Thursday, March 25, 2010
British Journal of Sports Medicine
On Galileo, I found this journal from the British Journal of Sports Medicine. I liked this one and added it to the blog because it gives calculated statistics of the usual injuries acquired from horseback riding and equestrian related activities. My last blog post was about equestrian related injuries so I felt like some statistics would help give some accuracy.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Equestrian Olympics
Many people don't consider horseback riding to be an actual sport a much as a hobby or pastime. But these same people also don't realized that equestrian sports such as 3-day eventing are held during the Olympics every year. This article from Sports&Fitness magazine describes the history of the Equestrian Olympics.
The Equestrian section of the Olympics is brutal, exhilarating, and astonishing all at the same time. I have had friends watch the Equestrian games with me and stare at the screen in amazement. What these horses and riders accomplish together is a true picture of nerve, bravery, and partnership.
The Equestrian section of the Olympics is brutal, exhilarating, and astonishing all at the same time. I have had friends watch the Equestrian games with me and stare at the screen in amazement. What these horses and riders accomplish together is a true picture of nerve, bravery, and partnership.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Aches and Pains
Just as with any other sport, horseback riding comes with injuries. They actually happen pretty frequently, some of the time not even from actually riding. Injuries can occur from falling off of the horses or even just interacting with them. While working with the horses on the ground, getting stepped on can break toes, holding the lead lines wrong can result in broken fingers, and kicks ovver frequently from unruly horses.
During my 11 years of riding, I have had a total of 5 concussions from falling off of a horse. Many would think that the helmets would protect your head from injuries like this but often that's not the case. Hitting the ground after being thrown from a moving horse is equivalent to falling off the top of a moving car going about 15 miles per hour. This impact can result in concussions, broken arms, legs, and torn muscles.
This article from the American Medical Equestrian Association website gives statistics on the most common and frequent injuries involved with horseback riding. I'd say that these statistics are pretty accurate after witnessing quite a few happening in my lifetime. I'd go ahead and think it's safe to say that horseback riding isn't for the faint of heart.
During my 11 years of riding, I have had a total of 5 concussions from falling off of a horse. Many would think that the helmets would protect your head from injuries like this but often that's not the case. Hitting the ground after being thrown from a moving horse is equivalent to falling off the top of a moving car going about 15 miles per hour. This impact can result in concussions, broken arms, legs, and torn muscles.
This article from the American Medical Equestrian Association website gives statistics on the most common and frequent injuries involved with horseback riding. I'd say that these statistics are pretty accurate after witnessing quite a few happening in my lifetime. I'd go ahead and think it's safe to say that horseback riding isn't for the faint of heart.
Friday, March 5, 2010
It's All About Trust
One of the most important things to remember in this sports is the trust that is required. This trust applies to both the rider and the horse. The rider needs to trust that the horse will be cooperative and obedient, and the horse needs to trust that the rider will make appropriate and correct decisions. Populararticles.com has an article that describes the different ways you can go about developing trust between horse and rider.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Dear Other Sports, does your ball, bat, or raquet have a mind of it's own?
I honestly think that one of the biggest things that people overlook, is that horseback riding involves horses. It's not all about riding ponies around and around in circles and looking pretty. This sport involves partnership and teamwork with an animal weighing about an average of 1,500 pounds and they are essentially our "equipment" in a way.
Each of these horses have minds of their own which puts equestrian sports on a completely different level than other sports. When looking at a horse, you'll notice that their eyes are typically located on the outsides of their heads and they can see up until the object in front of them is about 5 feet away. Then the object in front of them disappears. This is where teamwork and trust comes into play. When a horse and rider are coming up on a jump, a horse can see until they are about 2 strides away from the obstacle. Then it is up to the rider to communicate with the horse with their legs when it is time to jump. Sometimes the rider tells them to take off too soon and sometimes they tell them too late and the horse either a.) has to rabbit hop over the fence or b.) crash through it. This puts the horse in a predicament. Many horses will be trustworthy enough to listen to the rider and leap....others may simply choose to refuse and catapult their rider over the obstacle instead. This video is an example of what could happen when a rider makes an error.
There are very few sports that require the teamwork with an animal rather than other humans which is a reason why horseback riding should be respected and admired.
Each of these horses have minds of their own which puts equestrian sports on a completely different level than other sports. When looking at a horse, you'll notice that their eyes are typically located on the outsides of their heads and they can see up until the object in front of them is about 5 feet away. Then the object in front of them disappears. This is where teamwork and trust comes into play. When a horse and rider are coming up on a jump, a horse can see until they are about 2 strides away from the obstacle. Then it is up to the rider to communicate with the horse with their legs when it is time to jump. Sometimes the rider tells them to take off too soon and sometimes they tell them too late and the horse either a.) has to rabbit hop over the fence or b.) crash through it. This puts the horse in a predicament. Many horses will be trustworthy enough to listen to the rider and leap....others may simply choose to refuse and catapult their rider over the obstacle instead. This video is an example of what could happen when a rider makes an error.
There are very few sports that require the teamwork with an animal rather than other humans which is a reason why horseback riding should be respected and admired.
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