Head Injuries in the Wild West: A Comparison of Head Injuries in English and Western Collegiate Equestrian Athletes.

OBJECTIVES

Compare incidence of head injury, number of falls, and helmet use between English and Western riders.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study.

SETTING

Online flyers.

PARTICIPANTS

Competitive college equestrian athletes.

ASSESSMENT OF RISK FACTORS: This study assesses the difference in risk of head injury between the English and Western disciplines of riding.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The difference in risk of head injury between the English and Western disciplines of riding.

RESULTS

Three hundred fifty-seven equestrian athletes between 18 and 24 years of age who ride competitively for their college or university's team participated in this study. Of these athletes, 297 athletes competed in English style riding, and 60 competed in Western style riding. There was a significantly higher proportion of English-style equestrians who reported always wearing a helmet while riding (92.5%), in comparison with just 23.3% of Western style riders. There were significantly more Western equestrians than English equestrians who reported multiple head injuries because of falls in the previous year.

CONCLUSIONS

All equestrians have a high incidence of head injuries; however, Western riders reported a higher number of falls in the previous year than their English counterparts. In addition, Western riders reported less consistent helmet use when compared with their English counterparts, who are more likely to always wear helmets when riding. This study highlights important differences in the risk of head injury between participation in Western and English riding.