Guest Post: Christian Eagles on Eventing Deaths
This post is written by Christian Eagles, a professional rider and trainer in eventing. After hearing about the death of another rider and her horse on cross-country, I wanted to get her feedback on changes that could be made and what we can individually do. I was not disappointed! Thank you so much, Christian, for your insights. My hope is that every eventer, trainer, official, volunteer, and parent will read this and take a hard look at themselves, their policies and training, and what they can do.
“Here we are again. Another event rider has lost her life, along with her horse, pursuing the sport we all love. It has happened several times in the last year, and every time, we share and discuss, we rant and cry, and we mourn. And then, what? Nothing.
Nothing really changes. And we still don’t have a clear picture of what is killing us, and how to fix it. I have been eventing for a long time (I think my first recognized event was in 1980), and have seen many changes during that time. Our equipment has evolved and become used industry-wide. Course design has become professional and studious. Training has improved, of both the horses and riders. Veterinary science, saddle fit, farriery, sport medicine, footing… all have evolved, and improved, and become important to the sport. Even the breeding and genetics of the horses have improved. Yet we still die on course. Why?
I read an article by Maggie Deatrick yesterday. She made a call for transparency. I think she’s right. I think we need a better system for determining the reason for these falls, and a better system of sharing that information.
I can already hear your arguments.
What about her friends and family, you say? I agree. We should be sensitive to the survivors, while we protect the survivors of the future. In no other accident is your privacy protected in the same way as in eventing. If you crash your car and die, the police will investigate, and your name will be in the newspaper right along with all the things you did to cause the accident. When the space shuttle crashed, when the Twin Towers fell, we all watched the disaster. Then the videos were studied in pursuit of what happened, what went wrong, who was at fault. We can still watch these videos, and learn. If an eventer has an accident, all record of what happened is covered, and deleted, and hidden.
What about course design and frangible technology? I agree. We should find out what role course design and jump building may be having in these accidents and work to fix it. I think we should definitely support and fund frangible technology. It works. Two animals – a horse and a human - cruising at 22 miles per hour are going to make mistakes. They shouldn’t die from those mistakes.
What about safety equipment for the riders? I agree here, too. We do need to study the efficacy of the helmets and vests we are wearing. We need to know if, when, and how well they work.
What about the inherent danger of the sport? Yes. Accidents can, and do happen; we won’t be able to fix them all. I think we should try to fix them anyway. If we save one life a year, it’s an improvement. If it’s your life, I bet you would appreciate it. But we don’t even know if this is what is causing the injuries and fatalities.
What about the short format events? I’m sure you have heard that long format events killed fewer horses and riders. Well, perhaps the number of deaths was lower, but so was the number of starters. I agree that long format events are a great way to increase horsemanship skills. But, eventers of that time were also riding in horse trials, and horse trials were never long format. Riders and horses died then, too. It just wasn’t spread around, and if you weren’t there, you didn’t hear about it until the USCTA news showed up in your mailbox. The long format ship has sailed, and we need to protect the horses and riders of today.
What about increasing qualifications to ride at a higher level? We have pursued this tactic. It hasn’t worked. Your continued survival isn’t proof of your competence, in the same way that incompetence isn’t a sure sign that you will have a terrible fall. I think we absolutely need to pursue excellence in training and teaching. And we need to speak up when someone isn’t equipped to ride at a level beyond their skill set. Our sport needs a culture change where the level you compete at isn’t tied into the respect you get from others. Coaches need to ensure their students are ready for the level they compete at, both physically and mentally. Officials need to back up coaches and competitors who come to them with concerns about the safety of a fellow competitor. And we need to find out how much of a role training, or lack thereof, is taking in the equation of deaths in our sport.
So, how do we fix the deaths and injuries in eventing? I don’t know. No one knows, or we would have fixed it by now. So, I believe that the answer lies in how we find out. I think we need a standardized investigation in every severe incident that happens in our sport. We need to know as much as possible about the incident. We need to collect videos and photos, testimony from officials, jump judges, coaches, spectators, and the rider if possible. We need to collate all of the information. Then we need to analyze it. I’m sure we have some fine statisticians out there who can help us. The final step is this, and I believe it is the most important step. We need to share it – openly and publicly.
Everyone who is interested should have access to the information. Including pictures and videos. I know some of you are horrified right now, but hear me out. I’m a coach, and a trainer, and a rider, a spouse of a rider, and the parent of riders. Every time a fatality happens in my sport, I’m sad. But I also want to know what happened. It’s not because of some morbid curiosity. It’s because I want to know how to keep all of us safe. If there is an awful way to ride a particular fence, I want to know. If there is a training problem that causes fatalities, I want to know. If speed, balance, poorly timed half-halts, angles… If anything is causing these wrecks. I want to know. For myself, for my clients, my friends, my family, and my horses.
We know that this information can be successfully shared, and that it can save lives. NASCAR implemented changes, and reduced fatalities. Climbers and Skydivers collate information and share it widely. It saves lives. We can do the same.
We need to go forward with transparency in our sport. Our lives depend on it.”
-Christian Eagles
Christian is a Level 3 USEA ICP instructor from Wyoming. She has more than 40 years experience in the sport of eventing and has competed through the CCI****L level. Christian has successfully instructed and trained horses and riders from starter level to the top levels of the sport, working with countless different types of both horses/ponies and riders. Additionally, she is a USPC B Graduate and a USDF Bronze Medalist. Christian continues to educate others and compete herself and takes an active role in eventing in Area IX and in the country.