While one is never safe doing any sport, I do wonder how we would react if a similar percentage of baseball, football, whatever athletes were killed each year.
Equestrian sports do not have a wide following, and while I do not know the actual ratio, it has to be minuscule compared to football or baseball. Thus, those 12 deaths would be multiplied many times to even out on a per participant level. No way those sports would be allowed if that many people died.
BTW, does the horse get a medal too? Seems as if they're doing most of the work.
Two years ago I was thrown from a horse, and without a helmet, would probably have been dead. Even so, I still think equestrian sports are probably safer than many others, like motorcycle or auto racing, and certainly skydiving.
Eventing evolved directly from calvary exercises
and is not for the faint of heart in fact the
number of horses put down during and after events
exceeds the number of riders( having witnessed
a Soviet horse take one for the Sickle & Hammer
on course in Montreal in 1976) it is NOT a sport
for 16 year olds girls from Scripps Ranch or Greenwich Ct. although Princess Anne of the British
Royal Family was a world class rider in the 70's
(to bad Charlie's the oldest) Horse show mothers
are the worst type of stage mother period.
