However, a slightly long stride to the colossal corner in the water meant she skewed slightly, unbalancing Tom and pitching him into lake. He so nearly managed to cling on, but fell off the 16-year-old mare for the first time ever in their long partnership.

Tom landed on his front at the water’s edge, and proceeded to entertain the crowd by pretending he was swimming front crawl. After a few strokes, he got up, arms raised and graciously bowed to rapturous applause from spectators. Meanwhile, Liberty And Glory – owned by Tom, his wife Sophie and her parents Patricia and Robin Balfour – cantered around lapping up the cheers.

Badminton final scores

“We are both OK, but my horse is very disappointed in me – that’s the first time I have ever fallen off her,” says Tom Crisp. “But I suppose if you are going to do it, then the main lake at Badminton is the way to go.

“Not an excuse, but I lack a bit of grip due to a groin injury I suffered a couple of months ago, falling off a young horse at home, and subsequently a hernia which is due to be operated on later in the month.

“It seems to be one thing after another, but what is in no doubt was the incredible form this little horse is in and I can’t help feeling I let her down this time. Ever humbling this sport!”

Tom, who also works as a firefighter, had been lying 54th after dressage, but his fast clear round had him on track to make a big climb up the leaderboard. Ros Canter holds on to her lead after cross-country on Lordships Graffalo.

How to watch Badminton Horse Trials

If you are interested in watching Badminton Horse Trials live from the comfort of your home, wherever you are in the world, you will need to subscribe to Badminton TV. To sign up, visit watch.badminton-horse.tv – click the “Sign Up” link in the top right corner of your screen, then follow the instructions. An annual subscription to Badminton TV costs £19.99 and gives you 365 days of access to all of the content in the Badminton TV library, the ability to watch the action live, and the option to replay all of this year’s action later.

You may also like to read…

‘We almost gave up on her’: meet the veteran home-bred five-star stalwart and her firefighter rider taking on Badminton Horse Trials

‘A horse like him should be celebrated’: Ros Canter rides textbook cross-country clear to maintain Badminton lead

Wet ground, fast rounds and mixed fortunes: all about Badminton’s cross-country day

Top Badminton mare primed to reap rewards of gym bunny routine

‘He’s my good mate and I’m so proud’: Oliver Townend’s five-star warrior delivers yet again at Badminton

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Keep up to date with all of the breaking news, behind the scenes insight and the best of the action throughout Badminton Horse Trials with no limit on how much you can read from as little as £1 per week with a Horse & Hound unlimited website subscription. Sign up now. Plus enjoy our full 22-page magazine report on Badminton, including in-depth analysis and exclusive comments from Nick Burton and Mark Phillips, in Horse & Hound magazine (on sale 11 May).

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

The racing community has been rocked again as a man died in a riding accident at a Newmarket racing stable.

The rider was pronounced dead at the scene, at Robert Cowell’s Newmarket yard, on Wednesday (29 March). The previous day, a 25-year-old female employee had collapsed and died at Michael Owen’s Manor House Stables in Cheshire.

Robert told the Racing Post the team was devastated, adding that the man, who had only been there for two or three weeks, was a “very smiley, cheerful person, an accomplished horseman and quickly became a valued member of our small team”.

Robert said his team’s thoughts are with the man’s family and friends.

A spokesman for Cambridgeshire Police said: “We were called at 8.47am yesterday (29 March) with reports a man had fallen from a horse in a field off London Road near Six Mile Bottom. Officers and paramedics attended, but the man died at the scene. His death is not being treated as suspicious and has been handed to the coroner.”

You might also be interested in:

Deep sadness as stable staff member dies at work

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

A CAP on dressage penalties could make eventing safer – as findings from one of the sport’s biggest ever studies identifies 16 risk factors for cross-country horse falls.

The study, “Towards a safer sport: risk factors for cross-country horse falls at British Eventing competition”, was carried out by researchers from the University of Central Lancashire and the University of Nottingham Trent, with funding from Myerscough College.

The aim was to determine risk factors associated with horse falls by analysing data from 749,534 British Eventing (BE) cross-country starts from 1 January 2005 to 31 December 2015. Of these starts, 2,633 horse falls were recorded, 3.5 falls per 1,000 starts and 16 risk factors were identified.

The findings included that male riders were associated with a greater odds of a fall than females, and older riders were less likely to have a fall than younger ones. Horses who started in the previous 15 to 21 days were less likely to fall than horses whose last start had been in the previous one to 14 days, and the risk of horse falls increased through higher levels of competition. Mares were more likely to have a fall than geldings, and ponies more likely to fall than horses between 15.3hh and 16.2hh.

Lead researcher Heather Cameron-Whytock, who has evented, told H&H the more “statistically significant” risk factor identified was the level of competition.

“This means it had the most profound effect on risk of falling. We know the jumps get bigger and more technical, they have to be going faster and the courses are longer, so it’s a matter of fact the higher levels are more challenging, so we would expect to see a higher risk of falls there,” she said.

“Our general recommendation on this is that minimum eligibility requirements (MERs) need to be carefully monitored and reviewed, which we know they are as they change regularly.”

It was also identified that combinations that scored a higher number of penalties in dressage were more likely to have a horse fall than those who scored a lower number. Based on this, the researchers suggested introducing a penalty cap to eliminate combinations who score 70 or more in the dressage.

“We found for every 10 additional dressage penalties, the risk of falls increased,” said Dr Cameron-Whytock. “When we explored this further, we saw that combinations that get 70 or more penalties are almost four times more likely to have a fall than combinations that score less than 70.

“Introducing a cap could be beneficial. Although it’s very rare to score 70 or more, it does happen and it’s in the data. These individuals are so much more at risk, so it’s worth trying to do something about that.”

Dr Cameron-Whytock added that it is unlikely to ever find “one thing” that will eliminate falls, but it is about making the sport safer where possible.

“If we can keep finding 1% reductions, that could be one rider not paralysed, or not sustaining a serious injury, and surely that makes it worth it,” she said.

BE national safety officer and technical adviser Jonathan Clissold has worked with Dr Cameron-Whytock on other eventing safety projects, and told H&H that this study comes up with “a lot of very interesting points” that support and justify the MERs in place.

“After comparing with the most recent data, BE will consider compulsory retirement for dressage penalties of 70 or more. The dressage requirement to gain an MER has been reduced this year from 50 penalty marks to 45,” he said.

Mr Clissold added that further analysis of the number of runs and the period between these “could be interesting”.

“The introduction of ‘continuing performance requirements’ since this data set has gone a long way to help address the points raised in this paper about poor performance increasing the risk of a fall,” he said.

BE chief executive Helen West told H&H she found the study “fascinating and extremely informative”.

“It is so good to be able to validate ‘gut instinct’ with solid, scientific findings,” she said. “The findings around gender and age affecting self-efficacy were striking and this highlights one of the extraordinary aspects of our sport, whereby we see riders continuing to participate at top-level into advanced age, even at professional level.

“There is no doubt that older event riders harness extensive experience that equips them with well-developed coping mechanisms and makes them less susceptible to external pressures and expectations placed upon them, enabling them to focus their performance and skill to completing the cross-country accurately and safely.”

Ms West added that the finding – that riders who had a fall during their previous start were more likely to fall again – supports findings from the “extensive work” equestrian data analysts EquiRatings has done with BE.

“This likely indicates that these individuals were competing at a level above their skill and therefore were at a heightened risk. This further highlights the importance of continually reviewing MERs,” she said.

“It is my belief that additional research is needed to enable further recommendations to be made in relation to MERs and their effectiveness for maximising safety, especially at the elite end of the sport. This is something that BE is continually monitoring as part of our risk-management strategy.”

You might also be interested in:

Eventing risk profiles could help reduce cross-country falls

Rotational falls in eventing at all-time low – but more work ‘still to do’

Risk profiles for cross-country courses could be on the cards thanks to new research

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Riders will not be allowed to get back on and continue their round after a fall, in new team-chasing rules being trialled this spring.

The new rule covers riders unseated on course – horse falls already result in elimination for the combination – and it is being introduced “on a trial basis” for the 2023 spring season.

A notice from British Team Chasing (BTC) said the decision followed discussion with those involved “in all aspects” of the sport, including event organisers, officials and competitors at novice, intermediate and open level.

“This change is introduced to assist organisers and competitors with rider safety during the competitions, but will be subject to a more detailed full review ahead of the autumn ’23 season, which will include analysis of data from the spring season’s events,” said the notice. “The rule change is therefore introduced on a trial basis only at this stage.”

Riders who take a tumble on course are “immediately eliminated and must retire”. If they continue and jump a further fence, the whole team will be eliminated. BTC also recommends competitors who suffer a “heavy fall” should see an on-duty doctor before leaving.

The announcement sparked mixed responses on social media.

BTC chairman Philip Cowen told H&H the new trial rule follows “careful consideration and reflection in recent months by British Team Chasing”.

“Although the sport has always been well known through the equestrian world for its thrills (…. and occasional spills), there is also a strong desire to ensure that team chasing retains its unique characteristics,” he said. “Not least where the camaraderie of a team with a ‘have-a-go’ approach at any level within the sport can produce a great deal of fun and ultimate success for those riders, and all without the burden of a weighty and overly detailed rulebook.

“It is equally important that as the sport evolves for the future, events are able to be organised and hosted in a manner which is both safe and responsible in the light of today’s medical standards and safety research.

“Ultimately rider safety and horse welfare are of paramount importance to the success of individual events and the sport as a whole.”

Mr Cowen added that BTC will undertake a “thorough review” of rider fall data from fixtures this spring, prior to making any further announcements.

“In particular we look forward to engaging with competitors at all levels within the sport, alongside event organisers, officials and spectators over the course of the next few weeks,” he added.

“That thorough review will ultimately inform how best to address all of these factors for the continued wellbeing and success of the sport in the longer term.”

Team chaser Jess Powell, who is a doctor, was among those to comment.

“As a bad rider I’m devastated as I’ve managed to get two top 10 finishes after remounts – leading,” she said.

“As a doctor who used to cover equestrian events I applaud British Team Chasing. I did several 15- and 30-minute checks at BE [British Eventing] events for what looked like innocuous falls and picked up raging concussion in the riders.

“There will always be another day, it’s not worth risking early onset dementia or serious traumatic brain injury,” she said. “Don’t get me wrong as a rider who grew up in the 80s and 90s constantly falling off ponies this can seem extreme, but with [my] work hat on – 100% the correct call.”

BTC has also updated its hat and body protector standard rules for this season, to fall in line with BE, the Pony Club [PC] and British Riding Clubs [BRC].

Hats must be tagged with a BE, PC or BRC-approved tag and must not have a fixed peak. Only hats that meet the following standards will be accepted: British and European PAS 015 (2011) or VG01 040 2014-12 – both with a BSI Kitemark or Inspect IC Mark; American ASTM F1163 2004a onwards with SEI mark, Snell 2016 or 2021 (no other mark is needed with Snell) or Australia and New Zealand AS/NZS 3838 2006 onwards with SAI Global mark.

All competitors must also wear a body protector British Equestrian Trade Association (BETA) 2009 Level 3 standard (purple label) or BETA 2018 Level 3 standard (blue and black label). An up-to-standard body protector is also required when competitors are wearing air jackets of any make.

From 1 January 2024 body protectors meeting the 2009 standard will no longer be permitted for use – the BETA 2018 label will be the only accepted standard.

• Read the updated British Team Chasing rules in full [PDF]

You might also be interested in:

How to recognise concussion in horse riders – and when it’s safe to get back in the saddle

Whether you’re a rider, instructor or have a child who rides, do you know how to recognise concussion?

Finding the key to talented but strong horses *H&H Plus*

Groundbreaking concussion and return to riding guidelines released

Can gumshields help reduce concussion? We ask the experts *H&H Plus*

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits. 

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Olympic showjumping champion Ben Maher is recovering after he had a “bad fall” while competing in the US last week.

Ben is in Florida, where he has been jumping a number of horses at the Winter Equestrian Festival, at Wellington International.

“Due to a bad fall last week, I will be taking an unscheduled holiday,” said the Tokyo individual gold medallist yesterday (9 February). “I appreciate all of the kind messages”.

Ben added that he will keep everyone updated on his recovery, and he hopes “to be back soon”.

Ben has had a number of top placings in Florida, including a win with his 20-year-old Rio Olympic partner Tic Tac during the second week of the series. The pair fought off 22 combinations to top the CSI3* 1.45m speed class on 19 January by two seconds, then two days later Ben and the stallion were third in the CSI3* 1.50m.

On 28 January Ben had another victory, in the CSI4* grand prix, with new ride Dallas Vegas Batilly, owned by Charlotte Rossetter and Pamela Wright. Ben and the 10-year-old Selle Francais mare were the quickest in the 14-horse jump-off, with Ireland’s Shane Sweetnam and Namaste Van Het Ecykeveld having to settle for second and Kent Farrington third with Toulayna.

The Winter Equestrian Festival is in its fifth week, and will run until 2 April. The show welcomes riders from around the world, with top names on the roster including Laura Kraut, McLain Ward, Daniel Deusseur and Rodrigo Pessoa. Among the Brits competing are Amanda Derbyshire, Jessica Mendoza and Samuel Hutton, while the Irish riders in action include Bertram Allen, Conor Swail, Daniel Coyle and Darragh Kennedy

You might also be interested in:

‘It’s been a while since I’ve run to the last fence like that!’ Ben Maher rides a flyer and a Brit wins 10 classes

‘He still feels like he wants to do nothing else’: 20-year-old Olympic stallion resumes winning ways

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

A ratings system designed to complement existing safety standards and fill the gaps relating to concussion risks has been cautiously welcomed – and questioned – with experts advising riders to look at the whole picture when choosing a riding helmet.

The Virginia Tech Helmet Lab, which has been rating helmets for different sports since 2011, has released its first STAR (Summation of Tests for the Analysis of Risk) evaluation system for equestrian sport.

The focus is on assessing which helmets best reduce concussion risk, and the testing process works by translating metrics from real-world head impacts into evidence-based test methods to assess performance under realistic conditions.

A total of 40 riding helmets were tested, and ratings published online this month. Two earned the top score of five stars, 11 earned four, and the rest three stars or below – and retail price was not necessarily a reflection of performance under this system.

“Standards for equestrian helmets are typically based on severe impacts,” said Stefan Duma, Helmet Lab founder and Virginia Tech’s Harry Wyatt professor of engineering. “What we found is that a lot of riders come off at lower velocities, and many helmets are too stiff to effectively cushion those softer impacts. The helmets that perform better are able to deal with different energy levels.”

To develop the system, researchers analysed more than 100 videos of rider falls. They measured the hardness of sand, dirt, grass and synthetic surfaces at equestrian events, and took equipment, including dummy heads, necks and pendulums, to Virginia Tech’s equestrian facilities to simulate falls.

Data was taken back to the lab to recreate falls in controlled, quantitative tests, which used to assess the helmets.

“With every sport, we go through detailed analysis to make sure that the biomechanics we’re testing relate specifically to those athletes,” said Professor Duma.

“For these ratings, we determined what the acceleration profile would look like for a rider falling on the ground. Then we take that trace and bring it into the lab and recreate it, to make sure our testing matches what a rider would experience if they fell off a horse.”

He said “the real key” is that the system “provides a framework for manufacturers to make better helmets”.

“They can look at our analysis, recreate that testing, and optimise their helmet design to make the best helmet possible,” he said.

“That’s going to be better for consumers as well as manufacturers. Ultimately, we hope to reduce the number of injuries.”

The research was funded by private donors, led by Jacqueline Mars, plus the US Hunter Jumper Association, US Equestrian (USEF) and US Eventing.

The Champion Revolve X-Air MIPS helmet – the only Champion hat tested – topped the ratings.

“Champion has always been safety first in terms of our design, it’s our top priority,” Ben Hanna, production engineer at Champion Manufacturing Group, told H&H.

“We’ve always been trying to push to maintain the highest levels. It shows all the effort we put in over the years has paid off.”

He added that Champion knew Virginia Tech was working on a equestrian rating system, but did not know which, if any, of its helmets had been tested.

He said the ratings system gives interesting insight into how helmets that meet the top standards, designed to test for protection against catastrophic, life-changing injuries, perform in other situations.

“I think it’s important to understand that the Virginia Tech STAR ratings are specific to their test, as any rating system is,” he said. You can only score helmets against what you’ve tested for, but it provides that extra layer of insight and when choosing a helmet, from a safety point of view, look at the whole picture and not just one individual test.”

He added: “So I think for people who are looking to buy a new hat and want to know how to interpret these results, our position would be that the Virginia Tech STAR rating is a useful indicator of helmet performance.

“If people are looking for the safest helmet, they should look for a well-fitting helmet that is comfortable and that they will wear every day. Because you may have the safest helmet on the planet, but if it’s uncomfortable and you don’t wear it, it’s not going to do any good.

“You want it to be rated to [an approved standard] like PAS 015 or the latest SNELL standard. And I would definitely support the motion that you should get a MIPS hat, because it adds that extra layer of protection. Then look at the Virginia Tech STAR ratings.”

Other industry figures have also welcomed the research – while raising questions about the system.

MIPS, the multi-directional impact protection system, which is included in certain helmets and intended to help reduce harmful rotational motion, “welcome the new benchmark […] yet aspects of the test and rating methods leave room for improvement”.

“While we appreciate the new initiatives to evaluate equestrian helmets and promote helmet safety more generally, we at MIPS believe that the new rating systems may be cause for confusion,” said the MIPS statement.

Manufacturer Charles Owen, which had four helmets tested with varying results, also welcomed and questioned the system.

“We appreciate the Virginia Tech findings in relation to low-velocity impacts. However, it’s important to highlight the potential issues in basing research methods on social media videos of accidents,” said a statement from Charles Owen.

“The three main international safety standards of VG1, PAS:015 and ASTM incorporate low-velocity impacts as seen in this study, as these do play a role in everyday accidents.

“However, there are also crucial tests, such as spike tests, rotational tests, crush tests and hazard edge tests that also need to be considered when evaluating helmet safety.

“These tests are peer-reviewed and developed over many years by medical consultants, industry experts and PhD researchers to replicate major causes of rider head trauma and concussion.

“We encourage all riders to ensure their helmets meet a minimum of three safety standards [PAS:015, VG1 and ASTM] as this ensures your helmet has been tested against nine different accident scenarios. As every rider will know, every accident is different in the levels of force, speed and angle involved.

“The helmet study by Virginia Tech focuses on just one potential cause of concussion. While this can be useful to simplify the science, we advocate that consumers dig deeper to understand the accepted industry standards for themselves.”

Responding to Charles Owen’s statement, Barry Miller, the helmet lab’s director of outreach and business development, told H&H the lab uses a “wide array of data sources”, which include injury reports from sporting organisations such as USEF, the national injury database, and more.

“But without video footage, all of these methods are still incomplete,” he said.

“There are more than 50,000 [US] emergency room visits from equestrian accidents every year, but few have video footage to corroborate the details of the accident. The videos we’ve used are primarily from sanctioned equestrian events and many could have been posted to social media.

“While we might not be able to use advanced computer analyses for each unique video, we can certainly add them to a growing catalogue of rider falls.”

He added that the lab welcomes videos from all sources to help “understand and quantify fall characteristics”.

“Our STAR testing and methods have been approved by the Institute of Medicine, one of the highest scientific bodies in the country,” he said. “The STAR ratings have also proven to help manufacturers improve helmet designs [in other sports] that in turn reduced real-world concussions. We look forward to seeing these improvements that take helmet safety to the next level.”

You might also be interested in:

5 reasons why a subscription to HorseandHound.co.uk makes the perfect last-minute gift

Competition hat rules: find out what’s changing in 2022 and 2023

Is your hat up to standard? Check out the latest riding hat rules for competition

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits. 

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

A young eventer who sustained two open fractures in a freak fall last year forcing her out of the saddle for six months, has rounded off her final year on ponies on a high.

North Yorkshire-based Emily Worsdale, 16, was preparing for the Bishop Burton international youth championships last July, when her home-bred pony Miss Winifred Wilde was spooked by a pheasant during a schooling session in the field, resulting in the mare slipping and falling.

Emily suffered two open fractures of her tibia and fibula and needed surgery to insert pins and rods into her leg.

“Winnie lost her footing, landed on top of me and my bone snapped outside of my leg. I had to learn to walk with a zimmer frame and I wasn’t allowed to ride for six months,“ Emily told H&H.

“I’ve always been the one to ride Winnie so we gave her the time off while I recovered. I was itching to get back on and when I did in January I was so happy, I don’t think I’ve ever smiled that much on a horse.”

Emily said the original plan had been to sell Winnie last year as she moved on to horses, but it was decided to keep her one more year so she was getting back on a familiar pony after her time out of the saddle. The pair’s 2022 season started at Lincolnshire in March where they finished on their dressage score in the BE100Open for 11th place.

“We had missed most of the winter training so we had to use our early events as our training,” said Emily, who was again selected for the Bishop Burton international youth championships this autumn, after missing the competition last year.

“We’ve had a great season, I couldn’t ask for any more. We were fourth in the two-star at Cornbury on 8th September and finished on our dressage score – she was insane.”

Winnie will be sold as Emily makes the step up to horses, with hopes of running her own event yard in the future.

“I’ve ridden Winnie her whole life, we’ve produced each other. She means everything to me and it will be hard when the time comes for her to move on,” said Emily.

You might also be interested in:

‘I wasn’t supposed to be jumping for four months’: rider returns from injury early to win at Royal Windsor

Injured four-star rider forced to ‘write off’ eventing season looks to the future

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Neither of the riders whose falls caused holds on the World Eventing Championships cross-country was badly injured, it has been confirmed.

Spanish rider Carlos Diaz Fernandez and Nicolas Touzaint, of France, were among those who suffered falls on Saturday (17 September), but although Carlos was taken for X-rays as a precautionary measure, Nicolas did not need to go to hospital.

Carlos fell from Taraje CP at 7c, the second skinny fence at the foot of the Slide. He hung on to the side of his horse for a few strides, then fell, and it looked as if the nine-year-old gelding struck him with a hoof as he hit the ground.

Nicolas fell from Absolut Gold HDC at the oxer-to-corner combination at fence 16abc, the MIM Clip Complex, which had caused issues for a number of combinations.

The French partnership, who went into today with a 34.4 dressage score, were on the side that took bronze in Tokyo, and finished sixth individually, but the fall capped a day that had not gone as planned for France. The team was in sixth place after dressage, and would have been within reach of the podium had today gone well, but slipped to 14th of 16 after the World Eventing Championships cross-country.

Nicolas’s countryman Gaspard Maksud and nine-year-old mare Zaragoza jumped clear inside the time, but Thomas Carlile was also eliminated for a fall. He and Darmagnac De Beliard were eliminated at the skinny at fence 19; the horse was not on a good distance on the approach and jumped through the side of the fence, resulting in Tom coming off.

The first French team combination to go, Astier Nicolas and Alertamalib’or, had a run-out at fence 7c, the final part of the Slide, and 11 penalties for a broken frangible device at fence 18, the Goldspan Farm, along with 8.4 time-faults.

The Spanish were 11th after dressage, but are now in 16th place. No horses fell or suffered serious injuries during the cross-country.

You might also be interested in:

Falls, frangibles and refusals prove costly for World Championship riders

‘It’s absolutely gutting’: disappointment for Laura Collett on World Championships cross-country course

‘She‘s an absolute ****ing machine!’ How top riders are faring at the World Championships

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Keep up with all of the breaking news, behind the scenes insight and the best of the action throughout the World Eventing Championships with no limit on how much you can read from as little as £1 per week with a Horse & Hound unlimited website subscription. Sign up now. Plus enjoy our full 20-page magazine report (on sale 22 September) including opinion from Mark Phillips and ground jury president Christina Klingspor.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Mary King is eyeing up a return to competition before the end of the eventing season, less than three months after breaking several bones in a fall from a young horse. Mary started riding again on Wednesday (14 September), having been grounded for 11 weeks as she had to wear a neck brace to enable the fractures she suffered to the C3 and C7 vertebrae to stabilise.

She posted a video of her hacking out on the coast in Devon, saying, “Here I am, neck brace off, back on board a horse enjoying the best view in the world.”

The 61-year-old told Horse & Hound that she “feels really lucky to have healed so quickly – they said it could be up to 16 weeks in a collar”.

“I went and picked up my horses from [daughter] Emily’s straight away, and I’ve ridden every day since,” she continued. “I asked the doctor if I could ride, and he said, ‘go carefully for a few weeks, and don’t fall off’.”

Mary King fall: ‘Each day I’m getting stronger’

Mary reported no pain as she makes these early steps back towards competing again.

“It is fine now, and it really wasn’t too bad,” said Mary, who broke eight ribs in multiple places and her shoulder blade, as well as the neck fractures. “Years ago I sprung a rib and I couldn’t laugh for days. This time I could still laugh and cough, but I couldn’t sneeze.”

While she will “take each day as it comes”, the two-time Badminton winner is hoping to be back in the start box in October. She last competed in May, before the accident, which happened at home when a young horse was spooked by a gate blowing into him in the wind.

“I am aiming to be back this season, and do three events with my young horses,” she said. “I tried to keep fit doing a lot of walking up and down the steep hills in Devon which must have done some good. Each day I can feel I’m getting stronger.”

During Mary’s enforced absence, her daughter Emily King has been eventing Mary’s rides Kings Belief and King Louis, and has totted up a couple of wins at BE90 and BE100 on each of them.

You may also enjoy reading…

‘Her spirits are unbroken’: Mary King sustains fractured vertebrae, ribs and shoulder blade in fall

Mary King hands two horses to daughter Emily to event as she recovers from injury

‘The team at Badminton saved my life’: Nicola Wilson returns home four months after life-changing cross-country fall

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

A rider who suffered a broken vertebra, shoulder blade, hand, knuckle and ribs in a rotational fall came back to jump triple clear and qualify for the national championships five weeks later.

Leigh Smallacombe and Los Angeles fell at Chard on 10 June, but Leigh and five-year-old gelding Flagstaff King finished second in the British novice second round at Dorset Showground on 24 July.

“I thought I wouldn’t get through as I was a bit rusty!” Leigh told H&H. “It was my first show back and I jumped 90cm on the Friday, and worked my way up, and we ended up jumping triple clear.”

Leigh said she was knocked out when six-year-old Los Angeles fell last month.

“The pole got caught between his legs, and my head between him and the pole,” she said. “I was out cold so I don’t remember any of it, and I don’t want to.

“There wasn’t going to be an ambulance for five hours so they had to take me to hospital by car. It’s funny as out of all my injuries, it was the broken knuckle that was really sore; people would say what about the vertebra, but the knuckle was the worst!”

Leigh, who is a UKCC level three coach and a hairdresser, and has a livery yard, started working with a leading sports physiotherapist soon after her fall, to ensure she recovered as well as possible. She started with gentle hacking and worked her way up.

She may still need surgery to correct her scapula winging; her shoulder blade is sticking out rather than lying flat owing to nerve damage sustained in the fall, but doctors have advised waiting to see how it recovers. Los Angeles had some physio and time off but was uninjured in the fall, and “bounced straight back”.

“Dorset was my first show back and I was cautious at first, to say the least,” Leigh said. “But they jumped double clear in both classes for two days, and I entered the second round a bit tongue in cheek. I wasn’t sure I was strong enough or riding well enough to be competitive but we jumped clear. I thought we’ll go in the second round and probably have a pole, then went clear again and I thought ‘Oh, now I’m in the third round’.

“I just wanted to jump triple clear and it was such an achievement. It would have been the biggest he’s jumped but he’s got such a big heart; he wants to do it more than I do, and he’s always got the biggest smile on his face.”

Leigh, who will head to the British Showjumping National Championships (2-7 August) with both horses, as Los Angeles had already qualified for the British novice final, wanted others to see how with “hard work, determination and the right support, we can achieve our goals”, and that rider physio should be more prominent.

“We need so much more of that,” she said, adding that the exercises she did under her physio’s guidance helped strengthen and support her to recover.

“It makes me quite emotional to have had quite a bad accident and come straight back,” she said. “I’d just like to tell people to keep going, get the physio, have a goal and work towards it. I’m so proud of my little horse, and he really deserves it.”

You might also be interested in:

4 fitness exercises to do at home that could improve your riding

Rider who split liver in fall survives to win again — on 22-year-old pony who also defied the odds

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

British event rider Caroline March suffered a serious fall on the cross-country at Barefoot Retreats Burnham Market on Saturday (16 April).

The 29-year-old was riding her own eight-year-old grey gelding Shades Of Cooley, when she fell at the 16th fence – an ascending triple bar – on the CCI3*-S cross-country course. British Eventing’s records list the fall as an unseated rider.

A statement on Caroline’s professional Facebook page said she was knocked unconscious and immediately attended to by the on-site medical team.

“She regained consciousness before complaining of pain in her right chest, back and altered sensation in her legs,” said the statement, shared on Saturday evening (16 April). “Given her condition, the decision was taken to sedate her and transfer her by air ambulance to the major trauma unit at Addenbrooke’s Hospital.

“After further assessment at Addenbrooke’s, her head scan was clear but scans showed lacerations to her liver as well as fractured vertebrae. She was operated on this afternoon for the liver whilst the ramifications of the fractured vertebrae remain unknown at this stage. She will remain under sedation in the intensive care unit overnight.”

The statement added: “On behalf of Caroline and her family I would like to extend our thanks to the emergency services, both at the event and thereafter, for giving her the best treatment possible. We would also like to thank the organisers and officials at the event for their swift and effective actions.

“We all have our fingers crossed that Caroline will make a full and swift recovery and be back in the saddle soon. In the meantime, we are grateful for your well wishes and I know any messages of support will be much appreciated by Caroline when she is able to read them.

“We will continue to keep you updated on her condition but would also appreciate the space to process the situation at this difficult time.”

A statement from the event added: “Whilst competing at the Barefoot Retreats Burnham Market International Horse Trials on 16 April 2022 Caroline March and Shades of Cooley had a fall on the cross country.

“Caroline has been transferred to Addenbrooke’s Hospital, where she will receive a further detailed assessment. Further information will be provided when available.”

You might also be interested in:

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits. 

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

William Fox-Pitt has been stood down from competition after he was knocked out in a fall at Cirencester Park Horse Trials last Saturday (26 March).

The accident happened while William was riding Cayiano in a novice class. He was taken to hospital and given a thorough check and scans, which were all clear.

The rider added that the team at Cirencester and medical personnel were particularly concerned because of his history – William suffered a serious brain injury in a fall in the autumn of 2015.

“All the alarm bells sounded because of my CV so they took no risks, but I went home that night and have not had anything abnormal – no change to my memory, mood or sleep,” he told H&H. “I had a stiff neck for a few days, but now I wouldn’t even know I’d had a fall.”

With William Fox-Pitt stood down, Harry Meade offered to ride William’s Badminton Horse Trials entries, Little Fire and Oratorio II, at Cirencester and gave both a steady run in the open intermediate on Monday, with William there to watch.

Little Fire scored 30.2 in the dressage, had one showjump down and went clear across country with 24 time-faults. Oratorio recorded a first-phase mark of 27.7, had eight faults in the showjumping and matched his stable-mate’s cross-country performance.

Harry will also ride both horses in the CCI4*-S at Thoresby this weekend, again under William’s supervision.

“Hopefully they will be ready for Badminton, but I’d like to jump round a decent track before Badminton. I’m still finalising my plans,” said William.

You might also be interested in:

William Fox-Pitt on Rio Olympics selection after head injury: ‘Chilli could do well — if I don’t let him down’

The Team GB eventer reflects on his comeback from a serious fall last autumn to be selected for Rio

‘What a treat’: William and Alice Fox-Pitt take the reins as Horse & Hound editors

A former winner, a 2021 European medallist and a rising star among British entries for Kentucky five-star

Cob overcomes asthma to score eventing win: ‘He’s incredibly tolerant of his treatment’

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

A rider who was trapped under her horse who had collapsed and died managed to call for help and was rescued by emergency services personnel — who have stressed the importance of carrying a phone while riding.

The woman, who was in her 40s, was riding on a bridleway in Abberton, Essex, on Tuesday morning (11 January). Essex County Fire and Rescue Service crews arrived to find the rider trapped underneath the fallen horse.

Firefighters worked with the ambulance service and police to lift the horse and free the rider.

A spokesman for the ambulance service said the rider was treated at the scene, then taken by road to Colchester Hospital “for further assessment and care”. H&H has been unable to confirm what caused the horse to collapse.

Colchester Fire station manager Andrew Edwards said the scene was in a very rural location, away from any houses or paths.

“Fortunately, the rider had her phone on her when she became trapped and was able to call for help,” he said. “When out walking or riding alone, we would encourage everyone to have a mobile phone to hand in case of emergencies.”

The service also recommended downloading the what3words app, which divides the world’s surface into 3mx3m square, each with a unique three-word identifying code. These words can then be used to pinpoint the holder’s location accurately, so emergency services or breakdown providers know exactly where to go, and so can be useful for riders who are often in rural locations.

You might also be interested in:

Smart phone app locates riders in emergencies *H&H Plus*

Emergency services are encouraging all riders to download the what3words free smart phone app

Calls for riders to download ‘life-saving’ location app

‘You never know when an emergency might happen, but with what3words, you’ll always be able to say exactly where help

‘You never know when you might need it’: rider uses What3Words app to help driver in overturned lorry

I realised I didn’t have a clue where we were as I had been on my iPad all the way.

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

A rider who sustained a hairline skull fracture in a team-chasing fall has shared images of her severely damaged riding hat and said she was “incredibly glad” she had replaced it recently — and that she was “lucky to be alive”.

Somerset-based Susannah Stanning was competing as part of Team Rideaway in the intermediate speed class at the Cotswolds team chase on Sunday (31 October) when her horse Our Kaempfer tripped, fell and landed on her head.

“I remember being pretty convinced he was going to land on me. He cartwheeled over and his hindquarters landed square on top of my head on the floor. It was about as dramatic as it can be,” Susannah told H&H.

“I was unconscious for about five minutes but I was incredibly lucky that they have such amazing medical staff there.”

Susannah, who runs a yard producing team chasers and polo ponies with her husband Roddy, was taken to hospital by ambulance and a CT scan showed she had sustained a hairline skull fracture, and she was diagnosed with concussion. Her horse was not injured in the fall.

“I didn’t have any damage anywhere else, I was extraordinarily lucky,” she said.

“I was kept in hospital overnight for observation but the fracture should essentially heal on its own in time. I was given advice about the concussion and there will be no riding or driving for the immediate future.”

Susannah agreed for images of her damaged riding hat to be shared online and said she had been “astounded” by the response. She is sending her hat back to Champion for the damage to be fully assessed.

“Looking at the damage to my hat I feel incredibly lucky to be alive. I have seen some video footage of the fall and it really could have been a very different story. I only bought my hat three weeks ago when I decided I probably needed a new one, and I’m incredibly glad that I did,” she said.

“I think people have been shocked by the amount of damage to my hat and thought there would have been a lot more damage to me,” she said “I’ve been very lucky in that I’ve not had a head injury before, and it goes without saying how important it is that everyone wears a riding hat with the correct safety standard, and if you have a fall it’s important it gets replaced. I hope some positives can come from this and people learn from my experience.”

Susannah’s husband Roddy, who was at the team chase, added how “brilliant” the medical team was at the Cotswold.

“We were unlucky it happened, but lucky it wasn’t worse and that this happened at a properly organised event with paramedics and a racecourse doctor. The immediate medical attention quite likely made a significant difference to her outcome,” he told H&H. “It highlighted that it’s even more important that you wear a hat at home because you’re unlikely to have any medical cover there if something happens.”

You might also be interested in:

‘They don’t go to hospital unless something’s hanging off’: research shines light on equestrian-related injuries

Rider ‘lucky to be alive’ after she was kicked in the head serves hat safety message

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

RISK of hospitalisation from equestrian-related injuries has been “severely underappreciated”, data suggests.

A study, Hearing hoofbeats? Think head and neck trauma: a 10-year NTDB analysis of equestrian-related trauma in the USA, by researchers in Texas, analysed data from the US National Trauma Data Bank from 2007 to 2016 to look at injuries recorded as horse-related with the aim of allowing the development of “targeted prevention strategies”. As part of the work, researchers compared the data against studies looking at motorcycle racing, skiing and football and said this research mirrors previous findings that the proportion of trauma centre admissions from equestrian injuries was higher, and when taken together the data suggests the dangers of equestrian activities has been “severely underappreciated”.

Of the 24,791 injuries analysed, 37.07% were in the chest region and 22.95% were head injuries. Riders aged between 50 and 59 were most likely to visit trauma centres.

One of the researchers, trauma surgeon Jeffrey Skubic, told H&H it is hoped the study will raise awareness about wearing protective equipment, especially in the US where Western riding is more common.

“A lot of these injuries can be prevented if riders wear helmets or a vest [body protector],” said Dr Skubic. “What concerns us is when we compare the data to previous studies on skiing, motorcycle riding or football, there is a higher injury rate in riding. People traditionally think of getting on a motorcycle as dangerous, but it’s a machine that you can control the majority of the time. A horse has a mind of its own and you don’t know what it’s going to do.”

“We also want to raise awareness to trauma surgeons when they are getting a patient who has fallen off a horse to know what injuries they should be looking for.”

Major trauma consultant Diane Fisher, the British Equestrian Trade Association’s chief medical officer, told H&H she welcomes the study but that it is difficult to compare like for like between the US and the UK owing to the difference in riding styles, as more US riders do not wear a safety helmet. There is a national database that collects major trauma records in the UK, but it does not specifically collect equestrian data and this is something Dr Fisher is calling for.

“There is a definite mismatch between medics’ knowledge of equestrian injuries and potential for injury, because they don’t understand the mechanism by which we hurt ourselves,” she said. “On top of this, you have a community as a whole who jump back on with fractured ribs or broken arms. They’re late presenters and don’t go to hospital unless something is hanging off, and even then it can be days later.”

Dr Fisher added the importance of wearing safety helmets when handling horses on the ground and praised Charlotte Dujardin for wearing her helmet during her Tokyo Olympic trot-up with Gio.

“Many of the really serious injuries happen on the ground because people don’t tend to wear a hat taking their horse to the field, or when loading. I think this is the area we really need to concentrate on going forward.”

You might also be interested in:

‘You have one life – why not put a hat on?’: Charlotte Dujardin on opting for a helmet at Tokyo Olympics trot-up

Trauma doctor shares simple life-saving actions all equestrians should know

Dr Diane Fisher spoke about the simple, potentially life-saving actions, people can take if a friend hits their head at

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

RISK profiles could be constructed for combinations competing at international level aimed at reducing the number of cross-country falls, with the help of previous competition data.

In an FEI-commissioned study, FEI eventing: Risk factors for horse falls and unseated riders during the cross-country phase (2008–2018), researchers from the University of Bristol and Nottingham Trent University analysed data from 187,602 horse starts in the cross-country phase of FEI events between January 2008 and December 2018. Of these starts, 2,894 horse falls were recorded and 6,557 unseated riders.

A statistical model was used to identify potential risk factors that could be applied to combinations, based on their individual history and course-level factors. Findings included that combinations competing at two-star and above and over longer courses were at increased odds of a horse fall or unseated rider, compared to those competing at one-star. Mares were found to be at increased odds of a fall compared to geldings and stallions, as were horses with a previous fall at an FEI event compared to horses who had never fallen at an FEI competition. Male riders are at greater odds of having a horse fall compared to females, and combinations who recorded a dressage score of 50 or more were at an increased risk of a horse fall or unseated rider.

Lead author Euan Bennet, who has worked on similar research for the FEI in endurance, told H&H that as the study is multivariable, the results take everything into account.

“The findings show there are things that can be changed and done to reduce the chance of horse falls and unseated riders, such as looking at minimum eligibility requirements [MERs],” he said. “There are things that can’t be changed, such as rider or horse age or sex, but that doesn’t mean that we should just ignore them – it’s when we talk about building a risk profile these things should be taken into consideration.

“This data is about probabilities and we would never say don’t ride because you’re going to have a fall, but we might say what we can see is according to your risk profile you’re in the top 5% at risk of a fall.”

Dr Bennet hopes to meet the FEI eventing committee shortly to review the data and the study’s recommendations.

An FEI spokesman told H&H the study was commissioned as part of its global injury surveillance project aimed at identifying risk factors for horse injuries, particularly those that may have a catastrophic outcome.

“The study reinforces the findings identified by the eventing risk management analysis in risk factors of horse falls in cross-country since 2000. Results from the various studies are used for policy making and technical improvements, allowing the eventing committee to take relevant and informed decisions,” said the spokesman, adding that updates to MERs are being made each year taking into account conclusions of the eventing risk management expert group and the eventing committee based on data collected at all international events for the past 20 years.

Geoff Sinclair of the FEI eventing risk management steering group added that over the period of the study, the number of starts in international eventing increased 50% globally, particularly in the new short format.

“The quality and detail of reporting into falls and injuries has also become far more comprehensive and is reported annually. In 2016 the FEI formed the risk management steering group who have analysed many variables in falls such as MERs, frangible devices and course. Dozens of recommendations from this group have been implemented by the eventing committee and have resulted in significant reduction in rotational falls.”

Jonathan Clissold, FEI national safety officer for British Eventing (BE) told H&H BE “fully supports” the study, adding that BE has also worked on similar projects with researcher Heather Cameron-Whytock looking at risk factors in cross-country falls in BE competitions.

“The recommendation from this work of individual risk assessments at all levels is something BE is already doing and developing further for next year through the EquiRatings quality index (EQRI),” he said.

You might also be interested in:

Huge drop in horse falls at British events sparks questions and theories

A 33% reduction in horse falls has sparked questions, while British Eventing considers additional new safety measures

New rotationals falls research is a ‘vital’ safety step

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

An event rider is looking to the future after overcoming two serious injuries that ruled out his competition season.

Four-star rider and coach James Stocker, 24, suffered a rotational fall with mare Mistral Mish Mash in the intermediate class at Tweseldown on 2 April that resulted in two broken collar bones.

“We were three from home in the cross-country when the horse left a leg, fell, and landed on top of me,” James told H&H, adding Mistral Mish Mash was not injured in the fall.

“The paramedics identified I had broken one collar bone, but when I was taken to hospital for X-rays it was found I had broken both. I’ve never been in so much pain. The worst part was when we were on our way to hospital I could feel both bones rubbing together and moving up and down, it’s a feeling I won’t forget.”

James was sent home from hospital with two slings to support the breaks.

“It’s quite difficult as collarbones can’t be put in a cast so all you can do is wear a sling,” he said.

“It was quite upsetting as you don’t realise how much you use your collarbones, suddenly your freedom is taken away. I couldn’t do simple things like brush my own teeth or drive.”

James was put in touch with renowned “jockey doctor” Philip Pritchard and was introduced to the ClaviBrace, a product designed by Barbara Thompson to support clavicle fractures. James then began a treatment programme with specialist orthopaedic surgeon Ian Bayley of Clementine Churchill Hospital to straighten his collarbones weekly, with support from the ClaviBrace.

“It took quite a while for things to improve at first and I had to move back to my parents home in Cornwall. But the brace made me much more comfortable, and I was in a lot less pain than before,” said James.

James said thanks to Dr Bayley he returned to the saddle sooner than he thought he would – at the end of the May. He was signed off as a patient, but the following day tore a ligament in his knee that required surgery.

“I was bending down to pick something up when it happened. It was so frustrating having got back on board the week before. After the surgery I had to wear a full leg brace for six weeks and that’s when I wrote the rest of the eventing season off for my horses,” said James.

“The recovery was difficult as I couldn’t really use crutches because my collarbones aren’t as strong as someone else’s might be. But after a couple of weeks of pottering around I was able to go back to teaching.”

After six weeks James returned to the saddle.

“I was excited to get back on but I had to take things quite easy. I got back on my four-star horse Rudy Valentino, I’ve had him nearly eight years and trusted he wouldn’t try to put me on the floor!” said James.

“Since then I’ve been concentrating on my fitness and strength but I’m pretty much back to normal. The plan is to get out to showjumping and dressage during winter in preparation for next year’s eventing season.”

James said while it was “upsetting” having two major setbacks, he tried to stay focused by looking to the future.

“It’s tough when you have those difficult days where you’re just sitting there thinking about everything but you just have to think about your end goal, know that you won’t be broken forever hopefully, be patient and carry on,” he said.

You might also be interested in:

‘I was hoping there weren’t too many things broken’: five-star eventer recovering from cross-country fall

New service to help injured event riders: ‘It’s hugely important we have this’

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

A rider who is still recovering from serious injuries sustained in a fall a year ago is raising vital funds for the air ambulance that came to her aid.

In September 2020 Joanne Clough fell from her mare Juno while competing in a showjumping competition at Ardnacashel Equestrian Centre in Comber, Northern Ireland. Joanne was warming up when Juno spooked and began bucking “uncontrollably”. As Joanne fell she hit her head on a brick wall.

“I have no memory of the event and apparently lost consciousness. Having spoken to others, I know the show was stopped and the organisers along with first aiders on site came to my side and called for an ambulance.

“Everyone was really supportive and helpful to ensure myself, Juno, my helper and my seven-year-old daughter Erin were looked after.”

The helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) team, which is provided by charity Air Ambulance Northern Ireland (NI) in partnership with the North Ireland Ambulance Service, arrived and took Joanne to Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast by air ambulance.

Joanne, who had surgery to remove a brain tumour in August 2018, underwent tests for potential brain injuries. She sustained three fractures to her cheek, damaged the iris of her right eye resulting in blurred vision and has suffered short-term memory loss owing to severe concussion.

“The scars and fractures on my face have healed, along with the fatigue, weakness and confusion, but my balance remains something that I am continuing investigations for, as my eyesight remains imperfect,” she said, adding Juno has since had treatment for a sacroiliac joint injury, which is suspected to have caused the mare’s reaction on the day of the fall.

“I am slowly gaining trust and confidence again in the saddle. There are no words to describe the gratitude I feel for the assistance of the air ambulance team that day. Had they not acted so quickly, treated me with such level-headed efficiency and taken me to the hospital so swiftly, I have no idea how I might have ended up.”

Joanne has now launched the Horse Powered Take Off campaign and prize draw competition to raise funds and awareness for Air Ambulance NI. The competition aims to raise £40,000, the amount it costs to fund the air ambulance, equipment and medical team for one week. Tickets for the prize draw cost £10 and prizes include £1,000 cash prize, a hotel stay, an equine solarium, and vouchers for riding lessons and equestrian retailers. The draw will take place on 30 October. Visit: https://dragoncompetitions.com/product/horse-powered-take-off/

“A head injury cannot be underestimated and to have been saved from potential disaster by the medical team in this way, is a miraculous success. Thank you so much to the air ambulance team – they are amazing,” said Joanne.

Grace Williams, Air Ambulance NI area fundraising manager, said the charity is “so inspired” Joanne has made a great recovery.

“Patients are at the centre of everything we do. We are humbled Joanne has decided to support the wonderful work of Air Ambulance NI through her competition and campaign. As a service we rely heavily on charitable donations to keep the medical team in the air, delivering critical care to patients who have suffered trauma throughout Northern Ireland – without this type of support, the team simply couldn’t fly,” she said.

“The past year has been especially challenging for fundraising and we’ve seen a dramatic downturn in our income. We sincerely thank Joanne for her amazing support. Despite the pandemic our HEMS team is as busy as ever, responding to on average two calls daily. Since we launched in July 2017, Air Ambulance NI have been tasked on more than 2,388 occasions.”

You might also be interested in:

‘You only get one head’: rider who broke bones and suffered concussion issues hat plea

Rider who spent 10 days in intensive care after fall speaks out 10 years on to support live-saving air ambulance

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Have you ever been left red-faced by a horsey misdemeanour? Eleanor Jones finds out riders’ most embarrassing moments – it happens to the best of us...

As Fiona Lockhart galloped across her field in her underwear and one gumboot, with neither tack nor an ounce of control, she could have been forgiven for thinking in rather X-rated language.

There can be few riders who have not had those “why?” moments; “why here?”, you might wonder, as your horse bounces merrily on his hindlegs past a construction site bristling with guffawing builders. Or “why now?” as he takes exception to the white boards he’s seen thousands of times before, as you try to start your championship test. Such incidents usually come out of nowhere, as was the case for Fiona.

She was on her verandah drinking her tea one morning, in her underwear as was her wont on hot mornings at her home in rural Australia, when she noticed her retired gelding Robbie was modelling that staple of every discerning horse’s wardrobe, the former rug, in many pieces.

“You know what it’s like; you think, ‘God, they’re going to hurt themselves,’ so you just go straight over,” Fiona says. “There was no one around so I put my gumboots on and went.”

Having secured the remains of the rug, she decided to pile it on top of Robbie and lead him back, across the 10-acre field, by his neck cover. Then she had a better, or possibly worse idea.

“I thought, ‘Why walk?’” she says. “I was actually pretty pleased with myself for being able to get on him.”

It was all going well until Fiona’s heavy gumboot fell off. Robbie, remembering the legendary spooks of his youth, shot off, almost leaving Fiona airborne.

“You think, ‘He’s old, he won’t do that any more,’” she says. “But he went absolutely berserk, and when my other gumboot came off, it made him worse.”

Things deteriorated further as Robbie, never known for his jumping skill, launched himself hopefully into a brimming ditch, and Fiona’s ride came to an abrupt and watery end, compounded by the fact that when she, minus gumboots and plus a nasty gravel rash, arrived home, there was Robbie waiting hopefully by the feed bin.

“I think all riders have some stories to tell,” she says.

And they do, from grassroots to championships. One example of the latter was Piggy March’s first senior team appearance, at the 2011 European Eventing Championships. Piggy had done her own shopping for the rst trot-up, for which she had to wear a skirt.

“They’re definitely not part of my wardrobe; I don’t show my legs as they don’t see the sunlight so they’re blinding white,” she says. “So I thought I’d better buy some tights to make the whole thing look more pleasant. I thought it couldn’t be that difficult. Little did I know.”

When Piggy opened her “tights”, she found she had bought stockings instead, but with not much time before she was due to take to the runway, she put them on and hoped for the best.

“But it was about 30°C and you start to get a bit of a sweat on,” she says. “It was fine until just before my turn, I could feel the grip wasn’t really there on one. I gave it a big pull but as I went in front of the ground jury, it slipped right down to my ankle in front of everyone.”

Thinking on her feet, or foot, Piggy whipped off the stocking and passed it to a bemused Yogi Breisner, the chef d’equipe.

“I asked if he thought I should take the other one off and he said, ‘I don’t know, just get on with it!’” she says. “I think he was as embarrassed as I was.”

Piggy and her one brown and one pale leg got through the trot-up, and the first two phases, in one piece, and she borrowed a pair for the second horse inspection. The ground jury was laughing before she started this time, but her tights stayed put.

“But halfway back, my shoe fell off,” Piggy says. “I was so embarrassed, I carried on; pretending it hadn’t happened. The German crowd loved it but I think Yogi was just thinking, ‘Oh God, I can’t take her anywhere!’ And I think a bit harder about buying tights now.”

On Joe Stockdale’s team debut in 2017, his first junior Nations Cup, he was determined to impress in one of the preliminary classes.

“I’d put lots of pressure on myself; I was really ready to jump a good round, and hopefully get on the team,” says Joe, who still remembers how far away the first fence was from the arena entrance – for good reason.

“I still don’t have a clue what happened, but we got there, me and my little grey stallion Romeo, and he just didn’t take off. He sort of crumpled into the fence; I did a roly-poly down his neck and ended up sitting on my bottom in the middle of the oxer while my horse trotted back to the entrance. I had a massively long walk of shame back.”

Other riders will know what Joe means when he describes the look Romeo gave him if he ever fell off; the “what are you doing down there?” innocence. “My very first Nations Cup and I ended up sitting in the middle of an oxer,” he concludes.

A popular aying goes along the lines of “everyone else is winning, while I punch myself in the face when I do up the girth”, but the truth is every rider has those face-punching moments.

“There’s more to life than doing everything perfectly,” as Tom McEwen puts it, remembering his 2013 Burghley cross-country round on Dry Old Party. “I got a distance completely wrong, and Burghley isn’t the most forgiving,” he says.

“I came off the back, and he disappeared off and jumped up out of the Leaf Pit on his own, and was waiting for me at the top. I think I’d come off behind the saddle and went round his shoulder and under his neck; I looked like I should have been in an action film.

“Everyone has those moments; I’m just sad I can’t find the video of it; it made it on to the BBC bloopers reel.”

Spencer Wilton is of the opinion these moments make riders who they are. His most memorable incident was another example of the rider’s first Nations Cup appearance; his senior debut some 15 years ago at Hickstead on Dolendo.

“I cantered up the centre line in the grand prix – it was all very exciting to have my new, grown-up Union flag on my jacket – halted at X, trotted off, and went right instead of left,” he says. “It was highly embarrassing to have an error of course on day one.

“On day two, I cantered up the centre line in the special, halt, salute – and trotted left instead of right. I thought, ‘Oh no, not again.’ Each day I’d gone a different way, and both were wrong. I thought, ‘They’ll never ask me on a team again!’”

Spencer admits this had been progress for Dolendo, who in the early days had shown him up at the winter championships – twice.

“The first time, I was doing novice or elementary; I did my halt and salute, went to trot off, and he just refused to move,” he says. “I can’t remember what the time limit was but I got eliminated because I couldn’t trot up the centre line.

“Then the little toad did exactly the same thing 12 months later, same championships, just a couple of levels higher up. I’d had a successful season and probably would have had a good chance if I’d managed to do the test. I never went to Solihull again.”

Dolendo was “quite a character”, Spencer says, showing off some impressive moves hacking and in the school.

“But by the time we made it to grand prix, we had an understanding,” he says. “Thankfully, we came to an agreement that he’d go where I asked him to – even if that was sometimes in the wrong direction.”

Ref: 18 February 2021

You might also be interested in…

A hefty fall can leave a horse winded, but how do we know if he has suffered internal injury, asks Gil Riley MRCVS

After a heavy fall, it is important to establish what, if any, injuries the horse has sustained.

If he can’t stand, he may be winded – a spasm of the diaphragm as a result of sudden force applied to the abdomen – or have a broken limb or an injury to the spine or head. A horse who is merely winded should be back on his feet within 10 to 15 minutes. If he stays down, the likelihood is that much more serious damage has occurred.

A thorough examination should identify any architectural changes to the horse’s external anatomy. Failure to bear weight on a leg could indicate a broken bone or torn muscles in the proximal (upper) limb; moving the limb may result in crepitus, a grating sound or unpleasant sensation produced by friction between bone and cartilage in a joint or the fractured parts of a bone. Injury to the pelvic musculature or the pelvis itself can render a horse very reluctant to walk or weight-bear on one or more limbs.

The challenge is to ascertain whether any damage is superficial or deep, so any vets in attendance must be allowed time and space to examine the animal thoroughly. If serious injury is present, it can take considerable time to gather sufficient clinical evidence to be able to reach an accurate diagnosis.

Bumps and bruises

Falling on heavy ground can cause bruises – ruptures of the small blood vessels (capillaries) underneath the skin. If the ground is hard, damage may be greater, with abrasion to the skin.

A deeper bruise presents as a fluid-filled lump (haematoma), where underlying tissues have bled or oozed serum to create a “balloon” under the skin. The damaged blood vessels bleed until there is sufficient pressure from fluid accumulation within the haematoma to halt the bleeding and allow clotting. If there is major disruption of deeper tissues, there may be torn muscles as well as bruising. Always try to keep the horse calm, since excitement will increase blood pressure and lead to more bleeding.

While a haematoma is developing, it may be possible to control the bleeding and minimise swelling by applying direct pressure and ice to the site – as long as it is in an accessible area where the horse will tolerate it. Cold should be applied for no more than 20 minutes at a time, and only for as long as the area feels warm and soft. Later, after the haematoma has stabilised, warm packs can increase circulation and stimulate healing.

Haematomas are often sterile swellings, so there is little pain or inflammation. Most resolve, if given enough time, so are best left alone. No attempt should be made to drain a haematoma until the damaged vessels have sealed, as opening it up may allow bleeding to resume. If it continues to grow, however, then surgery to ligate (tie) the vessel responsible may sometimes be necessary.

Once a haematoma is “mature”, usually around two weeks after forming, careful drainage with a sterile needle can be considered to minimise long-term scarring or to speed up healing.

If it has developed a subcutaneous pocket, where the skin is no longer attached to the underlying tissue, it may refill with serum. There is also the risk that bacteria is introduced, converting a sterile pool of serum into a painful abscess.

A blood test helps identify the severity of any internal or external haemorrhage by measuring the haematocrit, the level of red blood cells in circulation. Results must be carefully interpreted, however, as horses have large reserves of blood in the spleen and may not appear obviously anaemic, especially in the early stages as everything stabilises.

High levels of muscle enzymes measured in a blood test, proteins found mainly in muscle tissue, will indicate muscle damage. Very high levels are associated with bruising and trauma to the muscles of the hindquarters or back, where most of the muscle tissue is found.

Difficult diagnosis

Ruptures of internal organs such as the spleen or intestine, or the diaphragm (the muscular curtain that separates the chest cavity, or thorax, from the abdomen), are rare.

More commonly, fracture of one or more ribs can cause penetration of the space around the lungs, called the pleural cavity. The resulting pneumothorax (collapsed lung), usually evident because the horse is struggling for breath, can sometimes be resolved with rapid surgical intervention.

While many limb fractures are untreatable and result in euthanasia, some may be corrected. Most can be identified using radiography (X-ray), but nuclear scintigraphy may be required to diagnose hairline distortions in the bone (stress fractures), or fractures within large amounts of muscular tissue impenetrable to X-rays or even ultrasound (in the femur or hip, for example, in the larger horse).

Examination of the pelvis is difficult due to its musculature; the only palpable areas are the points of the hip (tuber coxae) and the tuber sacrale at the highest extremity of the back. Impact with the ground can result in a piece of the tuber coxa breaking off. Since the tuber coxae serve as the origin of some of the gluteals, the largest muscles of the hindquarters, recovery may be prolonged and lameness long term.

After a fall, swimming can be a useful addition to box rest and walking out, as it allows the horse to recuperate without weight bearing and to achieve mobility of damaged muscles and joints. Physiotherapy can help return elasticity to tissues and mobilise scar tissue, minimising the formation of constrictions and adhesions and breaking down those already present.

Up and over

Rearing and toppling over backwards can cause skull fractures. In the case of the basisphenoid bone, at the base of the skull, this can lead to a catastrophic cerebral haemorrhage and rapid death. Blood emerging from the ear after a bad fall is invariably a serious sign, indicating a fracture of important bones in the skull.

Sitting down

If the hindlegs are underneath, the tuber ischii – the point of the pelvis nearest to the tail and an anchor for muscles in this region – can suffer bruising or fracture. Profound hindlimb lameness on that side can develop and the muscles of the tail head will start to atrophy, or waste, within days.

Lameness resulting from trauma to the region can resolve, but requires recuperation of four to six months.

Falling onto belly

Falling with one or both hindlimbs stretched out behind classically leads to rupture of the peroneus tertius – a tendinous structure that runs from the lower end of the femur and over the front of the hock, inserting in the upper front of the cannon bone. This muscle ensures that as the stifle flexes, the hock flexes also, so an affected horse may appear normal at walk but will trot with a profound lameness.

Full recovery is possible after a minimum of three months’ box rest and the introduction of a walking-out programme.

The splits

This typically happens on slippery or icy ground (below) and causes extreme forces to be applied to the muscles on the inside of the thigh and limb. Common injuries sustained are to the adductor muscles of the femur and the collateral ligaments of the hock.

Recovery is dependent on rest and physiotherapy. Where ligament damage involves the hock, an arthroscopy (keyhole) procedure to debride damaged ligament tissue can be beneficial before recovery can begin.

Ref: Horse & Hound; 3 December 2020

You may also be interested in:

‘He was going berserk’: how to overcome a traumatic accident

Carrying ID on both horse and rider is key, says experts *H&H Plus*

Can gumshields help reduce concussion? We ask the experts *H&H Plus*

‘I shouldn’t have rushed back as quickly as I did’: riders and experts share advice on how to return from injury

H&H caught up with two event riders who have sustained high profile injuries, a mental skills coach, and a soft

An event rider who set up a Facebook group aimed at sharing laughs over equestrian fails said it has helped her through a very tough year — and it seems also to help thousands of other people.

Cressida Kitchin-Townshend’s Sh*t Eventers Unite group had achieved a respectable 10,000 members in its first year, but in the last month, the figure has exploded, and is now nearing 80,000 people, from all over the world.

The premise is simple; a place for people to “share their crapness without judgement”, with videos and pictures of falls and fails posted every day.

Cressida told H&H she had had a “year from hell” when she started the group.

“My husband walked out on me and my two-year-old son, without warning, and took up with a colleague,” she said. “I was in such a state, I couldn’t put one foot in front of the other, and I tried to carry on as normal but of course, I shouldn’t have been eventing, and I had disaster after disaster.”

Cressida (pictured, below) was competing at intermediate level, but “kept falling off”. Then, at Aston-le-Walls, she bumped into an old friend, with whom she had always laughed at their respective failings.

“My friend, Katie, was competing at advanced, and she told me a story of one class where she’d led after dressage and jumped clear showjumping. No one had made the cross-country time, and she was clear two fences from home and inside the time.

“She thought ‘I’m only two from home, I’m clear and I’m going to win the advanced’,” Cressida said. “She jumped the last two fences very carefully, and clear, then checked her watch, the horse fell over and she fell off.

“I said ‘that’s so unbelievably sh*t’, and I think it was then I decided to start a group, and really it’s surprising no one’s done it before.”

Cressida said she does not know why the group’s popularity suddenly exploded, although she believes it was mentioned on the H&H forum, as well as in the magazine’s “good week/bad week” column.

“I think people are relieved,” she said. “When you get back to the yard and people ask how you did, and you say “eliminated”, or when people do event reports, I think there’s real pressure to say ‘my horse stopped at every fence but I still love him’, or ‘we’ll learn from it’; to be positive. There’s so much pressure to be perfect but it’s ok if it goes wrong;

“I might say I had an unlucky 12 faults but it wasn’t unlucky, it was because I rode like a muppet. I shouldn’t have been competing at intermediate last year because I couldn’t ride a swinging gate! It wasn’t the horse, it was me because I couldn’t stay on.

“That’s what resonates with people; they think thank god they can admit it, and they’re relieved to see other people being sh*t too. There’s that quote about ‘everyone around me is winning but I punch myself in the face doing up the girth’, but actually, other people are too.

‘It’s honest, and I think that’s why people love it.”

Cressida has also heard from members, posting and messaging, to say the group has given them confidence to get back on board, or back to competition, which she is delighted with.

All posts have to be approved by admin, so no serious injuries or horse falls are allowed — “it’s meant to be fun; we don’t want to see horses getting hurt” — and neither are some posts that have been staged, but “don’t quite work”. But the stupid mistakes we all make; missing out fences, not going through start or finish lines, sat nav errors, are welcomed.

The group is now offering merchandise, printed by Equibling UK, with a logo showing a dismounted rider whose horse is galloping happily away.

Continues below…

Whoops! The moment rider realises her mare has decided to bed herself down for the night…

‘She is a very big, very cheeky middleweight hunter type and she’s got a big personality...’

Don’t tell the other half: 9 household items you’ve definitely taken to the stables at some point…

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

“That was by popular demand; people were messaging to ask if they could buy hoodies and T-shirts,” Cressida said.

“This year’s been so tough for me; I had to sell almost all my horses with the divorce, so it’s nice that something positive has come out of it.”

Cressida’s intermediate mare has gone on breeding loan, and she hopes she may be able to have her back afterwards.

“I hope once she’s had her baby that I can have her back, and we can go back out and be sh*t again!” she said.

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade to access our H&H Plus online service which brings you breaking news as it happens as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

In February 2017, the life of then Flat jockey George Baker, changed forever when he suffered a life-threatening fall while racing on ice at the White Turf meeting in St Moritz.

He recently opened up to Lauren Braithwaite and Tina Scargill from Racing Welfare on their new podcast On Track, Off Course about his injury, rehabilitation and how he coped with intrusive and unwelcome thoughts. He details the help he has received from within the racing industry and the fundamental importance of mental health support.

George was at the height of his career when the accident occured, having won his first Classic five months previously.

“I can laugh about it now, but it’s taken a while to get to this point. I suffered a big head injury in St Moritz, and the journey back has been character building, shall we say,” says George.

He had to learn to walk again and had problems with his eyesight initially.

“I was basically a 34-year-old baby who did some very strange things in hospital and put a lot of pressure on those closest to me — it was a very strange time. I’m really lucky because I don’t remember anything about it — I was in post-traumatic amnesia for four weeks. Anything that came into my head came out of my mouth, and that is not a good thing when you have attractive nurses washing you etcetera!”

George was flown back in a medical jet to London after eight days in hospital in St Moritz. The Injured Jockeys Fund and Dr Jerry Hill organised for him to be admitted to Wellington Hospital.

“It was the most wonderful hospital and I received the best care — I used to call it the hotel,” laughs George. “They completely rebuilt me. I really embraced the whole process of getting better — all I wanted to do was get back race riding, and fortunately nobody told me that it wasn’t going to be possible as that kept me going early doors. It was only when I got home from hospital that I realised I wasn’t going to be able to fulfil that goal I’d initially set myself.

“My balance was so bad and I was physically a much different person to the one I once was, but I still wanted to get back in the saddle. It was only when I watched a documentary called The Crash Reel, about a snowboarder who suffered a similar scenario to me, that it dawned on me I wasn’t going to be a jockey again. As the programme went on, I could relate heavily to it and I started to cry. I’m not someone who cries much, but it really hit home and I accepted that my career in the saddle was over just by watching that one programme.”

Then it was time for George to visit Dr Hill in Lambourn for the devastating blow he knew was coming his way.

“I said to my wife Nicola en-route, ‘I’m going to hear the news today that this is the end — George the jockey is over’, and I cried again. But I’m glad I had come to the realisation it was over before I was told for sure it was over,” he explains.

Since then, George has written a book, which he said really helped with his mental health.

“Writing the book essentially bookended that part of my life, and that was a very helpful process. I also went to a unit in Oaksey House called Hobbs Rehabilitation, where they taught me how to do simple tasks again, like making a cup of tea and eating properly.

“Ben Papps, the neuropsychologist there helped more than anyone else too. At one stage I was going there twice per week, and I talked to him a lot about weird thoughts I was having. For example, once I was at Royal Ascot in a friend’s box on the first floor, and while in there I thought, ‘I wonder if I can jump off this balcony?’ — not because I was thinking of killing myself, but it was just my mind playing tricks on me, as Ben then explained. It was a strange journey and it’s important to get the right help.

“He made me feel normal again — I didn’t know what I was going to do job-wise, I had a young family and I had to get back driving too. I had amazing friends and family around me too.”

Article continues below…

You might also be interested in:

‘The lights were on, but there was no one at home’: ex-jockey George Baker on his life after horror fall

In his new book, the former top jockey reveals his journey after the horror fall which left him with serious

Former jockey who had to learn to walk again after life-changing fall to run London Marathon

‘I know that tackling a marathon is a challenge for everyone, but as my balance is not what it was,

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

But George has found a life after being forced to retire from the saddle.

“I now work for Racing TV as a pundit, I do part-time work helping trainer Ed Walker with his race planning, which I really enjoy as I missed being in a yard environment after my fall, and I’ve just qualified as a jockey coach too.”

Racing Welfare’s services are open to anyone who works in, or is retired from, the thoroughbred breeding industry. If you would like to get in touch for support with your physical or mental health you can contact Racing Welfare 24/7 by calling 0800 6300 443 or go to www.racingwelfare.co.uk.

You can listen to On Track, Off Course by heading to

.

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade to access our H&H Plus online service which brings you breaking news as it happens as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Whether you’re a professional rider or a weekend hacker, confidence issues can affect us all. H&H speaks to a therapist and one rider who has successfully regained her nerve

Whether you’re a professional rider or a weekend hacker, confidence issues affect us all. Maybe you get butterflies the first time you canter after a fall, or you need a few extra lessons with an instructor to build yourself up again. But what happens when the ‘get up and get on with it’ attitude doesn’t work? Or if losing your confidence forces you to stop riding and give up horses altogether?

Therapist Diane Danzebrink has seen it all before.

“When I know there’s a way to deal with confidence loss, the saddest thing is hearing of riders who have given up — given up something that gave them deep, deep joy — because they’ve had an accident and not been able to get over it,” she says.

We meet experienced horsewoman Nina Quinn (pictured, below) and find out how Diane helped her after a traumatic accident.

The accident: ‘the next thing I knew, he was going berserk’

When Nina turned up at the yard to see her warmblood performing acrobatics in his stable, she made the wise decision not to ride. Instead, her yard owner offered her one of his safe, sane youngsters.

“I got on and the next thing I knew, he was going berserk — rearing, bucking and bronking,” says Nina.

“People were shouting to get off, so I jumped. As I did, he spun around and kicked me directly in the knee.” Nina ended up with a broken lower leg and a knee shattered into pieces.

Before the accident, Nina was competing at BE90 and BE100 level eventing, with years of experience backing and riding young horses.

“I was always the one to get on tricky horses, and I had always been confident. I rode my older horse after my accident and felt absolutely fine.

“But when I went to get on my other horse, I realised something was wrong. I was very aware that I was getting on him. I couldn’t stop thinking that he was going to do something and that it would come out of nowhere — like it did with the horse in my accident.”

Nina’s anxiety escalated, and soon she could only ride when her friend and yard owner, Alison, were on hand to help her.

“Before, if a horse ever spooked or misbehaved, I would simply carry on. But after my accident, it was always at the back of my mind — what if he spooked? What if he did something naughty? I couldn’t relax.”

Understanding our memories

Diane explains that many people think this loss of confidence is untreatable, or that it has to be done over years of therapy. But experts know that if work is done in the right way, people can regain their confidence incredibly quickly.

“In everyday life, our memories are filed away in a ‘cabinet’ in our brain. If we want to recall them, we can,” explains Diane.

“If asked, you can dig into that cabinet and bring back information. But any traumatic memory that comes back to you automatically, without you recalling it, for over 30 days is classified as PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). That memory never goes back into the cabinet. The brain has decided there’s danger attached to it, so keeps it current.

“For Nina, the danger was attached to getting on a horse. Every time she got on, that memory came back to her — even though she wasn’t recalling it.”

The rewind technique

Nina went to Diane for three sessions, where Diane used the rewind technique on her. This would help Nina file the memory away properly, ensuring she could recall it when wanted, without the risk of it coming back spontaneously.

The rewind technique is a safe, effective way to help someone overcome a traumatic event. While in a state of deep relaxation, you take a traumatic memory and store it as an ordinary one. Doing this stops the memory from coming back as distressing, unwanted flashbacks. Instead, you can recall it when you want, leaving it as an unpleasant, yet non-threatening memory.

“The great thing about the rewind technique is that you don’t have to get all the details about someone’s trauma. If someone has to constantly tell and re-tell everything that happened, there’s a risk of re-traumatising them, as they’re having to repeatedly relive it,” explains Diane.

“The work we do is called guided visualisation. I started by relaxing Nina using breathing techniques. In her imagination, I asked her to run the film of what happened on that day. Then, I told her to rewind that film very fast, back to a really positive memory she has of riding.”

Diane was getting Nina to trick her brain into filing the traumatic memory away.

“If you imagine there’s a part of the brain that acts like passport control (the amygdala), normal memories are swiped through. But when a traumatic memory comes to passport control, it’s stopped and has to go back. What I’m helping people do is process the memory as it should have been, to get it through passport control and filed into the cabinet (the neocortex).”

“I came out after the first session and thought there was no point to it,” says Nina. “I felt no different.” But after the second session, Nina had a breakthrough. In her mind, she had mounted a quiet horse and then out of the blue, it had gone berserk. “All of a sudden it became clear why the accident happened. It didn’t come out of nowhere. When my friend did the girth up, she caught him and he reacted.”

Returning to normality

The next big step came when Nina mounted her horse without assistance — and without realising.

“I was talking to a friend before mounting, and the next thing I knew, I was on my horse.”

Usually Nina had to make sure there was nothing around that could spook him. But this time, she’d not given it any thought.

From that day on, Nina’s confidence continued to soar — and it only took three sessions. When Diane works with horse riders, she has two clinical sessions and a third session on horseback. Now, Nina is back out competing at an affiliated level, with her confidence levels fully restored.

“The great thing was hearing from Nina a few weeks later. She’d gone out competing for the first time in ages and was placed second,” says Diane.

Don’t suffer in silence

Both Diane and Nina stress the importance of getting help. Despite all the work being done to raise awareness of mental health issues, Diane believes there’s still stigma and fear around asking for help.

Continued below…

Like this? You might also enjoy reading these:

How sports psychology helped an eventer overcome her rotational fall demons

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Diane explains: “People I treat say they’ve got a block and they can’t get past it: they don’t know what’s happening to them. But if I can explain what’s going on in their brain, then people understand the mechanics and can start to recover. They see that their memory got stuck, that they need to move it, and then they can ride again.”

“It’s a horrible feeling to be on edge all the time. I wish more people would do something about their nerves and seek professional help,” says Nina, though she admits it’s not easy. “I did feel shame admitting that my confidence had gone, but admitting it must be the first step. The sessions with Di were invaluable; they were the best thing I’ve ever done. I’m now finally enjoying my horse again.”

For more information on using the rewind technique to regain your confidence, you can speak to Diane on dianedanzebrink@gmail.com or 07711142241.

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade to access our H&H Plus online service which brings you breaking news as it happens as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Hi all and welcome back!

As I write this, our yard temperature gage is showing 38 degrees. Our yard is like a sun trap and when heatwaves roll through the valley we all become vampires and hide inside. It makes for early starts, long siestas, late finishes and endless ice creams. But apparently most people like the sun, so I mustn’t complain.

Life here feels like it is sliding back into normality again after a long lockdown, with clinics at the yard, entering a few shows and being back out teaching. We were super happy to hear that the cancelled Winter Championships are back, as it gives Juliette and Apollo a chance to gain more ring experience in the advanced medium and prix st georges tests. I am hoping to get back out myself to a few shows with Sirocco and take Simba to his first show too, but I won’t be holding my breath as many of our local venues are shutting down again. Perhaps this year is better off as a training year anyway as the dreaded ‘C’ word continues to cancel most of our plans…

If you’ve been reading my blogs for a while, you’ll know about my accident last year. For those of who don’t, here’s a quick recap (imagine this a season recap on Netflix if you like!).

In July 2019, I got on my then four-year-old Dolce and within moments he bucked and catapulted me skyward, resulting in me fracturing my lower spine and having a grade four slip to the vertebra. I then spent eight weeks out of the saddle and in a lot of pain. I didn’t feel back to my normal self until around February time this year.

Dolce afterwards went off for some training, but it quickly became clear that he was very cold backed. So we investigated further and found he had terrible kissing spine. He then had surgery to remove the top of a vertebra and eight ligaments cut.

Fast forward to July 2020. After a winter out on the hills, Dolce came back into work in February and did a lot of rehab work in-hand with my wonderful mother, who is truly an in-hand genius. With his back then strong enough, he was ridden again. But this was with other riders — I couldn’t bring myself to get on.

I suppose I was suffering from a sort of PTSD that would turn into severe anxiety. I could close my eyes and vividly remember the feel of him bucking, the smell of the arena, the sudden gust of impact and the gut-sickening pain that followed. Perhaps I’m being over-dramatic (after all, people fall off all the time), but for me, this was how it felt. I also had a good long year to dwell on it and I let the fear fester. I would lay awake at night, staring into the dark wondering, how I would ever get back on him. But I knew I had to — he’s my horse and riding is my job.

So while Dolce was being ridden by other riders, I would analyse every step. So far, he has been a real angel and hasn’t put a single toe out of line.

After a few months of him being ridden, I spontaneously decided to got on. It was a sudden decision that I think tricked myself into forgetting what I was doing, and I was obviously fine up there and had a little plod about. Great, I thought — I’ve cracked it! Now I can just ride him as normal. But as we all know, you take one step forward and 10 steps back. After that initial burst of bravery, I then went back to being pretty terrified of him.

This was (and still is) possibly the biggest challenge in my career so far.

Riding down the centre line at Europeans or riding grand prix tests in front of hundreds of people is but a walk in the park compared to the nerves I feel about Dolce. Some days I have a complete melt down — one particularly bad day I stood crying and shaking in the arena with him for 20 minutes before forcing myself on, then had an awful ride and got off crying again. He didn’t do anything wrong though — it was all in my head.

But I’ve learnt that it is incredibly hard to make your mind forget a trauma. Unfortunately there is also nothing anyone can do to make the situation easier for me. This is something I have to overcome myself, with my own head. But I can’t let fear win and as one lovely person told me after I had my biggest meltdown — I can do anything I put my mind to. Which is completely right; when I am in the right frame of mind, I can ride him happily and I get off buzzing with excitement! Riding is a muscle memory for me and I don’t think I ever give myself enough credit for it — I can actually ride pretty well and my body reacts to the horses without conscious thought, so once I’m in the saddle I’m fine. It is just the getting into the saddle that is my biggest hurdle. But I am determined! Each time I successfully ride him is a major win, making me feel more comfortable and safe on him. Little by little, I will overcome this and regain my confidence. Riding is what I love after all, and I can’t let the fear of falling prevent me from flying.

Article continues below…

You might also be interested in:

Joanna Thurman-Baker’s dressage blog: how useful is riding a talented dressage horse through the competition levels?

Joanna raises some interesting points about training dressage horses

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

So, if anyone reading this is in the same situation as I am — you have to believe in yourself. If I can do it, you can do it too.

This is just the beginning of mine and Dolce’s journey. He really is a genuine, kind-natured horse with bundles of talent and the engine of a jumbo jet. And if I can release that talent he has to fulfil his potential, well… what a wonderful story we will write together.

That’s all from me for now,

Joanna x

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade to access our H&H Plus online service which brings you breaking news as it happens as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

While riding hats that comply to accepted standards are already rigorously tested, with some manufacturers going above and beyond the required standards to ensure their products give the best protection possible, new research has suggested ‘there is an urgent need to assess the protective capacity of equestrian helmets under real-world conditions’. H&H finds out more...

There is an “urgent need” to assess the protective capacity of equestrian helmets under more types of real-world conditions, a study involving racing and eventing falls has found.

The study involved researchers from the University College Dublin and the University of Ottawa, as well as British Eventing’s (BE) national safety officer Jonathan Clissold, the British Horseracing Authority’s chief medical officer Jerry Hill and the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board’s former senior medical officer Adrian McGoldrick.

It was published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport in March 2020.

The purpose was to examine biomechanics of real equestrian accidents and develop associated thresholds for when concussions happen.

While much previous understanding of sporting concussions is based on research in other sports, this looked specifically at rider falls and also the surfaces competitors are likely to fall on — turf and sand — and the forces, speeds and angles associated with falling from a horse.

Riding hats from reputable brands that comply to accepted standards are already rigorously tested in recreated scenarios in which riders might find themselves. These can vary slightly depending on which standard they comply with, but include situations such as a blow from a horse’s foot, the crushing force from a falling horse and landing on different types of object, such as a pole.

Many manufacturers also go above and beyond the required testing standards to ensure their products are giving the best protection possible.

This study is in no way saying helmets are not fit for purpose, rather that as knowledge of this area continues to grow through research and testing, assessing the level of protection helmets offer in real-world situations would be of additional benefit.

“This investigation found that concussive equestrian accidents occurred from oblique impacts to turf or sand with lower magnitude and longer duration impacts [than linear drop to a steel anvil testing, commonly used in helmet testing standards],” states the study.

“This suggests that current equestrian helmet standards may not adequately represent real-world concussive impact conditions and, consequently, there is an urgent need to assess the protective capacity of equestrian helmets under real-world conditions.”

Footage of 1,119 racing and cross-country falls in Britain and Ireland between August 2011 and May 2018 was collected. These included both falls that resulted in diagnosed concussions and those where riders did not have a head injury.

Of these +1,100 falls, 114 were concussive and of these, 25 met the exact criteria needed for the study. This included having a clear view of the fall, the rider’s head must have hit the ground and they cannot have had multiple impacts (for example, falls where a rider landed and then was kicked were excluded). The study also included 25 non-concussive falls.

These 50 falls, which included both men and women, were then reconstructed.

“From the accident reconstructions, it is apparent that current certification standards for equestrian helmets represent different loading conditions than those associated with real-world concussion,” concluded the researchers.

“It is unknown how equestrian helmets perform for oblique impacts to a compliant surface and, therefore, there is a need to assess the protective capacity of equestrian helmets under these impact loading conditions.”

Mr Clissold told H&H BE was “lucky enough” to work with Dr Michio Clark, one of the study’s authors, on this “very detailed and thorough project”.

“We hope the findings will lead to further development of equestrian helmets to help reduce the risk of riders’ being concussed in falls,” he added.

A spokesman for Charles Owen, which provided helmets for the research, told H&H studies like this are “important to support the whole equestrian industry in taking small steps towards improved safety for all riders”.

“The research from this paper, and others like it, are used as reference material for industry-standard committees, like ASTM [American Society for Testing and Materials — one of the safety standards riding helmets can comply to],” he said.

“Those standards dictate the kind of tests each equestrian helmet must go through to be sold in various markets around the world. So in essence, research papers and studies conducted today help form safety standards for rider’s helmets for the future.”

The spokesman added Dr Clark has spent time at Charles Owen and has been involved in other published papers “vital” in shaping equestrian helmet standards.

“We are actively using them in the helmet committees and working groups that address changes and improvements for the future,” added the spokesman.

“Having a wider audience in the general public rather than just academics and the industry will also help to push changes.

“This paper and others that look at oblique impacts are making the noise necessary for change and new test methodology in the standards is being written.

“The helmet industry is taking notice and looking to create helmets that mitigate rotational falls.”

A spokesman for helmet manufacturer Champion Safety added the company has been investigating the relationship between rotational acceleration and concussion for many years, recently introducing the MIPS (multi-directional impact protection system) brain protection system to several ranges of its helmets. The MIPS system is also available in some riding hats from other manufacturers.

“MIPS works by allowing a small movement of the helmet on the head which redirects rotational forces away from the skull in the event of a fall and in doing so helps mitigate against brain injury,” he told H&H.

“As the industry’s understanding of the relationship between horse rider falls and concussion increases, we hope to see more test labs having the capability to measure these forces and this will hopefully mean we can start to include performance criteria for this type of injury into our global standards.”

You may also be interested in…

Education could help riders make the right hat choices *H&H Plus*

What is MIPS technology and why could it revolutionise riding helmet design?

A safety feature, already widely used in cycling and skiing helmets and designed to reduce brain injuries, could revolutionise riding

‘It absorbed a tremendous blow’: findings on hat involved in serious fall

An examination of a hat credited by its owner for saving her life showed it had 'done its job exceptionally

Major change to hat rules after helmet standard withdrawn

British discipline and riding bodies are reconsidering their hat rules for the future and phasing out a popular helmet standard

Is your hat up to standard? Check out the latest riding hat rules for competition

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Calls are being made for riders to carry ID on themselves and on their horse’s saddle, in addition to having ICE information saved on their mobile phones. H&H explains why and what information should be included...

Riders are urged to carry ID on both themselves and their horses when hacking, should anything go wrong – and be aware of the details they should include.

A traffic police officer, who is also a horse owner, said many riders have an “in case of emergency” (ICE) number on their phones, which allows first responders to contact the next of kin, if the phone is working, but that ideally, we should consider wearing armbands, as well as carrying emergency contact information on the saddle.

“Whether an incident involves someone else or is just your horse being silly, it can go horribly wrong,” PC Sam Ainsworth of Surrey Police told H&H. “ICE is better than nothing, but phones can be smashed or thrown from your pocket in a fall.”

PC Ainsworth said she recently attended an incident where it took more than an hour to identify an unconscious rider.

“We need your next of kin’s name, address and phone number,” she said. “It’s imperative to have the details on both parties; if horse and rider part company and we only find the horse, we can make enquiries as to where the rider might be. It’s also important to include the yard details too, ideally in a dog-tag on the saddle as a bridle can come off in a fall.

“No one wants to think about the worst case; if something happens we want our horses looked after, our next of kin contacted, and as officers we want to do that as quickly as we can.”

British Horse Society director of welfare Alan Hiscox told H&H it is important to carry ID, agreeing that saddle tags and armbands should include all vital information.

“There are also many mobile apps designed for emergencies, such as What3Words, which helps emergency services pinpoint your specific location by using a unique three-word address,” he said.

Debbie Smith, founder of the Pass Wide and Slow road safety campaign, told H&H carrying ID is a “must”.

“You could fall off and your phone might break. Riders have to protect themselves and it’s crazy to rely on your phone,” she said. “I have ID on my saddle as my worry is if I fall and the person who catches my horse doesn’t have that information. I also wear an armband.”

You may also be interested in…

Can I go hacking with a friend under the current lockdown regulations?

Smart phone app locates riders in emergencies *H&H Plus*

Emergency services are encouraging all riders to download the what3words free smart phone app

New safety feature allows riders to report incidents via app

Riders can report in different categories including road incidents and those involving dogs and cyclists

New film to help riders and mountain bikers share the countryside safely

‘We hope our members and the mountain bike community share this video and help educate everyone on how we can all

Do you need insurance to ride your horse on the road? H&H explains…

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Following recent discussions about the benefits of gumshields for riders, H&H canvassed opinions from governing bodies’ chief medical advisers, a dentist and mouthguard specialist, plus riders from across the disciplines...

Debate over the use of gumshields in equestrian sport has resurfaced following a call from a high-profile jockey and discussion at the International Eventing Forum.

The 20-time Grade One-winning jockey Paddy Brennan called for “every jump jockey to be wearing” a gumshield, adding that his “saved his head” in a fall at Leicester last month.

While talking about the best way to fall at the International Eventing Forum at Hartpury (3 February), orthopaedic surgeon Michael Eames said wearing a gumshield can help dissipate the energy in your jaw and neck, reducing the risk of a head injury.

Although there is no conclusive evidence gumshields reduce a person’s risk of concussion, some who wear them are convinced of the benefits, and they can certainly help prevent dental injuries, which are painful, inconvenient and expensive.

 Cheltenham Gold Cup-winning amateur Sam Waley-Cohen offers cost-price mouthguards to jockeys through his business, Portman Dental Care.“At the moment, we can’t categorically say to jockeys if they wear a gumshield and fall, they’ll have less chance of concussion,” said the British Horseracing Authority’s (BHA) chief medical adviser Dr Jerry Hill.

“I encourage jockeys to wear gumshields, especially ones that are custom-made, and as long as they’re properly fitted, there isn’t any issue with them.

“We’re in the process of commissioning a new medical records system, which will allow us to gather much more useful data and we’ll be able to do more analysis. That will give us sport-specific data for racing and then we can give sensible advice.”

H&H has been contacted by dozens of riders across the disciplines — particularly racing, polo, team chasing and eventing — who opt to wear gumshields for a variety of reasons. All opted for a properly fitted type, over the “boil and bite” version, at a cost of roughly £50 to £100, depending on the level of protection. Some said they barely notice wearing them, while others found they took a bit of getting used to.

Abigail Lewis told H&H she is a convert after cracking teeth in a pointing fall last season.

“It was the most painful thing I’ve ever done,” she said, adding that she wears it for both tooth protection and concussion prevention. “I don’t even realise I’ve got it in — it was £120 compared to £800 for [the work I’ve had done].”

Aurora Eastwood told H&H she wears a gumshield “every time” she plays polo, for both teeth protection and to mitigate against concussion, and believes they should be compulsory in all fast equine sports.

Amateur eventer Alysen Miller, who has a background in racing, told H&H she looked into it extensively and said the research she found between mouthguards, concussion and even spinal damage prevention “didn’t seem entirely baseless”.

“An absence of evidence doesn’t mean an evidence of absence,” she said, adding it is the piece of equipment she notices “the least”. “It does seem a very small tweak you can make to your kit, even if it is a very small chance [that it will help].”

Former jockey Alice Mills told H&H wearing one for racing was a natural progression from hockey and rugby.

“I didn’t see any reason not to carry on wearing it for team chasing,” she added.

Billy Aprahamian, amateur jockey and assistant trainer to Nicky Henderson, told H&H: “It is becoming more and more common now compared to five years ago in point-to-pointing and is much more common in jump racing, where a lot of the jockeys are wearing them — anything to protect themselves.”

Anthony Lovat, dentist and founder of pioneering mouthguard company OPRO, told H&H the company does not collect data on which sports its customers take part in, so could not say if it has had an increase in demand from racing or equestrian sports.

“What I can say is on the whole, the use of mouthguards is certainly on the rise globally,” he said, adding that people are becoming more aware of dental injuries and how to prevent these.

He added that impression-fitted mouthguards offer greater protection because they result in a better fit and the thickness is greater than that of the boil and bite. This is because the process and machines used to create them are stronger than a human hand or bite can achieve.

“That’s not to say all boil and bite mouthguards are bad, but the ultimate is the custom fit,” he added.

The company is also working with Sports & Wellbeing Analytics on their latest mouthguard, which features built-in technology that monitors head impact data.

Mouthguards work by absorbing energy, meaning the force the wearer experiences is dissipated over a longer period of time, reducing or eliminating dental injuries.

One rider told H&H she looked into them after suffering a nasty fall while not wearing one, but was advised against it by her treatment team owing to the forces riders can experience in a fall and the question as to whether that could result in greater damage.

Dr Lovat added in the 20-plus years of Opro, he has never known a mouthguard to cause harm.

The British Equestrian Federation’s chief medical officer Pippa Bennett told H&H that looking at the research available, there is no conclusive evidence a mouthguard protects the wearer from concussion.

“Custom-made mouthguards will help protect your teeth — will it lower your risk of concussion? Possibly, but it’s not proven,” she said.

She added that much research is ongoing into factors surrounding concussion, including neck strength, gender and the lasting impacts of head injuries.

Dr Bennett encouraged people to be aware of concussion symptoms and that these can sometimes first become apparent hours later.

She is also working on a system within the World Class programme, whereby riders would have an initial assessment after a fall, followed up by further assessments at various intervals, such as three, 24, 48 and 72 hours.

“We want to be absolutely sure we are not putting anyone back on a horse when they really shouldn’t be riding,” she said.

“We are also working on graduated return advice. At the moment, there is the initial 21-day stand-down time [from competition], but nobody really tells riders what to do at home.”

There is growing evidence in how improved neck strength can help prevent concussion, as this can help control the rapid acceleration and deceleration in a fall. Concussion is not always caused by direct blows to the head, but the brain hitting the inside of the skull, with research showing a stronger neck can help reduce the amount of energy transferred to the brain during an impact.

The Injured Jockeys Fund has shared videos of neck-strengthening exercises for riders, to help mitigate their risk.

An ongoing project at Imperial College London, funded by the Racing Foundation, is also looking at an in-ear device, which monitors the wearer’s heart rate, electrical activity of the heart and brain, blood oxygen levels and respiratory rate, as well as containing an accelerometer.

It is being trialled within the NHS at present and the BHA is looking at potentially testing it to measure the above statistics after a fall.

The ultimate aim is for jockeys to wear these while racing, but it is not at that stage yet.

You may also be interested in…

How to recognise concussion in horse riders – and when it’s safe to get back in the saddle

Whether you’re a rider, instructor or have a child who rides, do you know how to recognise concussion?

Genetics could influence concussion recovery time *H&H VIP*

A recent study has indicated that athletes carrying a specific genotype could be adversely affected

‘From denial to panic’: long-term effects of concussion explored [H&H VIP]

The long-term study aims to discover whether retired sportsmen have increased incidence of neuro-degenerative disorders

Concussion: are women more at risk? *H&H VIP*

Concussion is the most common form of head injury in the UK, and recent studies have thrown up questions about

Simple reading test could help detect concussion

A timed vision test could help detect concussion, researchers have found

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

While horse falls at FEI events, and the risk of rotational falls in particular, dropped in 2019, there was a statistical increase in the percentage of falls at the highest level of eventing. The best way to achieve a further reduction in these figures was among the topics discussed at the FEI eventing risk management seminar...

Horse fall rates at international events were the lowest on record in 2019, but there remains more to be done in reducing these and collecting better information on equine injuries.

David O’Connor presented the newly released 2019 statistics for eventing falls at the FEI eventing risk management seminar at Aintree (24 to 26 January).

Strides have been made in how data is collected, with recent examples including recording the number of concussions separately, rather than bundling them into the “other injury” category.

“[The number of] horse falls has to be how we judge ourselves,” said Mr O’Connor, explaining this is because of risk of injury to both horses and riders.

In 2019, horse falls as a percentage of starters was 1.36%, with the chances of a rotational fall at 0.12%. In 2009, the corresponding figures were 1.72% and 0.23%.

“We see this trend is still going in the right direction, with rotational falls more than halved in 10 years,” he said. “These are encouraging numbers.”

But Mr O’Connor told the forum there remains a spike in the risk of horse falls at five-star level, higher than the increase between the other levels.

“Maybe the progression between four- and five-star isn’t totally correct or maybe five-star has become a different sport,” said Mr O’Connor.

He added the global aim has been to reduce horse falls at five-star level to 4% of starters, which the sport is “close to, but we still haven’t got there yet”. In 2019, this figure was 5.15%, compared to 4.25% in 2018 and 6.63% in 2017.

Olympic eventer Vittoria Panizzon questioned whether the qualifications for five-star are where they should be, given the rise in risk shown in the FEI data.

“Obviously look at frangible devices, course design [as well], but the qualifications seems to be a key thing to look at,” she said, adding she would also be wary of asking for too many long-format classes as qualifying criteria because of the mileage this adds to horses. “Not just add more, but look at the type of qualifications, therefore the level of courses.”

She also made the point as to whether frangible pins allowed horses who would have fallen to continue, before having a fall later on course.

“Should we be looking at whether horses need to be pulled up quicker if a frangible pin saves a fall?” she asked.

There also remains a greater chance of having a fall at an international event compared to a national class at the same level, which has left experts scratching their heads.

The average fall rate of horse and/or rider at international events is 5.57% — to put this into context, Britain’s national event fall rate is 2.26%.

Mr O’Connor said it is believed the answer may be psychological, in terms of pressure felt by riders, as often international classes are run over the same courses as national sections.

“We still don’t think we’ve wrapped our heads totally around the question between the international classes and national classes — why is that such a difference?” he asked.

‘Under-reporting’ horse injuries

Professor Tim Parkin, of the University of Glasgow’s veterinary school, stressed better information is needed about injuries horses sustain at events.

Reviewing the FEI’s current data, he said there is “quite a lot of variation” in the information sent in and outcomes and types of injury were not always well described.

Professor Parkin added he believes there is an “unknowable degree of under-reporting”, and when this is taken into consideration, the injury rate is likely to be around one in every 1,000 starts.

He suggested focusing on detailed reporting of injuries likely to impact a horse’s return to competition, whether that is in the long or short term, are fatal or career ending.

“Overall, the number of injury reports might reduce, but that’s because we are only focusing on things that have a really significant impact,” he said.

Looking at the FEI data compared to National Hunt racing, he said the risk of issues such as tendon/ligament injuries, lacerations, epistaxis (bleeding from the nose) and other lameness in racing is far greater than that in eventing.

“Similar types of things come up, replicated in slightly different orders, but in general the risk in National Hunt racing is tenfold for the same type of [injury] than in eventing,” he said.

“But we have to remember we probably see a greater amount of under-reporting in eventing than in National Hunt racing, where the system has been set up for a long time to ensure that pretty much as much as possible injuries are reported on the day they occur.”

The discussion moved to how difficult collecting accurate data can be, with injuries showing up after an event, or horses transported to their own vets directly from the event site. But experts agreed finding a better way to collect data is important.

“Collecting data from injuries will benefit the sport in the long term,” said FEI vet and trainer Staffan Lidbeck.

Mr O’Connor said the issue comes back to racing’s message about being on the front foot when it comes to equine welfare and why our horses have a better life because of the job they do.

You may also be interested in…

Scientific breakthrough will inform new frangible fence technology * H&H Plus*

Rider responsibility considered key to eventing’s future *H&H Plus*

Why horse and rider training is key to safer cross-country *H&H Plus*

The best way to train horses and riders to be as safe as possible when competing in cross-country was a

Coroner recommends significant changes to improve eventing safety after riders’ deaths

A coroner has published a +2,800-word recommendation into making Australian eventing safer following the deaths of two riders in 2016

Collapsible cross-country table trialled in Britain for first time

‘Anything we can do to make [eventing] safer to me we have to look at doing, while staying within the

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

While we spend our riding lives trying not to fall off, every rider knows that sinking feeling when you know you’re not going to be able to recover the situation. You’ve wavered, you’ve clutched and now you’ve decided you’re just going to have to go with it.

Here’s what might well be going through your mind:

1. Again? Really?

2. Cowpat or grass? Cowpat or grass? Cowpat or… yep, cowpat. Thank you, universe.

3. Oh good, I’m so glad I put on a clean, light-coloured pair of breeches this morning.

4. Is anyone watching this happen? Then I’ll pretend it didn’t, and never, ever speak of it again.

5. Oh no, someone is watching me! How can I pass this off gracefully? Work in a somersault? Pretend I spotted a tenner on the ground? Say I’m training for a volting team and did it completely deliberately? Spring to my feet and shout ‘Tah-da!’ before giving a little bow and leaping nonchalantly back on?

6. Ah yes, probably should have checked my girth before going into canter. And shortened my stirrups, now I come to think of it.

7. They say it takes seven falls to make a horsewoman, so I should be really, really good by now, because I’ve exceeded that already this year.

8. Ooooh, this’ll be interesting, let’s see if my new air jacket deploys… BANG! Yep, that works…

9. No, no, no, no, NO! I’m wearing my new T-shirt!

10. For goodness sake, I can’t believe I’m falling off at a walk! I’m not sure if I’m more embarrassed or disappointed in myself…

11. Typical! I was only saying the other day that I hadn’t fallen off for ages

Continued below…

9 thoughts that might go through your mind while you are warming up

The warm-up arena can be a stressful, hazardous and at times, downright chaotic place for both man and beast. Even

10 things that go through the mind of the middle-aged competition rider

With the competition season underway, most middle-aged riders will occasionally find themselves in a reflective mood, usually vacillating between ‘hell,

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

12. Hmmm, must remember to mention to the owner that this horse really doesn’t like pheasants.

13. Oh, so that’s why my instructor kept telling to shorten my outside rein!

14. Well, that’s a definite answer to the question: “Does this horse like going through water?”

For all the latest equestrian news and reports, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

A rider whose horse rolled on her when they fell while cross-country schooling has spoken of the importance of wearing an air jacket.

Madeleine Hubel, from York, was taking part at a training camp over 90cm fences on Saturday (28 September) when her 16hh Irish mare Holly caught her back legs over a jump.

“I jumped a drop down into water and was really pleased with Holly and then the last thing I remember is taking off at a jump coming out of the water,” Madeleine told H&H.

“I was told by my friend, Charlotte, Holly jumped really boldly and ended up straddling the fence. I nose-dived to the ground and Holly followed, landed behind me then rolled on my legs and pelvis.”

Madeleine said the next thing she remembers is the noise of the Midlands Air Ambulance landing.

“I was vaguely aware of where I was but Charlotte said I wasn’t making much sense. My instructor, Niki de Macedo, looked after me until the paramedics arrived and I was taken to the hospital,” she said.

“I had a CT scan and X-rays to check my pelvis but the doctors eliminated any serious injuries quite quickly. I had a gravel rash down my cheek, a burst lip and I broke both my wrists.”

Madeleine had surgery to insert pins in her wrists on Sunday.

“I can’t ride for six weeks and feel a bit useless having two arms out of action. Holly is kept at Charlotte’s yard so she is going to look after her. Thankfully Holly was absolutely fine after the fall and will have a holiday while I can’t ride. She’s a tough cookie and she’s such an easy horse, you can pick her up and put her down,” she said.

“I will miss riding but it’s one of those things. I’m looking forward to getting back on and hope to go cross-country schooling in spring. At the moment I don’t have any nerves about getting back on because I know it was a freak accident wasn’t anyone’s fault.”

Article continued below…

Rider who suffered severe injuries in rotational fall raises funds for air ambulance

‘The doctors had said they weren’t sure I would walk again, let alone run‘

Eventer who abandoned warm-up to save spectator’s life goes on to jump double clear

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Madeleine said the doctors believed the air jacket prevented Madeleine suffering any further injuries and she has urged others to consider wearing one.

“The combination of my air jacket, body-protector and hat really helped and I’ve been very lucky. Niki thinks it saved my life. If I hadn’t had the air jacket things would have been a lot worse,” she said.

“Air jackets provide an additional safety level and what’s a few hundred of pounds for safety? Some riders competing at lower levels think they might not need one but it doesn’t matter if you’re jumping 50cm or a metre – you’re still putting yourself in danger – you hope not, but there are still risks.”

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Falling off is a fact of riding life. It happens to even the best from time to time and although occasionally falls can be serious, many tumbles result in nothing more than a few bruises… and the odd bruised ego.

One thing you can guarantee about falling off is that everyone around you will have something to say about it. So here’s a tongue-in-cheek look at some of the reactions we’ve all heard…

Mum: “Well, I’m glad that happened now so (insert trainer’s name) can see what you keep doing. Also, why didn’t you hold onto the reins? Honestly, you never learn. It’ll take hours to catch that horse now.”

Dad: “Seriously? I drove you halfway across the country and you fell off at the first fence? I should have stayed at home and watched the football…”

Trainer: “Are you ok? Does anything hurt? Can you remember what day of the week it is?” (Thinking: Oh lord. I don’t want to fill in any health and safety forms over this.)

Boss: “How many broken bones this time? How many days of sick leave? Pass me the office diary…”

Other half: “For goodness sake! Why don’t you just hold on? Or take up gardening?”

Horsey friend: “Oh no! What happened? Did you hurt yourself? Is Dobbin ok? How are you going to put that right before you next event?”

Non-horsey friend: “Ha ha ha ha. Can I see the video? Can I see the bruises?”

Other non-horsey friend: “What? You fell off? You’ve been riding for years, surely you know how to do it by now?”

Article continues below…

You might also be interested in:

12 things horsey people say in the office — with translations for non-horsey colleagues

There are certain things you just can’t expect your colleagues to understand — this handy list will help them to

23 of the most embarrassing comments we’ve ever seen on a dressage sheet

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

I feel like, as equestrians, we have all fought for so long to have our horses seen as athletes. Moreover, we have moved on to fighting for the non-horsey community to see us as athletes. This really has been a struggle, and I think every equestrian has had the ‘you just sit there’ comment thrown at them at least once! I think a lot of riders really have started to make an effort with their fitness and strength since the question about whether some are too heavy for their horses too.

So someone PLEASE tell me why on Earth riders are rushing their recoveries when they get injured?! I see at least a post a day on my Facebook feed of ‘I’ve broken this that and the other, doctor says X amount of weeks. How long do I REALLY have to take off?’

We must all see these posts, as they really do flood all Facebook horse forums. We’ve all been there. We’ve all hurt ourselves, been to the doctors/A&E, been diagnosed and given a recovery plan, and then ignored all of the above and ridden the next day. You may be chuckling at this familiar scenario, but I am about to put it all into perspective so stop those chuckles!

Imagine your horse came in from the field a bit lame. You call the vet straight away for extensive testing and once given the diagnosis, you STRICTLY stick to the rehab plan. You would (hopefully) never dream of ignoring the vet’s advice and rushing your horse back into work. Imagine the abuse and threats you would receive if you posted the same post I described earlier, but about your horse, and not about you as a rider. If we are fighting so hard to make people think of us as athletes, why the hell are we not treating ourselves as such? Why aren’t we treating out own bodies with the same respect as we do our horses’?

I have learnt the hard way to treat my body with respect. This may sound very strange to a non-equestrian (and even weirder out of context!), but my New Year’s resolution was genuinely ‘to treat myself more like a horse’. Sounds weird, right? Told you! By this, I mean to treat my body as well as I would treat my horse’s body. I am going to give my own injuries as much serious consideration as I do my horses’. I am not going to shove myself back on a horse as quickly as possible following an injury, I am going to get back onboard when I am fully healed. Yeah, I know, we are equestrians, we are tough. Equestrians control a 500kg+ animal using a few fingers and their thighs — you don’t need to prove that you are tough!

Everyone understands that when you, as a rider, gets injured, they of course want to get back to their passion as quickly as they can (your horse probably does too when he is injured). But, do you just let your eventer go for a gallop with a tendon injury? No, that would be stupid!

Pretend that it is the horse that has the injury in question. If you rush your horse back into work, there are a number of things that can go wrong. Firstly, there is a huge risk of making the injury worse. Even if you decide to just go for a 10 minute walking hack, that is still putting extra strain on an injury. Once a horse has an injury, he will most likely compensate. By this, I mean that if one front leg hurts, he will put more weight onto the other front leg, for example. This can open up a whole can of worms and make the horse sore in different places throughout his body.

If you were to give your horse time off, but not wean the horse back into work slowly, and instead just get right back to it, you put the horse at serious risk of re-injury and sprains/strains. This is because the muscles will be weaker after having a break. For instance, if a horse had two weeks off, you should bring them back into work slowly, starting with a quick stretch lunge or a gentle, short hack for the first couple of days. The opposite would be to do a full on schooling/jumping session on day one.

These all sound like very obvious no-nos. But, realistically, most people reading this (including myself) have kept riding when injured ignoring the possibility of compensation, and probably wouldn’t bother to give themselves a couple of easy weeks to build back up to full work.

We may excuse ourselves by saying ‘oh but I am doing it for my horse, so he doesn’t lose fitness. He doesn’t like time off.’ In reality, you are not helping your horse out by soldiering on, at all. If we compensate and twist in the body or put more weight in one stirrup and so on, we can cause discomfort in our horse, and also create some nasty schooling habits in both horse and rider.

Article continues below…

You might also be interested in:

Claire Drey-Brown’s we need to talk blog: please, can we stop writing mean comments?

After a comment directed at her relationship with a horse she once had in her care, Claire has decided to

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

If you are not able to ride to your full potential, you may not ride as well as you normally can (due to pain, lack of balance, compensation etc). If you therefore cant ride as strongly as usual, you may even cause a knock in your horse’s confidence. This can also look pretty bad on paper too — you may cause a couple of blips on an otherwise faultless record, for example.

Because of these issues, you may need to put in a few weeks really working on the position of not only yourself, but your horse too after weeks of riding wonkily. You may also need to spend weeks revisiting the basics to rebuild any lost confidence. Furthermore, if you didn’t allow your injury time to heal, you may soldier on for a few weeks before realising it is no better, and then having no choice but to have the time off. Except now, it will be longer than the original rehab plan, because you have spent weeks damaging it further.

In conclusion, listen to your doctor, and don’t play the hero! Join me in my New Year’s resolution and treat yourself as though you are a horse too.

Claire

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Getting back in the saddle after injury can be tough. And getting back to competition after injury can be even tougher. But it’s not just the physical side of things that you need to take into account. It’s the mental side of things and injuries that can’t be ‘fixed’ in a set time frame to consider. H&H caught up with two event riders who have sustained high profile injuries, a mental skills coach, and a soft tissue therapy and performance specialist for their top tips on making a comeback post injury.

Laura Collett (pictured) sustained a very serious injury in 2013, which resulted in her being in hospital for a week in a coma. She left hospital six days later and got back on a horse the day she left hospital.

“I got back on but just to walk around. I sat on a horse each day slowly doing more and more, and I was back jumping four weeks after. I planned my first event back on the earliest possible date of being signed back on which was six weeks and six days after the fall.”

It’s fair to say that Laura isn’t typical, and the type of injury and associated physical damage in addition to other issues can have a huge impact on when someone rides again, in any capacity.

Jonty Evans is another rider who had a very well documented fall, and very serious injuries. In fact the fall happened just over a year ago at Tattersalls in Ireland. Jonty fell on 3 June 2018 and was in a coma for six weeks following the fall. He rode again in December.

“When I came out of the coma, I wanted to get back onto the next horse (at the event). Someone had to explain to me that that wasn’t possible and what had happened.

“I found rehab incredibly frustrating,” admits Jonty. “Some things were so hard to do and I couldn’t see why — I hadn’t broken an arm or a leg but that didn’t matter.”

Rehabilitation is, of course, a key phase in recovery from injury, both mentally and physically. Laura spent some time at Oaksey House and continued to work with the team after she left.

“Oaksey were incredible — they made it possible for me to achieve things that normal doctors and physios wouldn’t have. I did a lot of strength and conditioning work in the gym around the injuries I had and had massages every day. After I left Oaksey, I continued to work with them when I lived in Lambourn. Through the World Class Programme, I now work with the HSSM team to help maintain my fitness and strength.”

Dee Holdsworth and Ben So’oialo-Chan specialise in elite rider and equine soft tissue therapy, strength and conditioning. They work with a number of riders to help maintain fitness. They also work with riders returning from injury.

“The first thing, before you undertake any kind of fitness work, is to consult a healthcare professional, especially after injury,” say Dee and Ben. The exact exercises will obviously vary from injury to injury, but most, if not all, riders can benefit from core work as well as exercises to improve coordination and reaction times.”

Jonty agrees, he does Pilates regularly and has found this really beneficial too.

It’s not just the physical side of things that we need to consider when it comes to getting back on after an injury. Some riders don’t have any anxiety or worries connected to riding as a result of any accident, but some do, as Jane Pike, an equestrian mindset coach explains.

“If we were to look at the recovery process purely from the perspective of how it affects us psychologically, the incident itself is not usually as problematic as the stories that we attach to it,” says Jane. “Memory is not reflective of the reality of experience but rather our perception of the experience and the meaning that we attach to it. Consequently, our ability to view what happened within an empowering context is crucial to being able to process the event and place it within a context that allows us build resilience and move forward with a sense of positive possibility.”

“I didn’t and don’t get nervous as such,” says Jonty. “I wasn’t worried about falling off, but I was worried about making a mistake. I was concerned about doing something wrong and sending mixed messages to the horse. I’ve always had this concern but it did get worse (after the accident). It’s a pressure I put on myself.”

Not all injuries are simply ‘fixed’, and head injuries demonstrate this well. In some cases, people make a complete recovery, but for others the journey isn’t so straightforward and there are many unknowns.

“My biggest tip,” says Jonty, “would be to focus on your strength as it makes so much difference. I’d also say don’t try and run before you can walk, and seek the very best help you can in all areas; it will make a huge difference.”

Laura shares her experience too, giving a tip she’s learnt from the beauty of hindsight.

“One thing I did learn from coming back from my injury is that I shouldn’t have rushed back as quickly as I did,” admits Laura. “I got lucky, but looking back I definitely wasn’t 100% when I started competing but was convinced I was at the time! It wasn’t until about a month after that I suddenly realised I was only just 100% then.”

From the confidence side of things, Jane has some great tips too.

“It’s important to avoid worry and rumination if you can as the more you think about it, the stronger the memory becomes and it makes it a reference point in your mind when you get back in the saddle. Focus on what you want to happen when you get back on rather than what you want to avoid.

“If our dominant thought is ‘I hope I don’t fall off’, the mind focuses on falling off because it’s been positioned as the point of focus. A thought about hoping you don’t fall off, for example, can be changed into a thought about a calm and balanced ride — deciding what you want to experience and having this as the point of focus in your mind can help.”

Continued below…

Comeback kings: can horses get back to competition following injury? H&H asks the experts…

We caught up with two professional riders, a vet and a therapy centre to get their experience of injuries, recovery,

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

From the physical side of things, Ben shares this tip: “When it comes to riding and competing again, it’s important to stretch before you get on — so many riders don’t do this but it’s actually a really useful way to help support your performance and maintenance. Activating your hips, core and scapula through simple exercises like hip bridges, hollow hold, and scapula activation can really help.”

For all the latest equestrian news and reports, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now