Injuries associated with... EQUESTRIAN ACTIVITIES

CHIRPP database, summary data for 1996, all ages

---

SUMMARY (1179 records)

Almost half (48.1) of equestrian-related injuries were sustained by children 10 to 14 years of age, and 76.5% of all equestrian injuries were to females. Equestrian injuries were most common in the summer (40.9%), on weekends (46.9%) and between the hours of noon and 8 p.m.(62.2%). Most of the injuries (62.1%) occurred when a rider fell from a horse. Equestrian injuries most often occurred in outdoor recreational areas (43.3%). A total of 48.6% of equestrian injuries required advice only or minor treatment, 36.5% required medical follow-up after leaving the emergency department and 14.3% of the patients were admitted to hospital. Injuries to the arm or hand accounted for 37.8% of all injuries. The most frequent type of injury was abrasions, bruises or inflammations (39.6% of all injuries). Use of protective equipment was reported by 21.8% of persons injured.

---

SPECIFICATIONS OF THE SEARCH

An April 1995 search of the entire CHIRPP database (423,663 records) was conducted. There was no age restriction. Records were selected if the injury was coded for horseback riding (factor code 1239) or horses (factor code 6203) or if the text fields included the word and word segments "horse", "cheval", "eques," "chevaux," "cavalier," or "equitation." Records were excluded if the person was not injured i) by a horse, ii) by a fall from a horse or iii) while handling and/or near a horse. Injuries to persons who fell off wagons or other vehicles pulled by horses were not included unless the horse stepped on or kicked the victim. The total number of records identified was 1179.

---

OVERALL OCCURRENCE

The proportion of records in the entire CHIRPP database accounted for by equestrian injuries was 0.28%. The proportion of equestrian injuries among all CHIRPP records for each year ranged from 0.25% to 0.32% for the years 1990 to 1994.

---

AGE AND SEX DISTRIBUTION OF INJURED PERSONS

	NUMBER	PERCENT OF INJURIES	% FEMALE*
1-4 years	84	7.1	46.4
5-9 years	211	17.9	66.4
10-14 years	567	48.1	84.3
15-19 years	163	13.8	89.6
20-99 years	154	13.1	64.3
Total	1179	100	76.5

* Of all injuries in the CHIRPP database, 40.3% are to females.

---

SEASON DURING WHICH INJURY OCCURRED

	NUMBER	PERCENT OF INJURIES
Summer (June-August)	482	40.9
Fall (Sept.-Nov.)	328	27.8
Spring (March-May)	241	20.4
Winter (Dec.-Feb.)	128	10.9
Total	1179	100.0

---

TIME AT WHICH INJURY OCCURRED

	NUMBER	PERCENT OF INJURIES
Midnight to 8 a.m.	7	0.6
8 a.m. to Noon	146	12.4
Noon to 4 p.m.	359	30.4
4 p.m. to 8 p.m.	375	31.8
8 p.m. to 8 a.m.	100	8.5
Unknown	192	16.3
Total	1179	100.0

---

DAY OF WEEK WHEN INJURY OCCURRED

	NUMBER	PERCENT OF INJURIES
Sunday	270	22.9
Monday	144	12.2
Tuesday	124	10.5
Wednesday	119	10.1
Thursday	120	10.2
Friday	119	10.1
Saturday	283	24.0
Total	1179	100.0

---

WHERE THE INJURY OCCURRED

	NUMBER	PERCENT OF INJURIES
Outdoor recreational area	511	43.3
Commercial stable or riding school	234	19.8
Farm or ranch	126	10.7
Home yard	88	7.5
Area for organized sport (e.g., jump course, arena)	65	5.5
Commercial area	40	3.4
Road or path	32	2.7
Unknown	83	7.0
Total	1179	100.0

---

SAFETY DEVICE USED AT TIME OF INJURY

	NUMBER	PERCENT OF INJURIES
None or not reported	922	78.2
Unspecified sport specific equipment	125	10.6
Helmet or hard hat	28	2.4
Other protective equipment	104	8.8
Total	1179	100.0

---

EQUESTRIAN ACTIVITY OR CIRCUMSTANCES CONTRIBUTING TO THE INJURY

The following is a list of frequently occurring circumstances and factors leading to equestrian injury. Each case has been assigned to only one category and percentages are based on 1179 persons injured. Category assignment is based on the level of detail available in the description of the injury.

	NUMBER		PERCENT OF INJURIES
Fell from a horse		732	62.1
Lost control of horse	311
Jumping/attempting jump	56
Horse slipped/fell	35
Saddle slipped/tack broke	16
While mounting/dismounting	8
Not further specified	306
Stepped on by horse		133	11.3
While grooming/walking/handling	53
After rider fell from horse	43
Slipped/fell near horse	6
Horse startled or nervous	4
While mounting/dismounting	3
After fall from wagon/buggy	3
Not further specified	21
Kicked by horse		130	11
Spontaneous action by horse	58
Horse startled or hurt	15
While grooming/walking/handling	14
While riding another horse	11
While mounting/dismounting	4
Not further specified	28
Bitten by horse		35	3
While feeding	14
Unprovoked	11
Not further specified	10
Horse fell/rolled on injured person		35	3
While riding the horse	32
While handling/near horse	2
Not further specified	1
Rider hit an obstacle while riding		19	1.6
Injury due to over-exertion/sprain/strain		18	1.5
Sudden movement by horse caused injury  from tack or lead ropes		17	1.4
Horse knocked injured person over		16	1.4
Horse butted injured person		12	1
Caught between horse and other object		11	0.9
While handling/near horse	7
While mounted	2
While mounting/dismounting	1
Not further specified	1
Dragged by horse		5	0.4
Involved in rodeo events		4	0.3
Other rare circumstances		7	0.6
Unknown		5	0.4
Total		1179	100

---

TREATMENT PROVIDED

	NUMBER	PERCENT OF INJURIES
Left without being seen	7	0.6
Advice only, or treatment with no need for follow-up	573	48.6
Treated, follow-up required	430	36.5
Admitted to hospital	169	*14.3
Fatal injury	**0
Total	1179	100

* The percentage of all CHIRPP injuries that resulted in hospital admission is 5.7%.

** Fatalities counted by CHIRPP include only those patients who were dead on arrival at the emergency department or who died in the emergency department. They do not include people who died before they could be taken to hospital or those who died after hospital admission.

---

NATURE OF INJURY AND BODY PART INJURED

	NUMBER		PERCENT OF INJURIES
Abrasion/bruising/inflammation		544	39.6
lower extremity	184
trunk	126
upper extremity	122
head or neck	104
gastrointestinal tract	4
respiratory tract	4
Fracture		419	30.5
upper extremity	298
lower extremity	54
head or neck	49
trunk	18
Sprain/strain/dislocation		149	10.8
upper extremity	56
lower extremity	48
trunk	30
head or neck	15
Cuts/laceration/other wound (excluding bite)		78	5.7
head or neck	49
upper extremity	9
lower extremity	9
gastrointestinal tract	8
trunk	3
Concussion		66	4.8
Minor head injury		35	2.5
Bite		28	2.0
upper extremity	19
trunk	4
lower extremity	3
head or neck	2
Crushing injury		15	1.1
lower extremity	9
upper extremity	5
spleen	1
Dislocation, subluxation		10	0.7
upper extremity	10
Dental		8	0.6
Inflammation or haematoma of the brain		6	0.4
Multiple system trauma		5	0.4
Hemorrhage		3	0.2
Other		8	0.6
No injury detected		(24)
Total		*1374	100.0

* Up to three injuries may be specified for each record. 181 patients (15.4%) sustained more than one injury.

---

PROFILE OF PATIENTS ADMITTED TO HOSPITAL

Of the 169 patients admitted to hospital, 128 were female and 41 were male; 23 were one to four years old, 46 were five to nine years old, 76 were ten to fourteen years old, 22 were fifteen to nineteen years old and 2 were over nineteen years of age. A fall from a horse was reported by 103 of these patients, 37 were kicked by horses, 13 were stepped on by horses, a horse fell or rolled over onto 8 patients, 2 patients were bitten, 2 patients were knocked over, one was butted by a horse, one was participating in a rodeo event, one was pushed off the horse by another person and the circumstances of the injury are unknown for one patient. Fracture was the primary injury of 108 patients (48 of the arm, 33 of the head, 21 of the leg, and 6 of the trunk), 21 patients suffered concussion, 17 patients had haematoma or inflammation (3 of internal organs, 3 of the head, 3 of the respiratory tract, 3 of the brain, 2 of the spine, one of the kidney, one of an unspecified part of the gastrointestinal tract, and one of the abdomen), 11 patients suffered cuts and lacerations (5 of internal organs, 3 of the head, one of the mouth, one of the genitalia and one of the kidney), 5 patients suffered multiple system trauma, 3 patients had minor head injuries, 2 had bites, one sustained a dental injury, and one suffered a brain hemorrhage.