Equine fatalities in equestrian eventing.
Abstract: To date, industry and research outputs that have aimed to improve safety in equestrian eventing have tended to focus on identifying risk factors for horse falls during cross-country, which have been identified as the greatest risk of injury and fatality for riders. There is an absence of research that investigates fatalities of horses within the sport of eventing. Objective: To use a combination of media reports and eventing federation databases to describe and document equine fatalities in equestrian eventing, including their context, location and a basic pathology. Methods: Descriptive study. Methods: A study describing equine fatalities that occurred between 1998 and 2023. Study data were taken from a combination of media reports (to identify occurrences of equine fatalities) and federation databases (to confirm a fatality did indeed occur and validate data). Results: One hundred and ten equine fatality records were included. Median horse age was 12 years. 62.7% of equine fatalities were not associated with a report of a horse fall during the cross-country phase. Of all fatalities, 36.4% involved a musculoskeletal (MSK) injury, 36.4% were considered sudden death and 27.3% did not report the pathology (unknown). A total of 47.5% of MSK-related fatalities and 90% of sudden death fatalities occurred during cross-country but were unrelated to horse falls at cross-country fences. Conclusions: The data presented within this study do not provide a complete picture of global equine eventing fatalities during the study period. Details around the context/pathology of fatalities are also limited because of the sources they are derived from. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that equine fatalities in eventing occur in contexts other than horse falls, including as a result of MSK injury and sudden death. Future research and risk management work in eventing should include work that investigates sudden death and MSK injury in eventing horses and their causative/associative factors.
© 2025 The Author(s). Equine Veterinary Journal published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of EVJ Ltd.
Publication Date: 2025-05-15 PubMed ID: 40371753PubMed Central: PMC12326938DOI: 10.1111/evj.14529Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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This research article investigates and documents equine fatalities in the sport of equestrian eventing by surveying both media reports and databases maintained by eventing federations from 1998 to 2023. They found that fatalities often occur outside of horse falls during cross-country events and frequently involve musculoskeletal (MSK) injuries and sudden death.
Objective and Methods
- This research aims to fill a void in literature by extensively studying the occurrences of horse fatalities in the sport of equestrian eventing – an area that has not been thoroughly explored previously.
- The researchers sought to describe and document these fatalities, including their context, location, and basic pathology using a mix of media reports and eventing federation databases.
- The study methodology involved a review of data from two primary sources: media reports, which were used to identify incidents of equine fatalities, and federation databases, which were used to confirm the fatalities and verify the data collected. The data spanned the period between 1998 and 2023.
Results
- The study included records of 110 equine fatalities. The median age of the horses was reported as 12 years.
- Interestingly, 62.7% of the horse fatalities were reported to be not associated with horse falls during the cross-country phase of the eventing.
- Regarding the causes, 36.4% were due to a musculoskeletal (MSK) injury, 36.4% were cases of sudden death, while the cause remained unreported or unknown for 27.3% of the cases.
- Among the fatalities, 47.5% of the MSK-related fatalities and 90% of the sudden death fatalities occurred during cross-country events but were unrelated to horse falls at cross-country fences. This suggests that cross-country events carry inherent risks that go beyond the commonly perceived risk of fall-related injuries.
Conclusions
- The data gathered in this study do not provide a comprehensive picture of global equine fatalities during the specified period due to limitations in the sources used. Information about the specifics such as the context and pathology of the fatalities was also limited.
- Nevertheless, this study highlights that horse fatalities in eventing occur in settings beyond horse falls, including due to MSK injuries and sudden death.
- The researchers suggest future research should focus more on sudden death and MSK injury in equestrian event horses, as well as their causative/associative factors, to help contribute to better risk management within the sport.
Cite This Article
APA
Cameron-Whytock HA, O'Brien D, Lewis V, Parkin T, Bennet ED.
(2025).
Equine fatalities in equestrian eventing.
Equine Vet J, 57(5), 1387-1394.
https://doi.org/10.1111/evj.14529 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, Lancashire, UK.
- PO Box 1167, Balhannah, South Australia, Australia.
- Equestrian Performance Research and Knowledge Exchange Arena, Hartpury University, Hartpury, UK.
- Bristol Veterinary School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
- School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Horses / injuries
- Horse Diseases / mortality
- Sports
- Male
- Female
- Risk Factors
- Accidental Falls / mortality
- Athletic Injuries / mortality
- Athletic Injuries / veterinary
Conflict of Interest Statement
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
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