Welcome+-+Equestrian+Medical+Safety+Association

Thomas, Katie. "Equestrians’ Deaths Spread Unease in Sport." //The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia//. 9 Apr. 2008. Web. 17 Sept. 2010.
 * 1)  12 deaths in the equestrian world rattled many people, and they started to think of ways to make this sport safer.
 * 2)  The US Olympic eventing team coach is Mark Phillips. He designs competition courses.
 * 3)  One recent major injury in Equestrian competition is Mr. Darren Chiacchia. He fell during while training his intermediate horse two years ago when his horse refused the jump and crashed through the jump crushing and nearly killing Mr. Chiacchia.
 * 4)  Chiacchia was in a coma for several days and then transported to a rehabilitation center near his home in Buffalo.
 * 5)  Chiacchia is considered one of the finest riders in our country.
 * 6)  This injury made the equestrian community take a step back and wonder if this injury and others more serious than this be prevented.
 * 7)  People wanted Mr. Phillips fired. They said that he wasn’t doing his job of keep the riders, and horses safe.
 * 8)  While most experts will say that most accidents occur to experienced riders who are over confident. Top competitors say that they sports growing popularity is encouraging amateur riders to come in and take unknowingly take too large of risks.
 * 9)  “The overall trends, particularly over the last three years, are unmistakable and, in my view, totally unacceptable. I know that my concern that the sport has gotten off track is shared by many of our members, amateurs and professionals alike.” Mr. Baumgardner’s letter generated 500 phone calls and e-mail responses.
 * 10)  An Olympic sport since 1912, eventing originated as a way to test the ability and endurance of military horses. It is often called a horse triathlon because participants compete in three events over one-, two- or three-day competitions: the delicate footwork of dressage, the beauty and control of show jumping, and the endurance and daring of cross-country racing. The winding courses of up to two and a half miles are designed to mimic the natural obstacles of rural landscapes.
 * 11)  The cross-country phase is the most dangerous, as horse and rider are required to clear 20 to 40 jumps in an established time period. Penalties are assessed if the horse balks at a jump, if the horse or rider falls, or if their time is too slow. Riders look for courage and well-roundedness in eventing horses, which can cost anywhere from $25,000 to $1 million each.
 * 12)  Mr. Chiacchia’s fall, said Anastasia Curwood, an amateur rider who teaches African-American history at Vanderbilt University, “was kind of a tipping point for a large number of people to get active and try to make some change.”
 * 13)  As an existing safety precaution, competitors are encouraged to review the courses in advance and communicate any concerns they have to “rider representatives,” who then inform event organizers. Mr. Phillips said he received no complaints on the Red Hills course, only compliments, and said he considered Mr. Chiacchia’s crash a fluke.
 * 14)  In 1999, five British riders died in a matter of months and calls flooded in to make cross-country courses safer.
 * 15)  British organizers developed frangible pins that can be inserted into certain fences to allow the rail to drop when a horse hits it.
 * 16)  Although the pins have been available since 2001 and have been shown to be effective in helping to prevent rotational falls, they are used in only 4 percent of obstacles in Britain, where they are mandatory on certain fences. They are even scarcer in the United States.
 * 17)  Like many equestrian athletes, eventers say they accept a certain level of risk, given that their fate is linked to a 1,000-pound animal with a mind of its own.