Libertyrider wrote:
ddranch wrote:

Just how dangerous is horseback riding?

Anyone who has climbed on the back of a horse is acutely aware of how dangerous horseback riding can be.

But after some research, I was quite surprised to find out just how dangerous our sport is in comparison to other risky activities.

For instance, and this statistic is a shocker, horseback riding has a higher injury rate than motorcycle riding! On average, a motorcycle rider will experience an injury once every 7000 hours of riding. Horseback riders, however, can expect to sustain an injury once every 350 hours of riding.

Most horseback riding injuries occur in the upper extremities like the wrist, elbow, and shoulders. (As a matter of fact, shoulder injuries are most common among Event riders.) In addition, spinal injuries and head trauma come under this category and are frequently more serious.

Injuries to the lower extremities such as the knee, ankle, and foot occur most often in rodeos.

In addition, though most injuries result from riding accidents, some happen while handling horses from the ground. (I’ll vouch for that. I broke some ribs and almost had to have a toe amputated. Both of these injuries occurred while I was standing next to my horse!)

The most common types of injuries are bruises, strains, and sprains followed by fractures, dislocations, and concussions.

Fortunately, most horseback riding accidents rarely result in death. Those that do are usually due to head trauma.

Don’t let these statistics keep you from enjoying your horse though. Like any sport, taking precautions, receiving training, and using the right equipment will help keep you safe and healthy



How come you didn't bother to continue to highlight the passage - oh yeah because it gives the full story and not just the partial truth you want people to read.   Reality is (and I read through all your different statistics) head injuries due to riding accidents are more prevalent than you want to admit and some can end in dire circumstances.

And for the record I am going to requote myself from an earlier post:
You're missing the point. No one here has stated that wearing helmets should be mandatory. What they are saying is that a person like LP who is in a position where other look up to her should be more responsible with her remarks. Her reasoning behind why she does not need to wear a helmet is asinine as many people have pointed out even the best trained horses can have accidents.         



I would like to know who in their right mind would look up to Linda Parelli and use her as a role model.
Only someone that already had brain damage and a helmet wouldn't help anyway.