Falls during the cross-country phase of eventing competition can be dramatic, both visually and in terms of the potential for injury to both horse and rider. A Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI)-funded study sought to determine which factors increased the risk of a fall.
Drs. Euan Bennet and Tim Parkin of Bristol Veterinary School spearheaded the study. The duo used data from every horse-and-rider team who started in International, Championship, Olympic, or World Equestrian Games competition between January 2008 and December 2018.
In total, 202,771 horses competed in this timeframe, with 187,602 beginning the cross-country phase. Of these, 1.5 percent reported a fallen horse and 3.5 percent had an unseated rider.
The scientists reported that the following may contribute to a fall:
- Horses competing at higher levels
- Horses whose previous start was more than 60 days ago
- Horses with minimal starts at their current competition level
- Horses competing over longer cross-country courses
- Horses with more competition in the cross-country phase
- Mares were at increased odds of falling compared with geldings
Research into the riders showed that:
- Male athletes showed increased odds of experiencing a fall
- Younger athletes were more likely to fall
- Horse-athlete combinations who recorded a score in the dressage phase that was higher than 50 (i.e. poor performance) showed increased odds of falling during the cross-country phase
- Less experienced athletes were more likely to fall
- Athletes whose previous start was more than 30 days ago demonstrated increased odds of a fall
- Athletes who did not finish their previous event, for any reason, showed increased odds of a fall
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Modifications to reduce the risk of injury to both horse and rider have been suggested. These include adjusting minimum eligibility requirements (MERs) to ensure horses and riders are competing at appropriate ability levels.
The scientists hope the FEI will utilize this research to create evidence-based eventing rules that protect horse and rider safety as well as competitiveness.
Read more at Equine Science Update.
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