Equestrian injury is costly, disabling, and frequently preventable: the imperative for improved safety awareness.
Abstract: Horse-related injury can be severe and disabling. We investigated the causes, severity, and costs of equestrian injury with the goal of injury prevention. A retrospective review of horse-related injuries from 2001 to 2008 identified 231 patients with a mean age of 38 years and a mean Injury Severity Score of 11 (range, 1 to 45). Mean length of stay was 5.5 days. Fifty-nine patients (25%) required 84 surgeries. Helmet use was 20 per cent and of the 172 patients not wearing a helmet while mounted, 38 per cent received potentially preventable head injuries. There were three deaths of which two were the result of intracranial hemorrhage in riders not wearing a helmet. Mean hospital charge was $29,800 for a total of $6.9 million. Ninety-one patients completed a survey regarding causation and disability. Thirty-four per cent reported wearing a helmet at the time of injury. Forty per cent reported that poor environmental factors contributed, 30 per cent reported poor horse and rider pairing, and 9 per cent reported equipment failure. Fifty-nine per cent reported long-term disabilities. Compared with the general population, respondents had diminution in their ability to perform usual daily activities associated with physical problems, diminution in social function, and higher bodily pain. We conclude that equestrian injury is costly, disabling, and frequently preventable.
Publication Date: 2013-01-16 PubMed ID: 23317616
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- Evaluation Study
- Journal Article
Summary
This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.
The research article is about the importance of increasing safety awareness in equestrian activities, focusing on the causes and impact of horse-riding injuries, including their prevention, severity, cost, and long-term effects.
Research Background and Methods
- The research study was anchored on previous studies and observations that horse-related injuries can be severe and disabling, necessitating an investigation into their causes, severity, and costs.
- The research employed a retrospective review of horse-related injuries spanning seven years from 2001 to 2008, during which it identified 231 patients who had been subjected to such injuries.
- The injuries had a mean Injury Severity Score of 11, with the patients possessing a mean age of 38 years.
Research Findings
- The average length of stay in the hospital following these injuries was about 5.5 days.
- Approximately 25% of the patients required surgery, with a total of 84 surgeries performed over the study period.
- Helmet use among the patients was only 20%, and of the 172 patients who were not wearing a helmet while they were riding, about 38% received head injuries that could have potentially been prevented if they had worn a helmet.
- Three of the patients died from their injuries, two of them from intracranial hemorrhage resulting from not wearing a helmet.
Investigation into Causes and Long-term Impact
- A follow-up survey was conducted with 91 of the patients to understand more about the causes of the injuries and any resulting long-term disabilities.
- About 34% of these respondents had been wearing a helmet at the time of their injury.
- Survey outcomes indicated that a considerable number of injuries were attributable to poor environmental factors (40%); poor pairing between horse and rider (30%); or equipment failure (9%).
- Approximately 59% of the respondents reported experiencing long-term disabilities following their injury.
- Compared to a control group, the respondents reported a marked decrease in the ability to perform routine daily activities due to physical problems, diminished social function, and increased levels of bodily pain.
- The average hospital cost was found to be $29,800, with a total expenditure over seven years amounting to $6.9 million.
Conclusion and Recomendations
- Based on these findings, the researchers concluded that injuries associated with equestrian activities are costly, disabling, and often preventable.
- The study thereby emphasized the need for improved safety measures and awareness, advocating for more compliance with existing safety regulations like helmet usage, improving the horse-rider pairing process, better maintenance of equipment, and promoting safer environmental conditions for equestrian activities.
Cite This Article
APA
Guyton K, Houchen-Wise E, Peck E, Mayberry J.
(2013).
Equestrian injury is costly, disabling, and frequently preventable: the imperative for improved safety awareness.
Am Surg, 79(1), 76-83.
Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Division of Trauma, Critical Care, and Acute Care Surgery, Department of Surgery L611, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon 97239, USA.
MeSH Terms
- Activities of Daily Living
- Adolescent
- Adult
- Aged
- Animals
- Athletic Injuries / economics
- Athletic Injuries / etiology
- Athletic Injuries / prevention & control
- Athletic Injuries / therapy
- Child
- Child, Preschool
- Chronic Pain / etiology
- Craniocerebral Trauma / economics
- Craniocerebral Trauma / etiology
- Craniocerebral Trauma / prevention & control
- Craniocerebral Trauma / therapy
- Equipment Failure
- Female
- Head Protective Devices / statistics & numerical data
- Health Surveys
- Horses
- Hospital Charges / statistics & numerical data
- Humans
- Injury Severity Score
- Male
- Middle Aged
- Oregon
- Registries
- Retrospective Studies
- Risk Factors
- Safety
- Surveys and Questionnaires
- Young Adult
Citations
This article has been cited 21 times.- Hartwig S, Rankovic A, McCrae P, Gagliardi K, Burron S, Ellis J, Ma DWL, Shoveller AK. The effects of a plant-based and a plant- and marine-based n-3 oil supplement on behavioral reactivity, heart rate variability, and plasma fatty acid profile in young healthy horses. J Anim Sci 2025 Jan 4;103.
- Loder RT, Walker AL, Blakemore LC. Injury Patterns and Associated Demographic Characteristics in Children with a Fracture from Equines: A US National Based Study. Children (Basel) 2024 Nov 27;11(12).
- Chapman M, Fenner K, Thomas MJW, Thompson K. Stakeholder Views on the Potential Benefits and Feasibility of an Equestrian Industry-Specific Health, Safety and Welfare Management System. Animals (Basel) 2024 Nov 28;14(23).
- Stigson H, Klingegård M. Characteristics of equestrian accidents and injuries leading to permanent medical impairment. BMC Sports Sci Med Rehabil 2024 Sep 4;16(1):184.
- Best R, Williams JM, Pearce J. The Physiological Requirements of and Nutritional Recommendations for Equestrian Riders. Nutrients 2023 Nov 30;15(23).
- Keener MM, Tumlin KI. The Triple-E Model: Advancing Equestrian Research with Perspectives from One Health. Animals (Basel) 2023 Aug 16;13(16).
- Wang TJ, Ward T, Nguyen HT, Hurwitz EL. Equestrian-Related Musculoskeletal Injuries Presenting to a Chiropractic Practice: A Retrospective Chart Review of 19 Patients. J Chiropr Med 2023 Jun;22(2):103-106.
- Condon V, Wilson B, Fleming PJS, Kennedy BPA, Keeley T, Barwick J, McGreevy P. Investigating the Market Value of Brumbies (Equus caballus) in the Australian Riding Horse Market. Animals (Basel) 2023 Apr 27;13(9).
- Mutore K, Lim J, Fofana D, Torres-Reveron A, Skubic JJ. Hearing hoofbeats? Think head and neck trauma: a 10-year NTDB analysis of equestrian-related trauma in the USA. Trauma Surg Acute Care Open 2021;6(1):e000728.
- Kim J, Park Y, Kim EJ, Jung H, Yoon M. Relationship between oxytocin and serotonin and the fearfulness, dominance, and trainability of horses. J Anim Sci Technol 2021 Mar;63(2):453-460.
- Pollard D, Grewar JD. Equestrian Road Safety in the United Kingdom: Factors Associated with Collisions and Horse Fatalities. Animals (Basel) 2020 Dec 15;10(12).
- Chapman M, Thomas M, Thompson K. What People Really Think About Safety around Horses: The Relationship between Risk Perception, Values and Safety Behaviours. Animals (Basel) 2020 Nov 26;10(12).
- Adler CR, Hopp A, Hrelic D, Patrie JT, Fox MG. Retrospective analysis of equestrian-related injuries presenting to a level 1 trauma center. Emerg Radiol 2019 Dec;26(6):639-645.
- Andres SA, Bushau-Sprinkle AM, Brier ME, Seger YR. Effects of body protection vests and experience levels in prevention of equestrian injuries. BMJ Open Sport Exerc Med 2018;4(1):e000426.
- Weber CD, Nguyen AR, Lefering R, Hofman M, Hildebrand F, Pape HC. Blunt injuries related to equestrian sports: results from an international prospective trauma database analysis. Int Orthop 2017 Oct;41(10):2105-2112.
- Ikinger CM, Baldamus J, Spiller A. Factors Influencing the Safety Behavior of German Equestrians: Attitudes towards Protective Equipment and Peer Behaviors. Animals (Basel) 2016 Feb 18;6(2).
- O'Brien D. Look Before You Leap: What Are the Obstacles to Risk Calculation in the Equestrian Sport of Eventing?. Animals (Basel) 2016 Feb 16;6(2).
- Thompson K, McGreevy P, McManus P. A Critical Review of Horse-Related Risk: A Research Agenda for Safer Mounts, Riders and Equestrian Cultures. Animals (Basel) 2015 Jul 17;5(3):561-75.
- Altgärde J, Redéen S, Hilding N, Drott P. Horse-related trauma in children and adults during a two year period. Scand J Trauma Resusc Emerg Med 2014 Jul 17;22:40.
- Carmichael SP 2nd, Davenport DL, Kearney PA, Bernard AC. On and off the horse: mechanisms and patterns of injury in mounted and unmounted equestrians. Injury 2014 Sep;45(9):1479-83.
- Srinivasan V, Pierre C, Plog B, Srinivasan K, Petraglia AL, Huang JH. Straight from the horse's mouth: neurological injury in equestrian sports. Neurol Res 2014 Oct;36(10):873-7.
Use Nutrition Calculator
Check if your horse's diet meets their nutrition requirements with our easy-to-use tool Check your horse's diet with our easy-to-use tool
Talk to a Nutritionist
Discuss your horse's feeding plan with our experts over a free phone consultation Discuss your horse's diet over a phone consultation
Submit Diet Evaluation
Get a customized feeding plan for your horse formulated by our equine nutritionists Get a custom feeding plan formulated by our nutritionists
