DESPITE recent fatalities and views to the contrary, FEI statistics over the past decade 2004-2014 show a small improvement in horse falls and serious injuries. (see Table below – Horse falls per type FEI 2015)
In 2004, there was one rotational fall for every 197 starters (0.51%), while in 2014 there was one rotational fall for every 506 starters (0.20%).
There is a one in five chance of a serious injury (includes broken bones) in a rotational fall, so that means one serious injury in every 2,530 starters.
Over the last 11 years there have been 10 rider fatalities in FEI competitions (with more than 5.1 million cross-country fences jumped during that period) and therefore one fatality for every 16,447 starters at international level.
ROTATIONAL FALLS
The British Eventing figures, which include all national competitions, show a slightly smaller number of rotational falls (0.18%), which is similar to figures collected by other countries.
Cross-country riding is therefore a little safer at the lower levels and, in terms of FEI competitions, you are more than twice as likely to have a horse fall at four-star level than you are at one-star two-star level. What is interesting about the falls at four-star level is that most four-star riders feel that lower level riders are those most in danger.