Worst injury from horses?

forelegs

forelegs

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Sorry, slightly morbid thread, but was thinking about this recently. My family and boyfriend are always worrying about how dangerous a sport this is, and are themselves wary of horses (although they're getting much better!)
I've been lucky enough that in 15 years riding the most sinister injuries I've picked up are bruises and some mild concussion, but you do hear some horror stories!
What are your worst experiences regarding injury? And did you continue riding afterwards? Did your love of horses override the bad experience?
 
Thankfully nothing too serious. Jusy a broken nose and fractured cheekbone after a bad fall. As I was out hunting at the time I had no choice but to get back on and continue with the day.

I never gave it a thought as to whether I would continue to ride or not.
 
Nothing too bad for me either - a broken toe when Kenny spooked as i was leading him and he jumped on my foot and a suspected broken wrist which turned out to luckily be only a bad sprain when he slipped and came down on top of me on the road not so long ago.
 
Compared to some on here, I have also got off lightly over the years! I came off a few years ago popping some XC jump around the yard. Pony slowed and I was ready for a stop, but he leapt over the jump, left me behind and I was catapulted over his head where he proceeded to trample me. I broke a couple of ribs where I was stood on, and was black and blue down the inside of my leg that was also trod on. I was VERY lucky.
 
Six broken and displaced ribs, one cracked, a damaged spleen and a "leaky" lung.... a couple of years ago following a bronc and a hard landing on the road. Thank goodness I was wearing a Racesafe or I dread to think what may have happened! Still getting jip from the ribs....
 
forelegs said:
Sorry, slightly morbid thread, but was thinking about this recently. My family and boyfriend are always worrying about how dangerous a sport this is, and are themselves wary of horses (although they're getting much better!)
I've been lucky enough that in 15 years riding the most sinister injuries I've picked up are bruises and some mild concussion, but you do hear some horror stories!
What are your worst experiences regarding injury? And did you continue riding afterwards? Did your love of horses override the bad experience?
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Broken wrist
broken collar bone
broken shoulder blade
damaged vertebrae 3 - 5
fractured ribs
initial sciatica nearly put me in a wheel chair for life and only my quick thinking of ibuprofen evaded that happening
permanent sciatica
ruptured tendon in my thuimb ( skiers thumb)
more damage to my back in a fall in 2007
most recent broken upper arm

Not yet back on a horse due to recovering still
 
Not the most serious, but the most painful initially - came off and skinned all of my knuckles in the indoor school. A fine powder of rubber, sand and presumably poo ended up in the wounds...not pleasant to clean out! Aside from that, just the usual bruises and cracked ribs sort of stuff :) And once a fractured wrist.
 
I've been very lucky, my worst injury to date being a broken toe! I couldn't get my riding boot on after it, and I couldn't walk to the field to instruct my friend while she rode, so poor mare had to play wheelchair, and take me up in my wellies, no stirrups, with my feet stuck out in front to keep the boots on, like an elderly and portly Victorian gentleman in a hunting cartoon... Thankfully she was a saint (Not sure that made up for her breaking my toe though...)

Most of my other injuries have been more painful on my ego than my body. This does worry me though, as I feel I'm overdue for a real whopper.

As a child my cousin had her face pretty much smashed in by a pony nutting her in the face when it reared, and she had her leg shattered as a teenager when the horse fell on it going xc.
 
Lol, mine isn't bad at all, but have only broken 1 bone and that was due to taking a head collar off a horse and he jumped back, taking my finger with him (it got caught in headcollar), it was broken, bent at a 45degree angle, needed wires put in it. so really not bad when think about injuries others have had
 
One of my 'worst injuries from horses ' was actually from being bucked off a donkey !

I had a good go of concussion but my mum just put me to bed . No scans in those days
 
Been riding for 50 years and the worst injury I had from riding was a bad headache and a couple of fractured ribs. Worst injury on the ground around horses was a cracked ankle and smashed knee. Worst injury ever was a spiral fracture of my humerus as it was smashed in 8 different places and took years to mend I did that at work falling over a pallet truck that someone parked behind me and no there were no horses within 50 miles of me at the time it was a warehouse job I was carrying the postal scales so when I tripped I landed on concrete on my elbow which then simply shattered the upper arm bone
So in my experience horses are much safer than working and certainly much safer than going to bed as more people die in bed than anywhere else.
 
I have only had 3 bad falls. The first was when I was 7 or 8, my pony decked my and then spun and kicked me - one hoof in the chest (brand new body protector on that day thankfully!) and one hoof in the knee which chipped a bone in there somewhere.

The 2nd was from a Shetland pony! I had been sent her to back as no one else could and I had had enough of her bucking me off so I got my mum to hold a scoop of food, I hopped on, wrapped my legs around and waited for the explosion. The theory was to rodeo her out so she reaslied she couldn't get me off. I got half way down the field and she cantered for 3 strides! Whoop whoop! Not so ... she was building up to a MASSIVE buck - I don't know how she didn't flip herself over! I flew through the air, landed on my head, slapped onto my back and skied 10m along the ground and go wrapped around a fence post - that was a good thing as I was unconscious at the time and would have gone into the burn! 3 days of concussion, major bruised muscles and one hell of a stiff body I walked away fine.

The 3rd one was from a racehorse. He bolted blind down the road slipped and came down on top of me. We skid a good distance along the road with this horse on my legs but amazingly we both walked away winded with cuts, bruises and scrapes and a hell of a lot of shredded tack and clothes!

Thinking on it I have been incredibly lucky all things considered!
 
I was dragged along a dirt road for several feet, and it pulled up my jacket and shirt so that my bare back was pulled along the gravel. I ended up with back issues, and it really did a number on the skin. It was extremely painful, but I was right back at the stable as soon as it had healed enough to ride without really suffering for it. I've had numerous injuries, but I never thought about giving up. I love horses too much, I think, and it would have to be something really serious for me to even consider giving up riding entirely.
 
Knocked out twice when I was younger after pony somersaulted and landed on me and when I was dragged in the arena and flung into the wall, torn all the ligaments and fractured my left foot, few broken fingers and toes and a permanently bruised shin from being chucked into a pile of poles a few years ago.

Incidentally all my 'worst' injuries are from school. Broke my wrist twice, collarbone in two places, other wrist, three fingers, and got knocked out after being pushed over. Literally covered in scars from falling etc in the gravel playground! Come to think of it I'm long overdue a big fall, only had a 2 slip offs in the last two years...:eek:
 
Some permanent numb patches, been unable to walk for a week due to torn mucles in my back, but nothing broken!

I did however break my wrist at a birthday party :p
 
Lots and lots of concussion.
Broken finger, from dismounting and leaving said finger caught in the mane!!!
Fractured skull, horse spooking and tripping over, on the beach, while we were only walking. And we weren't even close to the waves.
Sliced lip open, XC horse just 'rattled' a fence, I was too forwards and was going, going, going.. tried to get back, tried to hang on and got caught by rear studded hoof as gravity too over..
Got bucked off and twisted my knee. That hurt more than anything.
 
I have broken my right hip , my back twice , but the worse by far was breaking my leg off below the knee and shattering my tibia into numerous pieces it took years off repeated surgeries it will never be right but at least it's attached to me.
 
3 lots of concussion in so many months. Last injury was a kick to the forehead and collar bones shredded by studs. Ended up having a hole drilled in my skull to relieve pressure and part of my first vertebrae removed due to lack of spinal fluid causing it die. Accident/operation was 2 years ago and still have "bad days"
 
Worst fall involved landing on my feet from a gallop and breaking both legs, an ankle and a dislocation of the other ankle. Several weeks in hospital and numerous surgeries and I was riding again with knee high casts on both legs! Probably not the best idea as nine years on they still give me massive problems. Dread to think what would have happened if I'd have landed on my back or head!
 
until two weeks ago my worst injuries were cuts and bruises. last week however i managed to fall and fracture my pelvis. couldn't take a singlle step and in agony. no recovering. i certainly plan on riding again but i guess only time will tell.
 
Whiplash after being bronced off.
You might think, pah whiplash but 8 years on, my neck is still bad.
I have a special pillow that I cannot travel away without and needs renewing regularly. Unfortunately it isn't cheap either.
 
Two worst for me as in healing time are.

Bucked off horse ran over me trampling my leg.

Developed compartment syndrom , calf muscle died, had to get it cut away and skin grafter over

Same horse 1 year later bucked me off

Ripped muscles away from my left hip , 3 burst disc in back

Being soft tissue damage these injuries took a long to heal much longer than any broken bones I've had

A year later my hip is still painful.
 
worst injury was breaking my leg. I was off for about 5 months and my knee still isn't right 18 months later.
I'll never try to jump off a bucking horse again. If I'd tried to hang on, I would have probably just ended up with a bruised bum.

I walked away from my worst fall with a concussion and bruises. How I managed that, I'll never know considering I got bolted with, galloped down a main road with no reins and no stirrups and ended up falling onto a parked car in the yard car park.

Broke my arm, bruised my ribs and had a few concessions but I've been pretty lucky considering..
 
In 15 years of riding I think I have been quite lucky.

Broken nose twice
Broken coccyx
Sprained ankles from landing on my feet when falling off!
Dislocated fingers from falling off and putting my hands out.

The broken coccyx was very painful and took a long time to feel ok again. Now I just have 2 fat ankles and a nose I can't breathe through! Knees are a bit dodgy but that's from an accident at school!
 
Cracked jaw and lost a tooth due to a horse throwing his head about when I was stood with him.

Injured shoulder from a fall and broken foot from a pony leaping on me!

Indirect injuries - torn ankle ligament from slipping in field, twisted knee from dragging hay nets through three foot of snow and three weeks of concussion after falling off the tractor bucket onto frozen ground when helping OH repair the shelter roof.

:p
 
I have a metal plate and two screws in my middle right finger due to a detached tendon. A spooky horse I was leading spooked at a ray of sunlight and pulled back - numpty here got her hand caught in his bridle, goodness knows how. Had op to reattach tendon and 3 months with hand in a brace. 'Twas extremely painful and frustrating but not nearly as bad as some others.

Other than that I've had the normal bumps and bruises - but luckily nothing serious. Nothing has ever made me question whether I would continue riding. I love horses too much, anyone could get run over by a bus as they cross the road, life's too short not to do the things you enjoy :)
 
I have gotten off lightly 2 broken toes (same one twice!), a concussion and worst was falling off in the school landed on my bum on the fence. I now have a dent, has been 3 years since then so I don't think it will ever go.
 
Brusing from a horse rearing up out hunting and going over and landing on me.

I have broken my collar bone twice, wrist and had a fractured skull. None of that was from horses though. Very accident prone child!
 
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