19/09/2026
Good read about riding accidents.
Just remember that the jumping position they talk about with the hunter jumpers is not & never will be a balanced 2pt position. That is something completely different.
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission the annual rate of overall equestrian injuries has experienced minor fluctuations, but certain diagnostics, such as concussions, have spiked significantly according to multiyear studies. A dramatic increase in head injury diagnoses and injuries leads the list of serious horse related injuries.
Additionally, statistics indicate that more than 65,500 people are treated in U.S. emergency departments every year due to horse-related injuries. While young American female riders (ages 10–19) historically represent the highest volume of total accidents, recent data indicates that the injury rate is actually declining among youth but increasing significantly among older adults.
I added the discipline graph that shows that Hunter Jumpers are by far the largest discipline in America. The stylized unbalanced jumping position promoted by the trainers and judges in this method of riding and jumping, I believe, is responsible for many of the head injuries listed. The head injuries in female riders ages 10 to 19 is very disturbing. Not long ago a teen HJ rider in a Hunter over Fences Equitation class was killed in a fall. This should NEVER happen in such a class but it did.
General info says Falling or Being Thrown is the most common cause of upper extremity fractures (wrists/arms) while mounted. These injuries make up 67% of total horse related injuries. Horses Bucking/Rearing/Spooking make up 12% of other injuries. When riders are dismounted, being kicked by the horse makes up 42% equestrian injuries on the ground.
The pictured charts are from a UK study a few years ago by the Open Orthopedics Journal. I added them to show a trend because I don't believe that these changing trends are only happening in America.
I believe that the cause, particularly of the head injuries, is the declining standards of instruction combined with the shift away from the basic goal of effective riding to the new goal of stylized riding, particularly in HJ riders. These two causes combined with today's impatient riding students and their parents who insist on riding and jumping beyond their actual skill level are a perfect storm for injuries.
We all pay the price one way or another because of the increased cost of insurance related to horses. People need to recognize that for multiple reasons we must return to sensible standards of effective horsemanship for instruction, for competition, and everything else. Pushing riders beyond their skills is bad for everyone, not just the injured riders.
