Do riders who wear an air jacket in equestrian eventing have reduced injury risk in falls? A retrospective data analysis

Nylund, Lindsay E.; Sinclair, Peter J.; Hitchens, Peta L.; Cobley, Stephen

doi:10.1016/j.jsams.2019.05.012

Cited by 8 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…In the present analysis, female riders were more likely to wear air jackets as PPE, yet air jacket use was also associated with HRL ( p = 0.007). The finding is consistent with a previous study where riders wearing an air jacket had increased odds of serious injury compared to riders who were not 9 . Further, while air jackets reduce impact forces on the torso, 8 and inflate when a lanyard attached to the saddle disengages from a CO2 cartridge, they can also potentially inflate “late,” such as when both horse and rider fall.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

“…Some riders also wear an air jacket, an optional additional item of equipment designed to provide protection to the torso, 8 and in some models, airbags also inflate to protect the neck and cervical spine area. However, a recent retrospective data analysis on air jacket usage in FEI eventing competition found riders who wore an air jacket had 1.7 times increased odds ( p = 0.009) of serious or fatal injury in a fall when compared to riders not wearing an air jacket 9 . While the exact reason(s) for the association between air jacket usage and serious or fatal injury could not be identified, such findings warrant further investigation to understand why equipment intended for protection was associated with an increased risk of serious injury.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The second objective was to identify variables independently associated with HRL. The use of air jackets and gender‐related factors were also considered because of a previous report suggesting increased injury severity for riders who wear an air jacket, 9 and reports that female riders may be at a greater risk of sustaining serious or fatal injuries 18,19…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Development of a video analysis protocol and assessment of fall characteristics in equestrian cross‐country eventing

Nylund

Sinclair

McLean³

et al. 2021

Scandinavian Med Sci Sports

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Cross‐country eventing is one of the highest‐risk sporting activities for serious injury outcomes. This study investigated relationships between fall characteristics and high‐risk falls at jumps in cross‐country eventing. A video analysis protocol was systematically developed to analyze 87 video recordings of high‐risk rider falls; defined as when the rider's head impacted the ground and/or where there was potential horse impact with the rider. Falls were classified according to competition type, jump type, horse‐related, and rider‐related factors. At least one high‐risk fall characteristic was observed in 45 of 87 examined falls. Multivariable best subsets regression identified five independent variables explaining 38.4% of the variance in the number of high‐risk falls. Increased likelihood of high‐risk falls was associated with continuation of horse direction or speed upon rider ground impact, higher jump approach speed, changes in rider body posture upon landing, rider air jacket usage, and reduced rider fall time. The Eventing Fall Assessment Instrument (EFAI) video analysis protocol (attached as ) facilitated systematic examination of multiple characteristics associated with high‐risk falls and identified likely influential characteristics. Based on EFAI and subsequent data analyses, findings suggest optimized approach speed for correct striding and take‐off; jump design to enable run‐out; and rider training could help reduce the occurrence of high‐risk falls. Air jacket usage and their design characteristics warrant further investigation.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Development of a video analysis protocol and assessment of fall characteristics in equestrian cross‐country eventing

Nylund

Sinclair

McLean³

et al. 2021

Scandinavian Med Sci Sports

Self Cite

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“…A few studies have analysed safety interventions highlighting the need for more robust preventative safety actions and risk mitigation opportunities. For example, air jackets reducing injury risk in falls [26], helmet usage for enhanced head protection [27], improved safety actions and behavioural awareness [23,[28][29][30].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What People Really Think About Safety around Horses: The Relationship between Risk Perception, Values and Safety Behaviours

Chapman

Thomas

Thompson

2020

Animals

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The equestrian industry reports high rates of serious injuries, illness and fatalities when compared to other high-risk sports and work environments. To address these ongoing safety concerns, a greater understanding of the relationship between human risk perception, values and safety behaviours is required. This paper presents results from an international survey that explored relationships between a respondents’ willingness to take risk during daily activities along with, their perceptions of risk and behaviours during horse-related interactions. Respondents’ comments around risk management principles and safety-first inspirations were also analysed. We examined what humans think about hazardous situations or activities and how they managed risk with suitable controls. Analysis identified three important findings. First, safe behaviours around horses were associated with safety training (formal and/or informal). Second, unsafe behaviours around horses were associated with higher levels of equestrian experience as well as income from horse-related work. Finally, findings revealed a general acceptance of danger and imminent injury during horse interactions. This may explain why some respondents de-emphasised or ‘talked-down’ the importance of safety-first principles. In this paper we predominantly reported quantitative findings of respondents self-reported safety behaviours, general and horse-related risk perceptions despite injury or illness. We discussed the benefits of improved safety-first principles like training, risk assessments, rider-horse match with enriched safety communications to enhance risk-mitigation during human–horse interactions.

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“…In our original article, we identified that riders who wore an air jacket had 1.7 times increased odds of serious or fatal injury in falls compared to riders who were not wearing an air jacket. 1 Since publication, a concern was raised by a reader, relating to the inclusion of data from all three disciplines of eventing competition. The reader pointed out that air jackets are only worn in the cross country discipline and that falls and injury severity are higher in this discipline than they are in showjumping or dressage.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%