Risk Of Injury When Horse Riding.

Green Hornet

Looking through some of the threads and they often refer to falls etc. from horses.

I'm a bit of a newbie myself but love horse riding.:) I regret that I waited until I was 40 to take it up!

I'm learning for about 6 months and can canter and do small jumps confidently. Last night one of the girls in the group took a tumble after a jump and appeared to be knocked out for a couple of minutes. She was okay afterwards, just a bit shaken I think.

I haven't fallen yet but I'm under no illusions either and I know that I will fall at some stage. Just wondering what the risk of an injury is in general? Everybody falls but most seem to be fine afterwards but is there a percentage of falls that do result in serious injury?

MDFM

Theres always a risk, no matter how experienced or inexperienced you are really.
I'm riding 30 years....and even now injuries can happen when u least expect them..
so far this year i've..
broken 4 ribs, damaged my right hip bone (but i dislocated it many years ago, so any fall i have on it now can be serious), dislocated thumb on left hand (twice - it was awful!!!)
other injuries prior to this year..
dislocated both shoulders, on separate occasions
whiplash, twice
chipped edge of shoulder blade (right shoulder)
concussion and unconsiciousness (more times than i care to rem)
fractured skull
slipped disc in lower back region - twice
dislocated kneecap - twice
those are the few that spring to mind...!! there have being more..but i'm lucky to not have broken anything major like arm or legs, only the ribs..!
Any sport is a risk, but so is driving a car or crossing the road. Accidents happen, but all you can do is be aware of the dangers and try to protect yourself in so far as is possible, but, don't let the dangers put u off either!

Green Hornet

Holy cow!:eek:

Were most of the injuries related to hunting or more routine show jumping type activities? I'd better not show the wife your list of injuries or I'll be banned!:)

Jemmy

MDFM wrote: »

Theres always a risk, no matter how experienced or inexperienced you are really.
I'm riding 30 years....and even now injuries can happen when u least expect them..
so far this year i've..
broken 4 ribs, damaged my right hip bone (but i dislocated it many years ago, so any fall i have on it now can be serious), dislocated thumb on left hand (twice - it was awful!!!)
other injuries prior to this year..
dislocated both shoulders, on separate occasions
whiplash, twice
chipped edge of shoulder blade (right shoulder)
concussion and unconsiciousness (more times than i care to rem)
fractured skull
slipped disc in lower back region - twice
dislocated kneecap - twice
those are the few that spring to mind...!! there have being more..but i'm lucky to not have broken anything major like arm or legs, only the ribs..!
Any sport is a risk, but so is driving a car or crossing the road. Accidents happen, but all you can do is be aware of the dangers and try to protect yourself in so far as is possible, but, don't let the dangers put u off either!

Wow this is extreme, you'll scare the life out of him. I've been riding since I was 5/6 (i think) and I'm 24 now, so for as long as I can remember. I've hunted, evented, showjumped, everything in ponyclub (games/polo/crosscountry etc) well everything basically and I've only dislocated my thumb once and I've strained my back out of my own stupidity, stubbornness, and determination out hunting on a bold mare. But when I damaged my back I fell out hunting not letting her get away with a refusal fell landed on a boulder blacked out and insisted on riding back because it was easier for everyone! Hence the permanent damage!

So you might never injure yourself and you might break bones, you take the risk everytime you get on the horses back. Before it's said I know there is an age difference between us but your not old enough for it to make that much of a difference!


But thy say your not a pro till you fall off 99 times!!!
I must be a bloody equestrian einstein!

Green Hornet

To be honest I'm aware of the risks and they wont put me off.

I suppose it's just that I've seen a good few people take a fall and get away without any injury (apart from pride of course) so was just wondering if bad injuries (bone breaks etc) are rare rather than common.

I'm also aware that falling in a field during a canter or in an arena are less likely to be serious injuries. I assume hunting is where the more serious injuries occur?

doctor evil

Technically any fall can lead to serious injury. It's not a matter of if but when. I found tarmac the most painful to land on. Ouch.

One think I have learnt (over the years hitting the dirt!) is that: Don't get up right away or you will fall back down, train yourself to laugh after you land on the ground (doesn't matter if it sounds manic) this gets you breathing and can hopefully make lighter the incident. Check your hat, if there is any give in it get a new one. Don't wear short sleeves unless you want to loose a few layers of your skin.

I'd say eventing is the most dangerous with the rotational falls, had an unfortunate string of deaths a year or two ago.

MDFM

To be honest, i dont consider my injuries that bad - ive seen worse, i'm around horses 30 years! i consider myself lucky in some regards and now, there are some things i don't do, not that i'm afriad of them, but i'm afraid of the risk of getting the same injust again...
My last whiplash - well that was just a freak accident, neither my fault nor the horse. We'd being hunting for over 3 hours, massive jumps etc, flat out all day..last jump was a bank - he flew it perfectly, but stumbled on landing, his front feet got stuck on land and he flipped over, whacked me on the head, i crashed forward and i think the impact must have jerked my neck..i was stunned for a long time and after a few short hours, it took its toll - nausea and dizziness creep in so my mum drove me into casualty, they diagnosed me with concussion, and told me to stay awake all nite! i got over that bit, but my neck, back and shoulders ached for a long time afterwards and the neck injury really held me back for ages and took a lot of physio to get it sorted..
i've not hunted that often since to be honest - i lost interest in it to be honest. i wish i could cos i do have 2 or 3 young horses that need the odd hunt or 2 every year just to get them going - i'm not a huge fan of hunting, but in terms of getting young horses going forward and giving them confidence, i do think its a good starting ground.
the last major injury was the broken ribs - so simple - wasnt even a young horse i was riding - it was a horse i have years, have done everything on him, but i mainly do amatuer showjumping on him, have jumped him up to 1.20m and won on him..well, had him back jumping about 6 weeks last spring - now, hes normally such an old reliable, he can jump with his eyes closed and would jump out of his stable to make sure you load him in the box to bring him - well , last spring, he floored me at the 1st fence in a 1m class at a local show - and i mean floored me.! i wouldnt mind, but this was his 5th show in a row, and he'd jumped clear every other sat..i never saw it coming..but i hit the fence with such an impact that it broke the peak on my hat (gpa air speed) and broke 3-4 ribs, winded me...i have to say it was the most painful injury ive ever had = i couldnt even dress myself properly the pain was so intense and i was also signed off work for a while!
but...thats horses for you..these things happen..u learn to live with them and some things u just become a bit wiser with over time. I was laid off for a while with my ribs and it took me time to trust the same horse again, but at the same time, i'd got a new 4 yr old and 2 other 4 years old to bring on, who i nearly trusted more than him! you become tougher over time with horses, and u never know with them..but, a good friend of mine whom i train with regularly and jumps on the national grand prix circuit, told me to always put the past behind, regardless of how bad the fall is and concentrate on the here and now..works for me (most of the time!!)

Esroh

I'll just add to MDFMs scare list

Jaw broken.
Teeth knocked out
Both Collar bones twice each
2 fingers broken/ 3 dislocations
Thumb dislocated
Knocked out cold 3 times
Concussion to many times to remember:D
Left Shoulder joint now pretty useless due to repetitive damage.
Left hip joint well shook
Left ankle broken
I did spend 30 years working fulltime with horses and so all the above were just part of the job. I can say that damage to left side is probably due to a preservation instinct to land on left side when ever possible.

Falling Off is something you learn;).The old rule of thumb it takes 10 falls to learn how is a good guide line.
During that split second when you realise you are gone before you hit the ground your body learns to react and relax.For each of the above I have fallen another 100 times from being dumped off youngesters to having a racehorse slip up on a racecourse school and just bounced back up.
I now ride a bike alot and I can tell you that your standard fall of it hurts a hell of a lot more. Never got cuts or Skin burns from any fall of a horse.

doctor evil

Also a good thing to roll when you land.

Ave Sodalis

2 years riding, two falls. Nothing serious. Bounced back up again. Obviously ya have some serious falls but most falls ya dont even feel, from what Iv seen and heard.

Dont worry bout it. If it happens it happens, not much ya can do about it. Its all part of the job!:D

Riding for around 15 years, did mainly SJ, hunting and cross country.
Never had a major injury nor a lasting one.

Got really badly hurt playing volleyball though.

9wetfckx43j5rg

I rode for years (at least 7, don't know the actual number) and never had a serious injury. Fell several times and the worse fall I remember is when I hit the ground really hard and winded myself. That's probably the most common thing to happen when you fall. It's scary for a while until you get your breath back.

I got worse injuries walking my dog, fact. (Was dragged along the concentrate and spilt open my chin when I was 9)

Fxrbiker

Ridden motorbikes for years, a few falls and a broken collarbone I only found out about after it healed. First hunt and took a dive at the first fence - in hindsight neither I nor my horse were in proper position and a cat leap can do that. Think I hit a rock - broken collarbone 7 broken ribs, punctured lung ( that's the dangerous bit) . Lady wife drove me to Vincent's ( painful hour and a half journey) but they were great. Full mobility back. Looking forward to getting back on him but maybe a lot more cautious. It is a high risk sport particularly cross country. Manage it with good schooling for horse and rider and good protective clothing. That said I had a back/ chest protector but impacted on the shoulder. Quite a freak occurrence really. Us statistics ( bear in mind that they don't ride such fast motorbikes - cruisers are more common) are that motorcyclists experience an injury for every 7000 hours riding and horse riders every 350 hours riding. I won't be packing it in though unless the docs are adamant.

byhookorbycrook

Riding over 30 years, hunted, evented,showed and show-jumped. Nothing serious ever, thakfully. That said, my lazy cob ended up whacking my shin off the gate post as he tried to take a shortcut over the weekend, so it's often the simple things!

fits

I've been pretty lucky too. Came off in a drain out hunting today when the horse slipped but other than a fat knee I'm ok. 90% of falls I've had, I've just got straight back up. They're usually not as bad as you think they'll be. I've been riding about 20 years and hunted regularly for about 7 of those. Having a clever experienced horse out hunting counts for a lot. I'm not sure I'd take a young horse out myself anymore.

silverfox88

"i'm not sure i'd take a young horse out anymore"

dont say that fits!!! im very excited for the crosspole rounds in my near future with the 4 year old!!!!

byhookorbycrook

I'm afraid I only ride the "been there,done that" cob anymore.Too old to be broken up!!!

silverfox88

Hee hee, love my been there, done that mare as well, she still managed to do this to me a few months ago though:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALFKlBInylA&feature=channel_video_title


(was absolutely fine, by the way, given this is an injury related thread, sore bum and wounded pride but thats all!!)

convert

fits wrote: »

I'm not sure I'd take a young horse out myself anymore.

You make it sound like you're 100, fits!

A family member - who's 65 - recently took a young horse to his (the horse's) first hunt, and has been having a great season with him!

My first point-to-point ride was on a mare who'd never run before - we got around fine and finished 6th!

And now back on topic: I've been pretty lucky regarding injuries riding. The worst was probably being dragged as a kid and getting kicked in the mouth. Quite a few years later, I got the softest of falls off a young horse and managed to break a crown (replacing the tooth I injured as a kid) and crack a bottom tooth, which subsequently broke! I've since resorted to riding with a gumshield - much, much cheaper than going to the dentist! Other than that, I've only dislocated a finger, which I popped back in whilst riding!

I met a guy yesterday who plays football and whose right hand is in a cast resulting from something as simple as somebody standing on his hand by accident after he'd fallen during training! He's had the cast on for 4 weeks, and won't be taken off for at least another 2 weeks! :eek:

And another one from a 'low risk sport': a friend of mine sprained their hand pretty badly playing volleyball and ended up with a splint for 6 weeks!

And from not playing sport at all: Another friend fell in the snow and broke both her wrists. Over a year later, she's still struggling to regain full mobility!

I think the big thing when riding is knowing your limits and your horse's limits. Over-facing either horse or rider is foolish and dangerous. There's nothing wrong with erring on the side of caution and competing at a lower level until both you and the horse are ready to move up a grade. There's absolutely no place for showing off - remember the old saying: pride before a fall!

fits

convert wrote: »

You make it sound like you're 100, fits!

:p

i'm just saying, having had the pleasure of hunting an experienced horse for the last three years, I'm not sure I'd go back. I dont need to hunt green horses right now. An excellent horse can be bought for very reasonable money at the moment, so why endanger oneself more than necessary? Our hunt cross very varied country too and some of the walls and drains in particular... I'd just prefer to be on a horse who knows his job. That said, I may end up eating my words as I now own a young draught mare, bought for breeding but i'll probably do a bit with her next year. Not sure if I'll hunt her but we'll see how it goes.

I will probably do a bit of riding club on her though

A family member - who's 65 - recently took a young horse to his (the horse's) first hunt, and has been having a great season with him!

My first point-to-point ride was on a mare who'd never run before - we got around fine and finished 6th!

Ah now, you see you're clearly insane! I wont ever be point to pointing.

I met a guy yesterday who plays football and whose right hand is in a cast resulting from something as simple as somebody standing on his hand by accident after he'd fallen during training! He's had the cast on for 4 weeks, and won't be taken off for at least another 2 weeks! :eek:

And another one from a 'low risk sport': a friend of mine sprained their hand pretty badly playing volleyball and ended up with a splint for 6 weeks!

And from not playing sport at all: Another friend fell in the snow and broke both her wrists. Over a year later, she's still struggling to regain full mobility!

I dont know about these being low risk sports though. My worst injuries came from playing hockey. All the contact and twisting and turning is hard on the legs.

I think the big thing when riding is knowing your limits and your horse's limits. Over-facing either horse or rider is foolish and dangerous. There's nothing wrong with erring on the side of caution and competing at a lower level until both you and the horse are ready to move up a grade. There's absolutely no place for showing off - remember the old saying: pride before a fall!

This is so important.

loopyloulilly

Been riding since i was 7/8 years old, had a few falls. One serious a couple of years ago, riding a young horse, she spooked and bucked, I summer salted, landed on my hand, broke a little bone, for my sheer stubbornness i didn't do any about it. It hurts now and again when I'm hunting and in cold weather.

Gorteen

Took up riding in my forties... Probably a dozen falls in the past 6 years, some while galloping out hunting, some jumping cross poles and one bizzare falls while standing still

Broke my finger (without falling) by catching it in the martingale going over a jump. Otherwise, the most serious injury was a rotator cuff tear (shoulder damage). Other than that, the usual bruises and aches.

Wish I'd had all my falls in my teens, but I can't do much about my age, to quote Michael D Higgins!!!

doctor evil

Tell us more about the ID mare fits.

My worst injury was a fractured arm and one heck of a haematoma over my kidney. I fell off going over a jump and landed on rock solid ground and my poor kidney struck a stone sticking out of the ground.

silverfox88

Tooth embedded in lip today, the wagon put in a dead stop at the second part of a double... Was fat lip central and v sorry for myself all afternoon