 | "You
never think it's going to happen to you." Lucy Caley's mum | How
safe is horse riding and are you safety conscious? |
Riding
dangers Most children love horse riding, and there's no doubt that learning
to ride can be a thrilling experience. But it's one that can turn to tragedy
- at any age.
Imagine a motorbike that does 180mph, 0-60 in three seconds. In
the wrong hands, a horse can be lethal - an accident waiting to happen. Even
Superman, Christopher Reeve, a gifted horseman, was left paralysed after a riding
accident. Inside Out reveals disturbing evidence that thousands of us are
underestimating the risks of learning to ride. Serious
accidents Air ambulance crews had to be scrambled to help the
victims of serious riding accidents in rural Yorkshire and Lincolnshire nearly
150 times in 2006. Falls from horses can result in broken bones, spinal
injuries, even brain damage.  | | Horse
riding can be a dangerous sport |
In fact, our two air ambulances
carried more riders to hospital last year than motorcyclists.
Our research
revealed something else surprising - that you're actually 20 times more likely
to have an accident on a horse than on a bike. Unlike a motorbike, a horse
isn't a machine - it hasn't got brakes, and you've got a lot further to fall.
And the injuries can be just as bad, if not worse.
Doctors say
that injuries are an inevitable consequence of horse riding - especially in rural
areas such as North Yorkshire. Injuries Many
patients escape serious injury and are released from hospital within days. But
others aren't so lucky. Sarah Beal was picked up after a hunting accident
- her injuries were horrendous. She owes her life to the air ambulance
crew - she was minutes from death when their helicopter arrived.  | | Sarah
suffered horrendous injuries |
Now she's back riding again
on the same horse. But for some, a fall means never being able to ride again. Sally
Wilson owns a stable of 30 racehorses near Louth. But she wasn't racing
when her accident happened - she was in her own stable yard when her horse threw
her and she broke her neck. Sally spent a year in hospital and is
now paralysed - the accident has changed her life completely. In spite
of all she's been through, Sally says she would get back on a horse tomorrow if
she could. She's now learning to drive a horse and carriage, with the help
of an instructor from Riding for the Disabled.
Safe
ride
Over a million of our children ride - and most grow up
to become real enthusiasts, passing on their love of the sport to the next generation. But
what danger are we putting them in? Lucy Caley shared the family's passion
for horses and riding. Aged just 13 she was an expert horsewoman frequently
competing in local show jumping events.  | | Lucy
Caley loved riding but died tragically after a fall |
Lucy was
known by all her friends to be a stickler for safety. Then one day while
she was riding with friends near Beverley, she came off and the horse fell on
top of her. She died of her injuries. Lucy had taken all the right
precautions, but in the end they weren't enough: "Lucy's
accident was a complete freak - it shattered her liverÂ… she was wearing a
back protector.. nothing could have saved her.. it was one of those freak falls."
Her
mum says it has been a great loss: "You never think it's
going to happen to you."
Safety
first
Three million people ride in Britain - and riding lessons
are as much a part of life for many families as piano lessons.  | | Keen
horsewoman and vet Emma Milne says always learn to ride at a reputable riding
school |
So are our riding schools up to scratch and is safety
high on their agendas?
We asked Anne Pickles who runs a riding school
near Keighley. She has serious concerns that children aren't always being
taught properly. So if you've thinking about taking riding lessons, check
out the credentials of the school you're going to first. For some people
riding is in their blood, but safety is something that increasingly we need to
be concerned about. Links
relating to this story:The BBC is not responsible for the
content of external websites | 
Inside
Out - Yorkshire & Lincolnshire: Friday March 23, 2007
