[Riding injuries and injuries due to handling horses in experienced riders].

This research investigates the prevalence and categories of riding and horse handling injuries among experienced riders who completed German riding certification nearly a decade ago. The paper highlights that both activities pose a risk of injury, but most participants have not made changes to their safety precautions, suggesting these practices can be made safer through the implementation and reinforcement of appropriate safety regulations.

Methodology

• The study relied on data collected through questionnaires distributed to experienced riders who earned their German riding badge approximately 9.5 years prior. This group provided an opportunity to measure injuries sustained through extensive riding and horse handling experience.
• Questions covered their experiences of injuries during various activities such as jumping, dressage, and cross-country riding, as well as handling horses outside of riding.
• Data collected from the answers were then analyzed to assess the frequency and severity of the injuries, as well as their location on the rider’s body.

Findings

• During riding, 69% of respondents reported experiencing a total of 187 injuries, while 52% reported 124 injuries resulting from horse handling.
• Fractures and contusions were the most commonly reported injuries.
• Most injuries incurred while riding affected the upper extremities and shoulder, while injuries from handling horses primarily affected the hands and feet.
• The number of injuries was noted to be comparable across different riding activities like jumping, dressage, and cross-country riding. However, jumping was identified as posing a higher risk of severe injury, despite only taking up a third of the time compared to other riding activities.
• Among those handling horses, the rate of injury was higher relative to the time spent, but these injuries were generally less severe.
• Despite these findings, 67% of the injured respondents indicated no change in their safety precautions.

Conclusions

• The findings confirmed that both riding and handling horses carry a risk of injury, even among experienced riders. However, the injury rate among equestrians was deemed relatively low.
• The consistency of fractures and contusions suggests these are areas that could be significantly improved by enforcing safety regulations.
• The authors concluded that while there is an inherent risk in these activities, there is potential to decrease frequency and severity of injuries by adopting adequate safety measures.