Limb injuries are common among horse-related traumas – head injuries are often serious

Backround   Horseback riding is a common sport. We studied horse-related traumas and their consequences from a healthcare perspective in Pirkanmaa Hospital District.

Methods   The study included patients treated at Tampere university hospital Emergency Department; Acuta, due to horse-related accidents in 2019–2020.

Results   During the study, 471 horse-related trauma patients were treated. 93 % of the patients were women. The most common mechanism of injury was falling (72 %). Injuries were most often located in the upper limb (39 %), lower limb (20 %), thorax (13 %) and head (9 %). 22 % of patients required hospitalization, 13 % of patients required surgical treatment, and 2,5 % were admitted to the intensive care unit. 37% of patients sustained serious injuries. According to the NISS score, 1.3 % of patients were severe trauma patients. Most of the head injury patients (87 %) required hospitalization, and almost half (47 %) were admitted to the intensive care unit. One patient died.

Conclusions   Injuries were most often located in the upper limb, as the rider usually falls with the upper limb first. Injuries to the head can be serious, so riders should pay attention to wearing helmets.

Nea Varstala, Piia Suomalainen, Antti Launonen, Aleksi Reito