I didn’t speculate anything. I repeated what was in sources from a couple news outlets.
Em
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Such a horrible tragedy and I won’t second guess the show staff for carrying on. It’s hard to say how anyone would react in such a situation, until they find themselves in that exact scenario.
Not that it helps anything here but I was involved in a near rotational fall in a flat class. The horse simply caught his toe of his leading leg at the canter. I breed for flat legged movers and chalked it up to a green horse that simply didn’t bend his knee enough to clear the ground through the full extension of his stride. Turns out a handful of horses at that show had trips and falls to their knees in that same spot. None went over; mine was closest to being catastrophic. I luckily just let go of trying to stay on and let momentum carry me away from him as I knew where the fall was headed. He caught himself and got his feet back. I do wonder if I had tried harder to stay on, if the added weight would have not allowed him to gain his feet, and if he would have gone over. And this was a breed show, so not even carrying much pace at the canter.
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GR 841 requires falls in the show ring to be reported in hunter/jumper/equitation competitions but not other disciplines. I have been told by USEF that they do not get fall reports for dressage and stadium in eventing - only cross country falls. I have also inquired as to why horse falls in a schooling area are not reportable - I understand they are not always witnessed by a show official as they are in the show ring, but I’ve seen horse falls in the warm up area that left me gasping. You’d think they’d be tracked as well.
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That is incorrect. As a certified safety coordinator, all competition associated injuries are recorded, even falls in the schooling area and parking lot! I do the initial investigation with witnesses and the “victim” including safety equipment. That report is then provided to the Technical Delegate and signed off by all officials at the competition before being forwarded to the USEF and USEA.
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A horse fall and an injury are not always connected. Sometimes the horse and rider are both fine.
Here’s a screenshot of the current USEF rule.
I’m not going to debate this. There are steps and procedures that are done with medical emergencies and just because someone is pronounced at a hospital does not mean that is where they expired.
Either way, it doesn’t make a difference here. The fact is that we lost a young rising star in our equitation world. She had dreams and passions. Let’s focus on carrying on her legacy and being the best people that we can be to keep this sport at its highest and more respectable level.
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Injuries yes - hunter/jumper stewards also fill out accident forms for all injuries. But as stated in GR 841, only falls in the show ring in hunter/jumper competition are reported by the judge to USEF. GR 848 covers accidents but there is not a specific rule requiring eventing falls to be reported.
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I had an almost identical fall about two years ago, except the horse was cantering around a turn. Again, extremely lucky, and I can easily see how a fall like this can be deadly. Devastatingly sad.
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Given the specificity of the police report and how the fall occurred, I do wonder if the account is from a video or from a witness.
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I wondered about the language a little bit. It sounded more like a description from a policeman, not a horse person.
Yes–I am wondering if rotational falls are on the increase or we are just seeing/hearing about them more. In eventing there has been discussion about these often tragic falls for years. Now I feel they are happening more frequently in hunter/jumper land. I had one myself a few years ago a step after landing from a warm up
jump (picture perfect take off spot and jump) horse tripped and fell on me. I was lucky to
walk away with some massive bruises and broken ribs. If they are more frequently occurring, is it how we train/prepare the horses? An increase in pro ridden horses who don’t learn how to save themselves from amateur mistakes? The footing? Types/breeds of horses? Maybe the catty mixed breeds and TBs of old were more quick and handy with their feet than modern warmbloods? Anyone who has experienced or witnessed a rotational fall knows how potentially deadly they can be. No protective gear can save you if you bear the full brunt of a 1200 pound animal crashing into you with momentum. This was a horrible tragedy. I hope we can look at things as a sport and recognize if there is anything to do to mitigate the risk of these types of falls.
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Technically, in eventing, there is a very long process and series of forms eventing issued by the USEF that require the reporting of horse fall/injury and human fall/injury, regardless of location. The process is outlined in rules and responsibilities for officials.
We record everything including the fence, safety gear, weather, footing, witness observations,… During competition I am physically on the XC course in a central location to best observe the course. If no XC is happening I am in the stadium and dressage areas.
This has been in place for over a decade. I suspect the H/J will have to catch up at some point.
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Maybe.
I just know the current form is required in USEF hunter/jumper/equitation classes every time a horse falls, regardless of whether or not there is any injury to the horse or rider.
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Was at a KHP show once, been quite awhile, there was a teen rider fatality, rotational fall over a spread fence in Children’s Jumpers. Didn’t know a thing about it until later that evening. IIRC there were 5 or 6 rings running, no helicopter, ambulances don’t use sirens on the Park grounds. We heard there had been a really bad fall, that was about it until much later in the day.
Not on the grounds but nearby staying with friend in Wellington for WEF, Adult suffered fatal injuries in a Jumper class,. Helicoptered out, pronounced at hospital.
Pretty somber on the show grounds the rest of both those weeks but most chose to stay. Think its an individual choice to continue or leave and personally would not expect any refunds should I decide to scratch.
It certainly is a wake up call to recognize and appreciate the inherent risks of getting on a horse. Stuff happens.
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I’ve never been at a horse show with a fatality, never mind that of a child.
That said, I don’t think we should judge people on what they do in the moment, or shortly following a traumatic experience. People compartmentalize, block, get overwhelmed, scream, cry, focus on a task, come together, sit alone. Most humans don’t process properly in the moment.
I think we should have a bit of grace and understanding for people.
In a state of trauma / shock / the unthinkable, humans look for a leader. Having designated show staff to make decisions and ‘lead’ would probably be a good idea. Not necessarily dictate the decision beforehand, but more ‘in the case of a tragedy, individuals A, B, and C will immediately meet and assess the situation and decide what should be done’.
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In case you haven’t seen it, there is a go fund me to plant a tree in her memory at WEC. I donated to that since I’m on the fence about the photo on fb thing. However, her trainer posted the hash tag (albeit with pics of Hannah) so I presume it is “sanctioned” by the family.
Agreed. The “steps” comment made me think the officer meant strides. It would not be the first time a non horse person details what is described to them in terms that don’t quite reflect what happened. It truly sounds like this horse cantered off, took a bad step mid stride, jolted the rider over, and inertia carried the horse over too. Profoundly sad all around. Deepest sympathy to all who knew and loved her. A horrible tragedy.
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I had a student pass at a school I was at and the campus felt more comfortable coming together than staying isolated. I wonder if that is part of it? Being together with people who share the same mission might actually help people process. I suppose that is the gray area between canceling the show and sending people home, versus allowing people to congregate (and do what?), or allowing them to compete. There’s really no right answer.
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A few more details about the rider’s background.
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