Motivation
Due to horses’ unpredictable nature, height, and speed, equestrian athletes face higher head and spinal injury risk with more hospital visits reported in the literature than for skiing, motorcycle racing, or football. Equestrian events present unique emergency response challenges including diverse terrain, the presence of large animals, and sometimes remote locations. Laypersons, volunteers, competition officials, and EMS personnel have voiced the need for training videos on responding to equestrian incident scenarios.
Approach
This GamePlan film provides an Emergency Action Plan (EAP) as well as real-world scenarios showing the intricacies of rescues at water jumps, in confined spaces, in sand arenas, and at cross-country locations.
Topics addressed include cervical spine stabilization techniques, helmet and vest management in incidents, transfer and extrication techniques, and emergency vehicle and helicopter access best practices.
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Where We Are
This is the third film in The Sports Institute’s GamePlan video series. Previous films featuring Super Bowl champion Cliff Avril (88,000+ views) and professional soccer player Jess Fishlock (25,000+ views) have been integrated into medical and athletic personnel training around the world.
Video: [Video link to be added upon release]
Copyright © 2026 The Sports Institute at UW Medicine and University of Washington. All rights reserved. This video is freely available for educational purposes. Commercial use or modification is prohibited without permission.
Partners
Aspen Farms, The Distillery, Seattle Fire Department Medic One, US Eventing Association, UW Medicine
Special thanks to all the equestrian athletes, horses, medical professionals, EMS personnel, and volunteers who participated in creating this essential safety resource for the equestrian community.
Sponsors:
Gold Sponsors:
Anonymous
Crotty Family Foundation
Bronze Sponsors:
Adler Giersch, PS, Law Firm
U.S. Eventing Association Foundation
Equipment Sponsors:
Hit-Air Equestrian
Tipperary Equestrian
Disclaimer:
The information presented in this film is intended solely for educational and informational purposes. It is not intended to be used as a standard of care. It illustrates general principles for responding to potential head and/or cervical spine injuries in equestrian sports. It is not medical advice and should never be used as a substitute for professional clinical judgment. All emergency response and clinical decisions remain at the discretion of the responding medical providers and are dependent on the specific injury scenarios and availability of qualified medical personnel and resources at the time of injury. If there is suspicion of an injury, immediately contact emergency medical services and follow the instructions of those trained healthcare providers.
The film does not depict real life events. No horses were harmed in the making of this film. All scenes involving horses were carefully monitored to ensure their safety and wellbeing. Any scenes with horses were performed in controlled environments under supervision.