Looking for some ideas on how to return to riding and the timeline post-concussion. I sustained a concussion on Sunday at a collegiate horse show. I’m missing the week of college classes and definitely not riding all week, but wondering how/when to slowly return to riding/jumping safely.
Follow your doctor’s orders. Prioritize school. Be patient.
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Sending best wishes for a speedy recovery. I do hope that you have been examined, and received professional advice from a physician. Recovery takes as long as it take, and rushing things will set you back.
Please review Equestrian Canada for instructions. There is a “Return to Play” form that must be signed by your physician prior to competition.
Always follow doctor’s orders. I was off riding for 8 weeks after being hospitalized for a concussion.
Take more time to let your brain heal. A second concussion while your brain is healing can be devastating.
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As someone with a traumatic brain injury from a car accident returning to riding, take it slow and listen to your body. Different horses movement and way of going will effect your head in different ways, so if you can ride one that you are extremely confortable with for your first ride back.
One of the most important factors in my return to riding and life in general was my concussion physiotherapist, they were able to give me a targeted plan and address different aspects of my brain injury. The right professionals will aide your recovery in a very positive way, if things are not right take a step back and seek help this is your brain and you only have one so take care of it!!!
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Thanks everyone! I’m feeling a bit better, but still having headaches. I ordered a new helmet the other day, so will have that in place when I’m ready to go back.
Thanks! The fall didn’t happen at an EC sanctioned competition, so I don’t think I need to get the Return to Play form signed. I will look if they have any additional information, though.
Hi Cabaret SK, If you compete in Ontario Collegiate Equestrian Association (your location would indicate that you do), then yes, you need to STRICTLY follow the Equestrian Canada process. Please check your rule book, both Association, and EC. Please connect immediately with your captain.
Thanks. I checked the OCEA rulebook and read the EC Return to Play documentation. The EC documents refer to a process if the incident happened at an EC-Sanctioned competition, which I don’t believe the OCEA is. The OCEA Rulebook doesn’t discuss any process for dealing with injuries or returning to competition. I might be misreading/misunderstanding this, though.
I’m going to try riding on a safe, quiet horse at my barn sometime this week to see how I am feeling on horseback.
OP don’t do this.
Follow your doctor’s advice.
Remember that one of the major symptoms of concussion is that you lose the ability to make good decisions and you become impulsive.
If you get joggled before your brain has healed you make things worse.
Long term TBI is a huge issue in the horse world. I would say most of the adult professionals that I know have significant cognitive loss due to TBI. This affects personality time managent anger management impulsive bad decisions and absolutely, school work.
You need specialist assessment and care through this injury and you need to have your riding coach and college teachers in the loop because you are going to find this semester very difficult.
If you broke a leg you wouldn’t be trying to ride. And your brain is way more important.
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From the OCEA rulebook "V-6.7.1 It is mandatory that all OCEA competitions have on-site emergency medical services with a minimum of advanced first aid and basic cardiac life support training. Medics must also follow Equestrian Canada concussion protocol (EC Rules, Section A, General Regulations, Article 101).
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Thanks, was missing that.
Please connect with your captain. Your fall report is likely to have placed you on Medical Suspension.
Do please listen to your doctor. Err on the side of staying out of the saddle longer - you only have one brain, and any fall or sudden movement at this point can lead to a much larger problem.
Absent medical advice, start back to your classes and see how that goes. Once you’re perfectly ok with your normal workload (which might be immediately, but might not - you need to pay attention to what your head is telling you), I’d give it at least two more weeks before thinking about riding. Brains are funny things, and permanent changes to your cognition are no fun at all.
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You cannot risk another concussion until you are fully healed from this one. I was knocked out once and was told no riding for three months. More recently, I had a mild concussion and took two weeks off.
paw is right. Don’t risk it or you may be facing permanent brain damage.
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Warning: Not a doctor.
I would plan to wait at least 1 week post any symptoms. i.e: Once you no longer have headaches (or any other symptoms), start counting 7 non-symptomatic days, then attempt your first ride on a quiet horse. Even then, I would probably stick to walk only (doing exercises like 2-point, lateral work, walk/halt transitions, etc.) so you’re not getting jostled around. See how you feel that day and night after your ride before moving on.
But really, your doctor should have given you benchmarks. I would DEFINITELY not get back on a horse while still symptomatic (having headaches). Remember that symptoms also include fatigue or feeling “foggy” so they’re not well defined. Following my concussion I couldn’t do simple mental math for weeks, but otherwise felt fine by day 3. Your brain was damaged and it needs to heal. You wouldn’t run while your ankle is still swollen, so why would you ride while your brain is still swollen?
Second Impact Syndrome is a real thing. Please don’t mess with it.
ETA: If I’m reading this chart correctly, you had a Grade 2 concussion. They recommend return to exercise 1 week after everything is normal for the first concussion. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2672291/table/t2-0100006/
Again: Not a doctor. Listen to your doctor.
OP listen to the advice you are getting, and wait longer than you think you should.
I was knocked out when my greenie tripped. I was wearing my helmet. I was just schooling at home- they put me back on the horse and led us around- I don’t remember that. I got off, led her in and untacked. I don’t remember that. I “woke up” in mid conversation. They let me drive home- I don’t remember that very well. When I got home I told my husband I fell off the horse I hit my head I don’t feel good, I’m going to bed. It was 2pm.
I was VERY VERY lucky to wake up the next morning. It took me a half hour to crawl out of the bed and probably 6-8 weeks before I healed enough to ride. I was never evaluated for the head injury. I had a LOT of fear about cantering for a LONG time.
Take better care of yourself than I did, I didn’t know any better. Now I know that even now, years later, I am a much higher risk of long term issues should I have another head injury.
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A concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury due to a blow to the head. There are symptoms like headache, dizziness, memory problems, sleep problems and fatigue (among others) that can indicate post concussive syndrome. Listen carefully to your doctor and have patience. Your brain needs to heal and you don’t know how long it will take. You have to view it the same way as you would major surgery or a severe injury like a broken bone. Another concussion could be worse. Please don’t get on horse until you get clearance from your doctor. Even a nice quiet horse. We all love our horses and hate to be grounded, but it’s better than a permanent ban on riding.
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I’ve been reading old threads on riding post-concussion as it’s sadly become extremely relevant to me. The universal advice seems to be “listen to your doctor”, except that visiting my doctor’s office I’m more confused than ever.
Pretty much everyone agrees that waiting some period of time after complete clearance of symptoms is required, but past that it seems to be a subject of active research and not-well-agreed-upon, and guidelines are usually expressed as post-accident since people are bad at self-evaluation. USEA would require three weeks mandatory suspension after my concussion (no loss of consciousness but symptoms persisting longer than 15 minutes, CT scan clear) in competition, and the conservative answer according to my doctor would be 4-6 weeks post-accident. Horse sports are also an interesting niche because small whacks to the head aren’t a part of the sport (vs say contact sports), but the risk of a single subsequent major impact is always there.
If anybody can point me at recent studies on the topic I’d be interested to see them. If nothing else because not riding for at least four weeks (what I’m going with currently) is going to drive me loopy and I may as well find stuff to read. 
PS: anybody know if the Charles Owen “pink” helmets really come out this purple? I really like the purple-and-grey look. https://www.eventing-sgw.nl/image/cache/data/Charles%20Owen/Charles%20Owen%20ProII%20Pink-900x900.jpg
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Right now a month probably seems like a long time, but it also seems like the Minimum you should allow for your healing after a concussion. I’m glad you’re being careful and hope you take care of yourself
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As someone who suffered a severe concussion eons ago, when there were no guidelines, FOLLOW DOCTOR’S ORDERS - and, yes, I am shouting.
I have a 2 year gap in my memory because those guidelines did not exist and one just carried on as usual the next day or even the same day if you could stand upright without toppling over or something. That concussion was preceded by at least three smaller ones, and followed by a few more and they are nothing to mess with. Yes, I was wearing a helmet for most of them but that does not preclude brain injury, it just lessens it. To learn the full extent of what can happen, please read The Man Who Lost Himself, or look for the video - it is the story of Terry Evenshen, a CFL star from long ago, in those same days of doctors knowing nothing about concussion and, he, like most others continued playing immediately following ‘getting his bell rung’ many times.
Allow yourself to heal and it is going to take at least a month, and probably much longer. If you were out cold, stay off even longer.
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