A profile of horse riding injuries in adult horse riders registered with the Kwa Zulu Natal Horse Society

Introduction: Equestrian sport as a competitive sport first began in 1868 at the Royal Dublin Horse Show 1. Injuries, especially minor injuries, are seldom reported, and there are no regulatory requirements anywhere that compel formal injury notification of this sport 2. Objectives: The objectives were to describe a profile of horse riding injuries, to determine the association between the type of equestrian activity and location and mechanism of injury, the association between use and type of equipment and location of injury and to determine anthropometric and history variables associated with location of horse riding injuries. As well as determining if non riding related injuries were associated with riding related injuries in the same sites. Therefore, for the purpose of this study, the following information was gathered in order to build up an injury profile: Anthropometric values (age, height, weight, gender, ethnicity, dominant hand and medical aid) of competitive horse riders in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, The participants horse riding history, Their record of any past or current injuries, Factors associated with previous and current injuries were also investigated, Equipment and facilities used Methods: This study was a quantitative descriptive design, which was questionnaire based and was administered by the researcher at various competitions in KwaZulu Natal or sent via email to those not present at the competitions. The study was limited to adult members of the KwaZulu Natal Horse Society that competed in on the Olympic disciplines of dressage, show jumping and eventing. iv Results: There were 176 respondents to the study. The average age was 36.3 years. The vast majority of participants were White (99.4%) females (81%). The overall prevalence of injury was 90.3%. Muscle strains were the most common type of injury. The head was the most commonly injured site (46.4%), the lower back was the site most likely to be injured many times. Forceful falls were ranked as the most severe type of injury mechanism. Most injuries occurred whilst jumping (63.8%). Use of protective equipment was associated with injury prevention and protection. Muscle strains due to riding were significantly less common in those who presently did regular exercise. Having no medical problems was associated with not having any riding injuries. There was no significant association between riding and non riding related injuries.