Analysis of Helmet Damage and Associated Head Injuries Arising from Real-World Equestrian Fall Accidents

What is it about?

18 accidents in which equestrian riders fell from their horses and impacted their heads against the turf were examined in detail. For 7 cases, the rider’s head was also either kicked, crushed or stomped on by a horse. Surprisingly, 11 of the 18 cases involved only a fall in which none of the helmets had any evident damage, despite 6 of those cases involving diagnosed concussions and 1 hematoma. Evidently, traumatic brain injury can occur in equestrian sports even while the rider wears a helmet. Future helmet designs should provide riders with greater protection against concussion.

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