Sixteen factors, including a better score in the dressage phase, improve the likelihood of safely completing the cross-country in Eventing, a fresh study shows.

Researchers Euan Bennet, Heather Cameron-Whytock and Tim Parkin, well known for their work on Eventing safety, set out to identify factors associated with running clear in the cross-country phase in FEI Eventing competitions.

The study team, writing in the Equine Veterinary Journal, noted that risk factors for cross-country falls reported in research and industry reports include higher Eventing levels, poorer dressage scores earlier in the competition, less experienced athletes and horses, the number of recent competition starts, the age and sex of the horse and rider, and whether the horse or rider had any prior falls.

Course-related factors for falls include the fence type, composition and setting.

Horse and Hound

More calls have been made to use available data to improve eventing safety – as it is important for the sport “now more than ever”.

Researchers behind three of the largest eventing safety studies have produced a follow-up paper summarising their findings and asking, “What will happen next?” The studies looked at risk factors for cross-country falls (news, 21 October 2021), fence and course design-related risk factors for cross-country falls in FEI competitions (news, 11 August 2022), and falls in one-day British Eventing competitions (news, 30 March).

Based on the findings, some of the recommendations included creating risk profiles for riders and cross-country courses, continuing to regularly review minimum eligibility requirements and introducing a dressage penalties cap.

Euan Bennet of the University of Glasgow worked on all three studies and told H&H that “now more than ever” it is important to continue looking at ways to make eventing safer.

“Social licence is such a big topic, and we think there are ways to bolster the sport’s social licence. Governing bodies need to be seen to be acting, and we think there are great opportunities to progress in making the sport safer, but also in a way that’s visible – and that helps people to see everything is being done to protect the horses,” he said.

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Four evidence-based recommendations have the potential to reduce the risk of injuries and fatalities in Eventing’s cross-country phase, according to researchers.

Their recommendations centre around a re-evaluation of qualification criteria, the use of risk profiling, a disqualification limit on dressage scores, and a complete review of course and fence design.

The proposals are put forward by Euan Bennet, Tim Parkin and Heather Cameron-Whytock, who have had three high-profile scientific papers published in recent years in the Equine Veterinary Journal on Eventing safety in the cross-country phase.

The researchers identified risk factors consistent with those reported previously, and also discovered new ones that are modifiable by sport governing bodies.

“It is now more important than ever that equestrian sport engages seriously with the ethics of risk management, as discussions about equestrian sports’ social licence to operate have become more frequent and prominent in recent years,” they noted.

Horse and Hound

A CAP on dressage penalties could make eventing safer – as findings from one of the sport’s biggest ever studies identifies 16 risk factors for cross-country horse falls.

The study, “Towards a safer sport: risk factors for cross-country horse falls at British Eventing competition”, was carried out by researchers from the University of Central Lancashire and the University of Nottingham Trent, with funding from Myerscough College.

The aim was to determine risk factors associated with horse falls by analysing data from 749,534 British Eventing (BE) cross-country starts from 1 January 2005 to 31 December 2015. Of these starts, 2,633 horse falls were recorded, 3.5 falls per 1,000 starts and 16 risk factors were identified.

The findings included that male riders were associated with a greater odds of a fall than females, and older riders were less likely to have a fall than younger ones. Horses who started in the previous 15 to 21 days were less likely to fall than horses whose last start had been in the previous one to 14 days, and the risk of horse falls increased through higher levels of competition. Mares were more likely to have a fall than geldings, and ponies more likely to fall than horses between 15.3hh and 16.2hh.

Lead researcher Heather Cameron-Whytock, who has evented, told H&H the more “statistically significant” risk factor identified was the level of competition.

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Sixteen risk factors for horse falls during the cross-country phase of eventing have been identified in a British study, which reveals several opportunities for interventions to reduce the chances of a mishap.

One possibility is a cap on dressage penalties, as worse dressage scores were linked to a heightened risk of a fall in the later cross-country phase.

The highest risk of injury or death for eventing riders is associated with horse falls during the cross-country. Horse falls are classed as rotational or non-rotational. The risk to the rider is greatest when the fall results in the horse landing on top of them.

Internationally, 38 eventing rider fatalities were reported between 2000 and 2015, with at least 30 of them resulting from a horse fall at a cross-country fence. Additionally, 65 horse fatalities occurred during or after eventing competitions between 2007 and 2015, with limited equine fatality statistics available before this date.

Of these 65 equine fatalities, 28 were a result of a horse fall at a cross-country fence. News outlets report a further 17 event rider and 39 event horse fatalities in the six years since.

Heather Cameron-Whytock and her fellow researchers, in a study reported in the Equine Veterinary Journal, said research that aims to identify risk factors for horse falls is imperative to highlight potential areas for prevention and set priorities for future research.