I still remember the day when I rode a horse for the first time. I kept thinking if horse riding was dangerous or not? Even sitting on a horse was a daunting feat for me. But now after months of experience of horse riding I am at a stage of explaining if horse riding is dangerous or not.
So without wasting time let’s jump directly onto the main topic of this article.
Riding a horse is in fact a dangerous activity. Accidents relating to horse riding may cause serious injuries and potentially harm its rider in many different ways.
Hang on, there is much more to the topic than just stating that riding a horse can be dangerous. Serious accidents relating to horse riding are quite rare and getting injured in such types of accidents can be substantially reduced.
Through this article you will learn how dangerous horse riding can really be and what to do to be safe from these types of mishaps.
Are horses dangerous?
Unlike tigers, loins and other dangerous animals; horses are herbivores which means that they are unlikely to bite humans. But beware, this doesn’t mean that they won’t bite if you try to annoy them. Animals can go to any extent when it comes to self-preservation.
Being a part of herbivore family means that they ought to be friendly to other organisms. But do not push your luck, horses can easily get intimidated. Horses are wild animals and like any other wild animal they rely on their instincts. They can get aggressive if someone tries to mess with them.
Horse weight anywhere from 400 kg to more than a ton. Which is 6 to 16 times heavier than a man. Just imagine an animal of such mass gets out of control! Even one horse can cause mayhem at a place damaging anything that comes in its path. It may even hurt itself in the process.
With this being said, it is important to clarify that in such moments a horse is not just acting out of aggression. Instead, there is another feeling that dominates the horse in such times and this feeling is no other than the feeling of fear.
If a rider sitting on a horse is calm, it will signal to the horse that everything is okay. But if a rider is frightened or terrified, it will signal the horse of the presence of some sort of danger, which may startle the horse.
Remember that horses are among those who are hunted upon. Their first instinct tells them to run away in case of any danger. A horse will only act oddly when it is baffled or if it feels insecure.
What makes horses dangerous?
There are a number of factors which may cause horses to act in a way which may result in potential harms and be dangerous for riders. Some of these factors are explained below:
- Intimidating a horse:
As discussed earlier, If someone intentionally or even unintentionally happen to annoy horse, it may result in the horse getting out of control. But even in moments like this, it is possible to calm a horse down with the right approach.
- Weird noises in the environment:
If there are weird or unfamiliar noises in the surroundings, it may cause the horse to get perplexed. In such times when a horse gets confused, it may be dangerous for the rider.
- Perception of danger:
Horses, being a part of herbivore family, always remain attentive of to surrounding so that it can avoid being hunted. Any sign of danger causes them to go towards defensive mode.
- Getting tired:
Horses are animals and they also need breaks. If a horses is forced to keep running, there will come a time when the horse retaliates any sort of efforts directed to make it run. And if you push the horse further, it may get aggressive and bring harm to the rider or any other person around.
Ways in which horse riding can hurt you.
Horse riding can certainly be dangerous exercise. There are different ways by which the horses can hurt you. But there are different ways by which these can be prevented which will be discussed shortly.
According to a study shared by NCBI,
- 9% of head injuries were caused by a fall from or with a horse.
- 2% of head injuries were caused due to contact (kick, bite, trampled or crushed) with the horse.
- Getting hurt by falling off a horse:
Falling off while riding a horse is very common among horse riders. Most of the time falling off a horse results in little or no injury. But sometimes falling off may cause a broken bone, a sprain or even worse. It depends on how the rider falls.
- Getting kicked by a horse:
Horses can intentionally or unintentionally kick behind them. And the kick of the horse is really powerful. It is advised not to go behind or in front of horse in any case.
- Getting bitten:
As discussed earlier, horses are herbivores and tend not to bite. But if you are intentionally putting your finger in a horse’s mouth, you are inviting it to bite you yourself. Horses can also bite you in other circumstances, when they are irritated or annoyed. So be sure to remain away from you in such circumstances.
- Being dragged:
The most common mistakes riders make is that they place their foot on the wrong place in the stirrups. If a person falls off the horse with his legs stuck in the stirrups, it will surely be painful.
Location and types of injuries caused by horse riding accidents.
According to a study shared by NCBI, the most common locations of injury are as below:
- The upper extremity of the human body is the most common location of horse related injuries. Which equates to about 24% to 60% of total injuries.
- The second most common location of horse related injuries is the lower extremity.
- The injuries caused to head and face correspond to 20% of the total injuries.
The same study shared by NCBI tells us about the most common types of injuries caused by accidents related to horse riding which are as below:
- Injuries to soft tissue is the most common type of injury.
- The second most common type of injury caused by riding a horse is a fracture.
- Concussions are the third most common type of injury.
How common are accidents caused while riding a horse
According to a study published by the international journal of Applied Health Sciences and Practice (IJAHSP), horse riding accidents are the second most common sport related cause of hospilization of adults. The study reported a rate of 23.7 hospitalizations per 100,000 persons per year and a death rate of 0.17 per 100,000 persons per year.
Another study in Australia, reports the death rate of 0.13 per 100,000 population per year. The rate in terms of horse riders is 7.8 per 100,000 horse riders per year.
According to five-year study review of hospitals admissions in British Columbia, Canada.
- The mean number of hospital admissions was 390 for the five-year period.
- There were three death caused by horse riding per year. Which was equal to 1 death per 10000 riders.
- 60% of the deaths were caused due to a head injury.
Comparison of horse-riding accidents from other types of accidents
Horseback riding is a dangerous sport. Some studies indicate that riding a horse is more dangerous than riding a bike. The horse-riding hospital admissions may be less in number as compared to the number of hospital admissions caused by hospital admission. But if we take into account the total numbers of motorcycle riders and horseback riders then the ratio of hospital admissions caused by horse riding may be far more than hospital admissions caused by motorcycle riding.
According to an article published by the international journal of Applied Health Sciences and Practice (IJAHSP), a study in Sorli in 2000 revealed that horseback riding accounted for a hospital admission rate of 0.49/1000 hours while the hospital admission rate for motorcycle riding was 0.14/1000 hours.
The study also indicated that in Australia, the injury incidence rate for eventing competitions (Horse racing competitions) was 0.88% per competitor per event which exceeded the injury incidence rate of 0.24% for motorcycle racing.
Precautions taken while riding a horse.
It has been established that horse riding is indeed very dangerous. But there are certain ways by which you can reduce the odds of getting hurt. Some of these precautions are as follow:
- Always wear all the necessary protection equipment.
- Remain calm while riding a horse.
- Never attempt to play with your horse.
- Don’t go to the back of a horse. It may kick you.
These are some of the few precautionary measures to be taken while riding a horse. If you want to read about the precautionary measures explained in detail with benefits of those precautionary measurements, then head on to precautions you should take while riding a horse.
Conclusion
Now that we know that horseback riding can be dangerous if the necessary precautions are not taken. The question arises: Should a person give up horse riding due to the dangers? A simple answer to this question is: No, you should not give up horse riding due to its dangers.
Horse riding is a beautiful and thrilling experience and normally it is safe to ride a horse. The real danger comes when you are riding a horse the wrong way or don’t take the precautions required.
No one knows about fate. Anything unexpected can happen to someone at any time. The best thing we can do is that we can take all the precautions and hope for the best.
The uncertainty of life must not stop us from exploring the untold wonders of the world.
