Research shines linght on equestrian-related injuries

equestrian injuries — Falling of a horse

(Image credit: Andrew Sydenham for Future Publishing)

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”.

“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.”

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.”

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Since joining H&H in 2018, Becky has covered a broad range of equestrian news including welfare matters, veterinary studies, FEI Tribunal hearings and road safety campaigns. She has also interviewed top riders including Scott Brash, John Whitaker and Ian Stark, to name just a few. Becky’s reporting has taken her to Canada for Spruce Meadows and France for Pau five-star, as well as the Royal Highland and Blair Castle International Horse Trials closer to home. She was also a key part of the remote reporting team for the Tokyo Olympics and the Europeans.

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

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.

“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.”

“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.”

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