People working with horses seem to simply accept that, traditionally speaking, equestrianism is high-risk, Chapman said—a mindset that continues to reinforce the industry’s high accident rate. | Photo: iStock

Working with horses is risky and sometimes dangerous; we all know this. But so is mountain climbing. So is motorcycle racing. So are contact sports such as karate and boxing. And so are certain nonsport professions, such as construction, transportation, and mining.

In contrast to these fields, though, horse-related activities receive less attention to risk management, said Meredith Chapman, who’s a risk management engineer specializing in industrial safety. She’s currently a PhD student at the CQUniversity Rockhampton campus in Queensland, Australia, and presented on risk management in the horse industry at the 15^th annual conference of the International Society for Equitation Science (ISES), held August 19-21 in Guelph, Ontario, Canada.

Addressing Risk Head-On

People working with horses seem to simply accept that, traditionally speaking, equestrianism is high-risk, she said—a mindset that continues to reinforce the industry’s high accident rate