Colvin's Injury at Derby Finals

[lockedoutalter]

While warming up for the final round of the derby finals, Colvin took a fall from her first mount and broke her ribs. She was “cleared” to ride and went on to win on Dicoblue PS. Since then, all I’ve heard is how tough and dedicated she is—but honestly, it makes me feel uneasy. I thought we were moving past the culture of “push through the pain” and toward prioritizing athlete health and safety.

Here are a few things that make me feel like letting her ride was unethical:

1. Risk of further injury – Broken ribs come with serious risks like lung or organ damage. If she had gotten popped loose and fallen again, the consequences could have been catastrophic. Asking her to get back on a horse—especially one already jumping her a little loose—while already injured seems reckless.
2. Helmet concerns – It looked like she was still wearing the same helmet she had the day before. Helmets are supposed to be replaced after a fall or after five years of use. If she hit the ground hard enough to break ribs, her helmet could easily have been compromised. And at a show like that, there were plenty of places to grab a replacement.
3. The issue of concussions – Speaking from personal experience, I’ve been concussed and still managed to “pass” EMT checks. I was cleared to ride when I really shouldn’t have been, and I now deal with lasting memory problems I believe stem from those choices. We know more now about the long-term effects of head trauma. It’s not enough to rely on riders saying they feel okay in the moment.

Aren’t there supposed to be protocols in place to put riders on a medical list after a serious fall?

Recently there has been a lot of discussion around horse welfare—and rightfully so. But if we’re also willing to put riders in severe danger for the sake of competition, what hope do we have of protecting the animals? If the humans in the equation aren’t being safeguarded, it raises real questions about the overall culture of the sport.

Tori is incredibly talented—she’s proven herself countless times. She didn’t need to prove anything in this class. To me, it felt exploitative to let her continue. Yes, she may have wanted to ride, but that’s exactly why a strong support team should step in and protect her future health over short-term wins.

[MHM]

@lockedoutalter

Aren’t there supposed to be protocols in place to put riders on a medical list after a serious fall?

The current wording of the USEF rule applies to unconsciousness or concussion.

[paw]

@lockedoutalter

Tori is incredibly talented—she’s proven herself countless times. She didn’t need to prove anything in this class. To me, it felt exploitative to let her continue. Yes, she may have wanted to ride, but that’s exactly why a strong support team should step in and protect her future health over short-term wins

You say “she didn’t need to prove anything”, but she was riding that horse for someone. It’s her job. She’s an adult. Not at all clear to me that, absent some indication that she was otherwise impaired, she shouldn’t have shown in one of the biggest classes of the year.

[dags]

Echoing @paw. By this logic, if a professional falls off in the morning they’d have to scratch everyone’s horse the rest of the day? Week?

Falling off is in the job description. I’m confident she was checked out, and I’m also pretty confident the clients gave her full control on whether to continue or not.

And while Tori certainly has nothing to prove, Dicoblue does and this was his moment. Of course he has no idea what’s going on and would have been plenty happy to just return to his stall, but he did put in the work this year, he peaked at the exact right moment and, like, getting the horse over the finish line is part of the job too.

Anthropomorphized or not, I bet Tori felt she owed it to the horse more than anyone else.

[lockedoutalter]

@dags

Echoing @paw. By this logic, if a professional falls off in the morning they’d have to scratch everyone’s horse the rest of the day? Week?

Falling off is in the job description. I’m confident she was checked out, and I’m also pretty confident the clients gave her full control on whether to continue or not.

And while Tori certainly has nothing to prove, Dicoblue does and this was his moment.

That is not what I am saying at all. She was seriously injured with broken ribs. If someone falls off and they bounce or are maybe a little sore that is completely different.

She scratched the other horse. Are you saying she failed to do her job at that moment? Should we admonish her for that?

What if it were Dicoblue who kicked himself and was off? We would all be freaking out if they pushed him to go do his job with an injury because it was his moment. Why are we so hellbent on athletes risking their bodies and futures for competition?

Everyone was upset when Simone Biles tapped out of the Olympics because of mental health. Now everyone on here is fine with Tori possibly having bobble and getting even further injured because its her “job.”

By that logic, if I had a surgeon who broke their fingers but felt fine and wanted to do the surgery, we should let them because its their job.

[Maythehorsebewithme]

Genuine question: Did she/anyone know her ribs were broken when she chose to ride? Sometimes cracked ribs just feel sore. After a serious auto accident I was x-rayed in the ER and was told I was fine, but the doctor did note “an old, healed broken rib”. (I sometimes still find myself wondering where, when, which horse.)

[dags]

Simone had the agency to make that choice. Tori should also have the agency to decide to go on.

I’d be totally with you if someone had forced Tori to go on, but that’s not what happened as far as we know (and I personally believe). She also had the agency to scratch the other horse, and she did, so it’s clear she was given the option. But I don’t think it’s our place to make her sit it out; I just don’t think that’s fair. Some kid at Junior Finals? Sure, that’s a case for some discussion of oversight. But who makes this call? Obviously we get an EMT involved. Does he have to provide x-rays to prove she should be sat down? I don’t think they do x-rays? (no idea) Where does one even begin assessing the damage after a rider takes a tumble, and where do you draw the line of Safe/Not Safe? USEF is going to have to have some medical decree to blame or they’ll get sued to oblivion in a case like this.

I recall Simone being applauded, in most circles. I think we can still champion tough but realistic decisions about rider health in our sport, like Simone did. I think it’s also okay to have mad respect for what Tori just pulled off, and even take a bit of inspiration from it. The key is in the agency to make that choice for yourself.

[Paint_Party]

@Maythehorsebewithme

Genuine question: Did she/anyone know her ribs were broken when she chose to ride?

Good question. Was she somehow xrayed right there? So there’s a portable xray on site? Or did a vet do it? (Not really being sarcastic, I’m truly curious).

And I’ll echo the sentiment that there are broken ribs… and then there are broken ribs.

When I had my fateful crash at Del Mar-- spinal cord injury combined with all ribs on one side broken in several places-- I was in agony and unable to sit up. But when my Paint baby dumped me in a field and “cracked (non-displaced)” three ribs, I still competed in a big APHA class at WestWorld. To be clear, my doctor cleared me to ride. Hurt like crap at the lope but I was determined to get my points and I persevered.

[NoSuchPerson]

@lockedoutalter

She was seriously injured with broken ribs. If someone falls off and they bounce or are maybe a little sore that is completely different.

I’ve broken ribs twice that I know of. One time I broke 5 ribs high up and could not have gotten back on a horse if my life depended on it.

The other time, I broke 2 ribs low down (the “floating ribs”). I would never have known it if they hadn’t sent me for a x-ray of my hip/pelvis that caught the broken ribs at the top of the x-ray.

So, yes, broken ribs can be serious, but they aren’t always. In fact, I would bet that many long time riders have broken/cracked ribs and never knew it, just chalking it up to “Yeah, I fell off and I’m really sore.”

[findeight]

Ribs are a long way from a concussion and do not need that catastrophic a fall to get bruised, cracked or even broken. And who is the ‘they” that would tell her she, an Adult and her Medical team she could not ride?

How many on here have ridden with taped up ribs??? Raising hand here…because it was an important points class we had been going for all year. Dr said it was OK but it would hurt , he was right but as long as I did not cough or laugh it was not too bad. A couple were broken but no displacement and somebody else got the horse ready for me to get on and go into the class.

I did have to try to sleep sitting up with lots of pillows for about a week.

[neigh]

I believe she broke her collarbone as well. Was she cleared by the medical staff ??

[neigh]

Just curious, who is “her” medical team? I think the horse show medical team might have the final word, don’t you? Correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought that if you fell at a show, you had to be examined by a real medical doctor who must issue a note releasing you to ride.

[TWilson]

@lockedoutalter

She scratched the other horse. Are you saying she failed to do her job at that moment? Should we admonish her for that?

The fall in the schooling ring was with the horse that was scratched, and that horse was early in the order. He might have been rattled by whatever happened and that could have contributed to the decision to scratch. I read something to the effect that she wasn’t sure if she would be able to ride the other horse (who was last in the order that night), but she had enough time between horses to make the decision to go ahead and ride the second one.

This thread is really strange. Tori is an adult and can make her own decisions - she didn’t suffer a head injury. I doubt she regrets how she handled it.

[NaturallyHappy]

@TWilson

This thread is really strange. Tori is an adult and can make her own decisions - she didn’t suffer a head injury. I doubt she regrets how she handled it.

It really is.

[neigh]

USEF/USHJA has rules in place regarding the need for a doctor’s release after a fall. Surely, you can figure out the liability issues if this rule wasn’t in place. The warm up area steward should have been on top of this, IMO.

[neigh]

If you had seen her face and the way she rode, there was no doubt she was in pain. She did not dismount for the awards ceremony. You break your ribs and get back in the tack? Just suppose one of the ribs had punctured a lung??? No ribbon is worth dying for.

[CBoylen]

Ribs are one of those things that almost nobody goes to the ER for because they can’t really do much for them. I doubt these are the first ribs she’s done.
Also, I don’t think I’ve ever read the rules for the finals, anybody know if you have to have the same rider?

[nutmeg]

For background, Tori grew up at the horse shows while her parents worked at some legendary stables, including for Brits on the team, so her inclination to kick on with it would be Margie Goldstein/Katie Monahan-class.

[MHM]

@neigh

USEF/USHJA has rules in place regarding the need for a doctor’s release after a fall. Surely, you can figure out the liability issues if this rule wasn’t in place. The warm up area steward should have been on top of this, IMO.

I posted a screenshot of the relevant rule earlier in the thread. Have you read the rule?

The current USEF rule only applies to having a concussion or being unconscious.

[IPEsq]

From experience, the stewards really don’t want to have to do an injury report for minor, not going to the hospital kind of falls. The rule doesn’t really specify what a “serious” injury is. It’s also quite possible horse 1 was just NQR that day leading to the fall, and it was best to scratch that horse regardless.