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Horseriding, unlike other sports, can be enjoyed by both men and women well into their 60s and sometimes 70s. Nick Skelton, at 58yrs old,  in 2016, became Britain’s oldest Olympian for 108 years when he won individual gold for showjumping in Rio.  What Nick achieved was not only incredible given his age but 16 years earlier he had taken a crashing fall, landing on his head, and broke his neck in 2 places.  The upper part of his spine was immobilised for 5 months and he was forced to retire. His passion, determination and talent saw him make a miraculous, courageous recovery and proceed to win gold at Rio.

IS HORSE RIDING SAFER THAN IT USED TO BE?

With the majority of riders in the UK being leisure riders and not world ranking 7ft jumping super Gods you may be quick to assume the risks for us really aren’t that severe.  Also, we have much improved riding hats and body protectors including ones that even inflate on landing.  Health and safety at competitions and riding schools is arguably much improved and most of us know to avoid leaping on the “problem” horse that has already hospitalised other more experienced jockeys than ourselves, do we not?

Australian trauma specialist Dr Bruce Paix claimed that eventing was more dangerous than motorcycle or car racing. We know a great deal has been done to improve safety and reduce falls in eventing but deaths and severe injury still occur every year.  British Eventing even have a “how not to ride the cross country phase” video here choreographed by Yogi Breisner to help prevent riders coming a cropper at the fences through being unbalanced or approaching combinations at the wrong angle or too quickly.  Frangible pins have also been implemented on cross country courses to reduce the likelihood of rotational falls which are understood to hold the greatest risk of severe injury to riders.

But what of the facts…

• 38 riders and 222 horses have died since 2010
• Over 2000 riding accidents on the UK roads have been reported to the BHS in the past 5 years.

In reality there are likely to be many additional accidents that go unreported.

WHAT ABOUT OTHER COUNTRIES?

• In Australia, there are an estimated 20 deaths from horse-related injury every year.
• In America a survey found that;
  • 81% of riders were injured at some point in their career
  • 21% required hospitalisation or surgery.

WHO IS MOST AT RISK – THE PROFESSIONAL OR THE NOVICE RIDER?

There is however little agreement over who is most at risk, the novice inexperienced, recreational rider or the experienced, professional rider.  Whilst the less experienced may take unknown risks or naive choices that result in accident or injury the experienced professional is likely to take on more challenging horses to ride, spend more hours in the saddle and pursue disciplines that pose a greater risk.  The conclusion being that, in reality, ACCIDENTS CAN HAPPEN TO ANYONE, horse riding is one of the most dangerous sports available to people of almost any age or ability. If injured and a hospital visit is required research suggests that the injury is likely to require hospitalisation or surgery.

DO WE READ HORSE BEHAVIOUR AS WELL AS WE SHOULD?

There is a school of thought that says in addition to making common sense decisions regarding what horses to ride, where to ride them, what safety equipment to wear and what disciplines to pursue we should be educating equestrians on how to better read horse’s behaviour.  We know horses are dangerous because they can be unpredictable but if we can improve rider’s ability to interpret and predict horse’s behaviour, particularly the warning signs of fear and flight, perhaps less serious accidents would occur or could be prevented.

Whilst the risk of falling off will never be removed entirely whatever the competency of the rider or how in-tune they are with their horse what is available to riders is protection against the risk in the form of accident insurance and/or income protection insurance at very affordable rates for both individuals and their families.

CAN WE PROTECT OURSELVES BETTER?

Right Horse Right Home, has always put safety at the forefront of its policies.  By having a robust matching process between horse and rider at the very outset when acquiring a horse we reduce the risk of accident and injury by helping to ensure both horse and rider are a good match and that the information shared between buyer and seller is genuine, accountable and detailed.  Not only is this good news for buyer and seller but it also vastly limits the risk of the horse being sold on from pillar to post.

Accident insurance in the equine industry has previously meant that unless you actually lost a limb, suffered permanent disablement or worse, died, it was very unlikely that a successful claim for any other injury could be made so riders on the whole are left with no cover for the injuries that most frequently occur.

Through Right Horse Right Home you and your family can now receive appropriate cover in the event of an accident for broken bones, dislocations, hospital stays as well as the standard permanent disablement cover offered by the more traditional policies.  The cover starts from as little as just £2.06 a week. It can be as flexible and as inclusive as you need it to be and can also include income protection should you be unable to work due to your injury.  Simply click on the image below to find out more and receive a free no obligation quote for your requirements.