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Study says horseriding more dangerous than skiing and racing motorcycles

However popular, horse riding can be a risky sport.

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By Georgia Lambert via SWNS

Horse riding is more dangerous than other sports including football, motorcycling — and even skiing, warns new research.

The study shows that there are more hospital admissions from people who have been seriously injured on horseback than other challenging sports.

The British Equestrian Trade Association recorded that 2.7 million people have turned their hands to horse riding since 2015.

However popular, it is known that horse riding can be a risky sport, even for experienced riders

Being subjected to a chest injury is the most common consequence of horse riding, however, data has shown that injuries to the head and neck have been the most lethal.

To understand more about the dangers of the sport, researchers from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley analyzed data that was supplied by the US National Trauma Data Bank, on the injuries sustained by over 24,000 adults while horse riding between 2007 and 2016.

The average age of those injured during this time were men and women aged 47-years-old, and the most common site of injury was the chest.

The researchers saw that while abdominal injuries were the least common, people had suffered from head injuries, as well as damage to their arms and legs.

Using a clinical scale to measure a patient’s level of consciousness after sustaining a brain injury, the team saw that 888 patients had suffered from severe neurological damage.

While the injuries sustained were either categorized as mild or moderate in severity, most of the patients were monitored in hospital while they recovered, and more than a quarter were sent to intensive care for an average of four days.

Around one in ten of these patients required surgery and some even had to spend their stay in hospital strapped to a ventilator.

Older riders between the ages of 50 to 59, were more likely to be taken into trauma centers, while younger riders between the ages of 30 and 39 were the least likely to be injured, and 57 percent of patients were discharged to recover at home without requiring any more help.

Sadly, 320 people died of their injuries during the study period and researchers were able to confirm that the injuries to their necks and heads were the leading causes of death.

As a result of studying the data, the researchers confirmed that riders with head and neck injuries were 44 times more likely to die than those with arm or leg injuries.

Dr. Kevin Mutore, one of the study’s authors, said: “If patients arrived at the emergency care department with a systolic blood pressure of less than 90 mm Hg, they were 23 times more likely to die than were patients with a higher reading.”

Although this is an observational study, Dr. Mutore and his team stated: “equestrian-related injuries are a frequently ignored public health issue”.

He said: “When taken together, this data suggests that the dangers of equestrian activities have been severely underappreciated.

“When controlled for hours of activity, horseback riding resulted in a higher proportion of hospital admission than other higher-risk activities like skiing.

“Protective gear can save lives but is not always worn. Studies have shown that a large fraction of riders involved in equestrian injuries were not wearing helmets at the time of their accident.

“It stands to reason that raising awareness of the possible injuries and increasing preventive measures to protect against head injuries would significantly reduce mortality.”

Previous studies have shown that a large fraction of riders who were injured when horse riding were not wearing helmets at the time of their accidents.

The realization prompted the researchers to highlight the need to increase preventative measures to protect against lethal head injuries, to avoid death and other serious consequences.

Dr. Mutore added: “Interestingly, hospital admission risk from horseback riding is higher than football, auto and motorcycle racing, and skiing.

"Recently some attention has been paid by equestrian sporting agencies to the use of protective equipment to prevent injuries, especially as it relates to concussion and brain injuries; however, very few public health campaigns have focused on preventing injuries in riders using horses for leisure and work.”

The findings were published by the online journal Trauma Surgery & Acute Care Open.

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