Just a quick and simple search produced results the dispute at least half of what you are trying to argue Cindy.
lower extremity injuries are common so a vest should be mandatory by your definitions.

By this simple study most hit their head and I find that odd will all the times I have been bucked off a horse (well over 100 time in my life) I have never hit my head.


I am a nurse working in head injury research.  Someone mentioned that they didn't know the statistics for

equestrian related head injuries.  Well, I have a few sources here and will provide some of them for you.

 

Sports Medicine 9(1):36-47, 1009

Synopsis:  The most common location of horse-related injuries is:

-         upper extremity 24-61% (reported in different studies)

-         lower extremity 36-40%

-         head and face 20%

 

The most common type of injury is:

-         soft tissue injury 92%

-         fractures 57%

-         concussion 15%

 

The most frequent consequence of injury is:

-         hospitalization 5%

-         residual impairment 2% (i.e. seizures, paralysis, cognitive impairments, etc)

-         death 1%

 

JAMA, April 10, 1996, vol 275, no 14, p. 1072

Synopsis:   During 1992-93 in Oklahoma, horseback riding was the leading cause of sports-related head injury, (109 of 9409 injuries or 1.2% associated with riding and 23 additional injuries attributable to horses)  Of the 109, there were 3 deaths (3%).  The injury statistics were:

-         males 55, female 54

-         age range 3 yr to 71 yrs, median 30 yrs

-         most commonly seen in spring and summer

-         48% occurred on Saturday or Sunday

-         95% involved riders who struck their heads on the ground or a nearby object after falling from the horse

-         4% were kicked or rolled on after falling from the horse

-         1% hit head on a pole while riding and fell to the ground

-         90% were associated with recreational activities

-         10% were work-related

-         107 were hospitalized with a median LOS of 2 days

-         79% had one or more indicators of a severe brain injury, including

1.        loss of consciousness 63%

2.        posttraumatic amnesia 46%

3.        persistent neurologic sequelae 13% (seizures, cognitive/vision/speech deficits, motor impairment)

 

Among the 23 injuries not riding related, 21 (91%) resulted from a direct kick to the head by the horse, where 1 died immediately and 2 required CPR.  13 of these injuries occurred in children less that 13 yrs old.

 

Journal of Trauma 1997 July; 43(1):97-99

Synopsis:   Thirty million Americans ride horses and 50,000 are treated in Emergency Departments annually.  Neurologic injuries constitute the majority of severe injuries and fatalities.  A prospective study of all patients admitted to the University of Kentucky Medical Center with equine-related trauma

from July 1992 - January 1996 showed the following:

-         18 of 30 (60%) patients were male

-         11 (37%) were professional riders

-         24 (80%) were head injuries and 9 (30%) were spinal injuries (4 with both)

-         age ranged from 3 to 64 yrs

-         5 patients died (17%)

-         2 suffered permanent paralysis (7)

-         60% were caused by "ejection or fall from horse"

-         40% were kicked by the horse, with 4 of these sustaining crush injuries

-         6 patients (20%) required craniotomy (i.e. brain surgery)

-         24 patients (80%) were not wearing helmets, including all fatalities and craniotomy patients

 

"Experience is not protective; helmets are."

 

This last line is a direct quote from this article.  I hope you find these statistics helpful.

 

Emmy R. Miller, PhD, RN

Assistant Professor

Department of Neurosurgery

University of Texas -Houston Medical School