Does horse riding have to be dangerous?

[zolantal]

Hi, I'm a newbie, I never rode a horse before. I got interested in riding not so long ago. I'm looking forward to start English-style riding in the summer.

I understand that horseback riding is a very dangerous sport. However, is it so dangerous in every form? I read/saw that most severe injuries occur when trying to jump over obstacles, or during races.

I'm not interested in any of those activities, I just want to master the different gaits, and do trail riding (going into the nature with the horse), doing it safely, by walking and trotting, perhaps with occasional caters or gallops if the terrain is safe. No fancy jumping, maybe jumping over a log in the woods...

Now, I understand that you can never rule out injuries, as after all it's an animal you're riding. But by not going to the "extreme" side of the sport, paying attention to avoid kicks, and wearing protective gear (helmet and back protector), can the probability of suffering severe injuries be minimised? By severe I mean which causes irreparable damage, or an injury that lasts more than let's say a month. Minor injuries are okay I guess, I'm willing to take smaller risks, I just don't want to be playing with my life.

If taking these measures into account, can it be said that riding is not any more dangerous than other, non-extreme sports? If not, how bad is it?

Any comment is appreciated Please forgive any technical/conceptual mistakes, I'm new to this sport.

 

[Amye]

Riding a horse will always be a risk, as you've said their animals with their own minds and can act unpredictably. But you can take certain measures to minimise the risk, and when you start riding or are riding very low level your risks are already somewhat minimised.

There are certain parts of horse riding that are probably considered more dangerous, like XC, as you're jumping at speed over solid objects.

If you're just starting to learn, you'll most likely be walking around in an arena with a riding instructor, very low risk. You'll be paired with a horse that suits your ability and you'll learn the basics slowly. Alot of injuries can come from riding a horse that's not suitable for your ability and you can't control, so making sure you're riding a suitable horse who isn't sharp and doesn't have behavioural issues will also decrease the risk.

I've been riding for around 18 years, i've fallen off a lot of times but up until now I've never seriously injured myself. I've not even broken a bone riding (though have had concussion once). I've not ridden to any level and not done much competition wise, I spent most of my time in a riding school and being a leisure rider which doesn't pose many risks (but those did include jumping and XC)

You can never say horse riding is a none-risk sport and having two brains working together poses problems, but if you're careful and take things slowly there's no reason you should hurt yourself.

 

[Goldenstar]

Riding is inherently dangerous if you hit the ground falling from something that can go 30 mph the chance of serious injury is real .
When you look at deaths in sport riding is right up there in the most dangerous category .
Of course the better your position and balance the safer you are but then as your position and balance gets good you tend to do more dangerous things .

 

[ycbm]

Unfortunately, in order to learn to ride, you have to ride when you are incompetent. Learning is dangerous.

It's less dangerous when you know what you are doing, but deaths and serious injuries still happen when people are very experienced and riding flatwork in an arena.

Sorry!

 

[oldjumper]

I agree with what others have said but would add:
*most things worth doing incur risk
*I have several friends over 70 who still ride - jump, compete and hunt
*the last time I was in A+E, I apologised for wasting NHS resources and was firmly told by young doctor "I never mind riders - they don't fuss and are usually much healthier than rest of population"
So - get proper instruction, get fit and have the time of your life!
(and....if you are in US? get some decent health insurance.)

 

[cauda equina]

And, although riding/ being around horses is inherently risky, some horses are a lot safer than others.
A good riding school with good instructors and well-trained horses is the way to go, plus a properly fitting hat worn at all times.
The best hat in the world won't help you while it's in the tack room

 

[Exploding Chestnuts]

I don't consider it dangerous at all, there is an element of risk, but I know a guy who got killed crossing a road, and he was a very sensible person, I also know someone who got injured badly riding a dangerous horse, but I have ridden nearly a thousand horses and had very few injuries, yet my worse injury, occurred when I was asleep in bed, and turned over, damaging a cartilage, it has never healed 100%

 

[hopscotch bandit]

Yes it is a dangerous hobby and is quite high up at the top of the list of dangerous sports - in the arena of Rugby, paragliding, wing walking and rock climbing. You do all you can to minimize danger by making sure you are compatible with the horse you ride and that you wear the appropriate equipment to keep you safer.if you don't take unnecessary risks and are competent you can reduce risk somewhat but as others have said horses are unpredictable some take fright easily some can express pain or discomfort by throwing you off some are spooky whilst others are rock steady.obviously jumping hunting and racing are more likely to result in accidents but not always.if you worried about being injured you would be a total recluse and never do anything.As others have said you coudl get run over by a bus.

 

[Cortez]

Riding is dangerous. Horses are dangerous, even while handling on the ground before you ever get up on their backs. Driving a car is dangerous, so is flying, walking, swimming, going up a ladder or down stairs, etc., etc. It's up to you to decide whether you want to participate and to take the best instruction you can find to improve your skills and minimise your risks.

 

[Corbie]

The level of danger will be hugely variable depending on what activity you are doing on the horse (XC can be high risk for example) and the temperament of the horse you ride. When I was a kid I had a pony who spooked at everything and regularly took off with me, and yet in the 9 years I had him only suffered a black eye and three stitches - and that was my fault - I shouldn't have hung onto the reins whilst sliding on my belly as he galloped off! 😂
Now as a much older adult I ride a pony who is safe in traffic and spooks very little, and we just hack out. The most danger I feel I face now is watching out for the few inconsiderate motorists on the road.
As you get to know the horse you are riding, you learn a lot about what makes him or her tick, and can therefore take measures to avoid more risky situations with them. It pays to be observant whilst out riding a horse and to try to understand a little about the way they think.

 

[Orangehorse]

I had more injuries from the best schooled and generally best horse I every had, but we were doing more extreme things, like hunting and eventing. Yet I had nutcase ponies that I wouldn't put a child of mine on and never had any sort of fall or injury at all.

Obviously if you ride a well schooled horse, observe all safety advice, keep your wits about you and learn to anticipate problems then there is no reason why you would have an accident. Bearing in mind that falling off a horse is like falling off the top of a step ladder!

There are thousands and thousands of riders up to and including those in their 70s that have never had an accident either from falling off or on the ground with handling.

 

[ycbm]

There are thousands and thousands of riders up to and including those in their 70s that have never had an accident either from falling off or on the ground with handling.

I'm not sure whether you meant accident or injury? If you meant accident, then i don't believe that's true. I don't think anyone can spend a significant amount of time around horses and never have a accident.

If you mean had accidents but never been injured, then I can't believe it's thousands and thousands who have never had any sort of injury.

I don't know a single rider or horse handler who has never had an injury. Bruises are just too routine to mention. Rope burns, broken fingers, black toes, ditto. I don't know a rider over fifty (and I know quite a few) who does not have ongoing back issues. I personally know two riders who died and another in a wheelchair, though they were all eventers. Among my circle of friends I can count three broken arms, numerous broken ribs, two severely broken legs, one severe concussion, numerous moderate concussion, one broken pelvis, one broken shoulder, three broken wrists, and i could go on but it would take the whole page

Sitting on a live animal with a mind of its own with your head six to eight feet off the floor is a risky business!

 

[Orangehorse]

There was an obituary of a lady who died in her 90s. She had always produced her own young horses, raced and hunted to a great age and in her whole life had never broken a bone.

I know lots of who have never been injured, but maybe they aren't doing such high speed riding.

 

[Cortez]

Here's what I was told as a very young, beginner rider: it's not a matter of if; it's a matter of when....

Having got to the age of 56 without a serious injury - at that time unique amongst my horsey cohort - I had a horse fall over backwards on top of me and broke my femur very badly. Matter of when.

 

[Exploding Chestnuts]

There was an obituary of a lady who died in her 90s. She had always produced her own young horses, raced and hunted to a great age and in her whole life had never broken a bone.

I know lots of who have never been injured, but maybe they aren't doing such high speed riding.

When you are working at 30mph on a racehorse, the average person is keeping low in the saddle and is well balanced.
Not everyone is suited to going over fences at 40mph in midwinter, that takes courage, well it takes alack of fear, which is not quite the same thing.
We had one flat jockey who came off, once, and he was always on the youngest horses. , it seems someone cannoned in to him, otherwise he was a limpet.
You will find jockeys are exceptionally well balanced [I've seen one walk down a handrail on an escalator [he was a bit tiddly], and it was switched off [2.00 a.m.]

 

[Exploding Chestnuts]

I'm not sure whether you meant accident or injury? If you meant accident, then i don't believe that's true. I don't think anyone can spend a significant amount of time around horses and never have a accident.

If you mean had accidents but never been injured, then I can't believe it's thousands and thousands who have never had any sort of injury.

I don't know a single rider or horse handler who has never had an injury. Bruises are just too routine to mention. Rope burns, broken fingers, black toes, ditto. I don't know a rider over fifty (and I know quite a few) who does not have ongoing back issues. I personally know two riders who died and another in a wheelchair, though they were all eventers. Among my circle of friends I can count three broken arms, numerous broken ribs, two severely broken legs, one severe concussion, numerous moderate concussion, one broken pelvis, one broken shoulder, three broken wrists, and i could go on but it would take the whole page

Sitting on a live animal with a mind of its own with your head six to eight feet off the floor is a risky business!

I've had no serious injuries, a few visits to A&E, one cast, one month on crutches, and a few days of Ice, Elevate and Rest, and none of these injuries occurred when working in racing, because when I fell off there [two or three times a year], it was on a nice soft surface, and usually at a fairly slow pace. My back was sore in my 30's when I was schooling hunters, but not later when just sitting on top. Competition riders are a different gravy.

 

[Orangehorse]

I guess I was thinking "serious injury" as in broken bones and time off, rather than the bruises and traumas like being stepped on or knocked into.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I have been riding for 50+ yrs, have fallen off many times, including twice in the last 12 months, although once was more that I missed my footing as I dismounted. Twice in my life, I have broken bones: the first time (tib &fib) was vaguely horse-related, as I slipped walking across the yard to fetch a halter and the second (metatarsal) happened when I fell off the kitchen step and *may* have been dog related.
Which just goes to show, that normal life can be just as dangerous as riding/handling horses!

 

[wild at hoof]

even if riding a really sensible horse accidents happen ...

i always remember Christopher Reeve (superman for those who are too young) was paralysed from a fall while walking his horse in a sand school.

That being said he wasn't wearing a helmet ... a lot of injuries are worse because people arent wearing correct safety gear ...

we all know it - were taught it - shown it - saw the effects of not doing it ... like wearing gloves / hats / good boots / body protectors - even when handling ... but we dont ... not all the time ...

 

[teapot]

i always remember Christopher Reeve (superman for those who are too young) was paralysed from a fall while walking his horse in a sand school.
.

No he wasn't. He was competing at the time, and it was a jumping related fall.

 

[Cortez]

And he was wearing a helmet - it was a one day event, and the jump was about 18 inches.

 

[tallyho!]

Welcome to the "sport" zolantal

Horses are an affliction most sensible people try to avoid... you sound like a sensible person so I have to ask if you've recently gotten ill?

As you can see from the forum members replies, it's clearly only the crazy that put themselves in the path of such risks. Similar to rugby players, yes. I mean both sports inevitably put you head first into the ground. Only that in rugby its on purpose and on horseback the general idea is to keep the horse between you and the ground until such time that you are no longer able to... either by falling of your own accord or being roughly ejected one way or another.

But don't worry. Your affliction will bring you back in the saddle sooner or later unless it's rendered you a quadriplegic.

If that hasn't put you off then you probably are pro-risk.

In that case, it's money (£10k a year or maybe more, rarely less) well spent and the experience is the nearest you'll ever get to riding a unicorn whilst employing someone to tell you how bad you are at riding.

I love it, and I'm sure you will have a lot of fun. Just relax and enjoy your riding .

*toddles off whistling pfudor song*

 

[MagicMelon]

If you're worrying about how safe riding is and you've only just started, Id suggest giving up now Riding and even being around them has a degree of danger. My worst injuries have actually been caused when on the ground, not in the saddle and I am one who has evented to a decent level (so jumped many of those solid obstacles you speak of!). Ive fallen off far more at home, just schooling or out hacking when the horse spooks or stumbled etc.

Yes you can minimise the risk by handling and riding only very very docile chilled out types, but even they have the potential to spook or trip etc. Horses are unreliable, even when you've handled and ridden them daily for years they will occassionally do something odd or you'll do something dumb. I've owned horses for years, my last horse-related injury was when I went to throw a rug on one of my horses who was loose in the field - something I do daily so they're used to it (although its not advised), he spooked, spun round and double barrelled me. He was 17.1hh so a substantial, powerful boy. Was extremely lucky to end up with a big swelling on the top of my head, a bleeding ear and bruised shoulder. Could have easily been the end of me had he got me in the face or harder to the head (or had shoes on), luck often plays a big part in owning and riding horses...

Talking about Christpher Reeve, I know a man who was jumping literally little x-poles at an event in an indoor school, horse tripped and fell down on top of him. His heart stopped beating there and then and they had to do revive him. He made it but I believe he was paralysed for some time after. Accidents happen. But I look at it from the point of view that even getting in a car is extremely dangerous, you wouldnt go outside if you thought about all the things that could hurt you.

 

[cootuk]

There is risk. Land wrongly and you can break things. It's part and parcel of the game, and sometimes more down to luck than judgement in the way you land and bounce.
As you gain experience, you start reading your horses more and can pre-empt some situations.
When you do come off - and you will - you are falling a fair distance, possibly at speed too. Injuries will happen.
Though falling off shouldn't be a regular thing.

You will be barged, trodden on, and kicked. Probably the most dangerous time for us on our yard is bringing horses in from the turnout field. There's quite often a bit of kicking as more aggressive ones try to hog the gate, and it's very easy to get in a bad place if you don't keep up your situational awareness.

No one can guarantee you will be perfectly safe, though the potential risk is balanced by the majority of the time when you are safe.

 

[LadySam]

Yeah. As others have said, it's all dangerous, even on the ground. The riskier the things you do the more dangerous it's going to get, but it's all dangerous. Where I do volunteer work with horses, I was made to sign a waiver agreeing that just being around horses can be dangerous, even if you never ride them, and that there is a high level of risk involved. And like most others, I've had my share of falls, broken toes and visits to a&e. My teacher always said that you can't be considered a proper rider until you've fallen off seven times. Like Cortez said, it's when, not if.

That said, the only thing I would add to the safety advice here is to make sure you get proper instruction with ground handling as well as riding. Don't limit yourself to just lessons in the school. If you have any opportunity to help tack up, unsaddle, groom, pick feet, feed, whatever, take it. Volunteer to do it. You'll learn so much more about horses and their behavior and be able to minimize your safety risks more. Safety first always, with everything.

 

[scats]

If you're going to ride horses, you're going to fall off horses.

For someone who has been riding for 30 years, competed in showjumping for many years, has owned some very difficult horses and regularly goes out jumping solid objects and galloping about the countryside, I have had probably very few falls (in comparison to some). My strength has always been my seat and as a teenager I was always the jockey that was put on anything being backed, or anything known for being an idiot.
The flip side of this, of course, is that when I have been unseated, it's usually something pretty impressive that has done it and I've ended up having crashing falls and inevitably broken or damaged myself.
So my association with falling off is always traumatic circumstances, A&E, time off work and around 8 weeks out of action.