There are hundreds of deaths and serious injuries caused every year to pony and horse riders on the roads following collisions with motor vehicles which are often as a result of driver ignorance. Probably the single most important way of reducing the risk of a horse accident involving motor vehicles is by the use of safety and protective clothing and high visibility accessories. It is important to ensure that a horse rider can be seen more readily by motorists by using reflective items to make the horse and rider stand out. Even during daylight hours it has been proven to decrease accident risk. There are a number of other things that riders can do to make themselves more safe including :
wear riding boots with raised heels to prevent feet from slipping through the stirrups
wearing fastened protective well fitting headgear
keeping the horse under control and maintaining a secure seat
riding on highways only after you are familiar with your horse
if the horse becomes frightened attempt to calm it and give it time to overcome its fear
ensure the horse walks when going up or down a steep hill
a horse accident is fairly common place when riding on paved or other hard-surfaced roads under which conditions a horse should always be walked especially when in the presence of vehicular traffic.
allow the horse make his own way when riding on rough ground, sand, mud, ice, and snow or where there is danger of slipping or falling
never ride a horse with just a halter which gives inadequate control compared to a bridle
ride on the shoulder of any road and follow the rules of the road which vary from state to state
approach other riders carefully and proceed to pass cautiously on the left side
if the horse is frightened and runs it should be turned in ever decreasing circles until it stops
a red ribbon tied into the tail indicates a kicker, so stay back
wear light-colored clothing and carry a flashlight and reflectors
Pony and horse accident statistics make uncomfortable reading and are as follows;
approximately 15 million people ride a horse or pony every year in the United States
one in five horse related injuries occur on the ground before the horse has been mounted
mounted injuries most often involve a fall and dismounted injuries most often involve kicking
dismounted injuries are usually more serious than mounted injuries
most riding injuries are sustained by amateurs whilst pleasure riding
head injuries are the most common cause for admission to hospital and death
the highest rates of injury occur to those aged between 5 and 14, and 25 and 44 years
a rider who has one head injury has a 40 percent chance of suffering a second head injury
there are approximately 75,000 horse related visits made to emergency rooms by riders every year
the most frequent injuries include fractures, lacerations and head injuries
the most frequent cause of death is head injury
the most frequent cause of multiple injuries in sport of any description is horse riding
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