Caution and Competition

The late Christopher Reeve was a vivid testimony to the dangers inherent in any activity involving horses. Reeve broke his neck when he fell off his horse and never walked again.

The front page of yesterday's New York Times reports on the fall, last month, of one of the equestrian world's best riders, Darren Chiacchia. Chiacchia, age 43 helped the US Olympic Team win a bronze medal at the Athens Games and was, according to the Times, "considered a favorite for this year's team." He fell when the stallion he was training on an intermediate course in Tallahassee, Florida, crashed into a fence and nearly crushed him.

Chiacchia spent a week in a coma and is now recuperating at a re-hab facility near his home. He is making a very slow recovery. He sustained rib,lung and head injuries and is able to stand for short periods and carry on short conversations. It is unclear whether or not he will ever be able to ride again, which is how he earned his living.

Chiacchia was injured while training for the cross country-phase of a three day eventing competition. Eventing consists of dressage, cross-country and show jumping--the triathlon of equestrian events--and is extremely difficult. Twelve riders have died while participating in the sport over the last year and half.

Proponents of the sport say that there are too many inexperienced riders competing in events over their heads. Detractors say that the jumps being planned in the cross-country phase of the competition are too challenging and, as one participant noted, bear little resemblance to "galloping cross-country over natural obstacles anymore."

Regardless of which side you are on, the fact remains that any activity that involves horses and riders barreling full speed over any kind of obstacle is dangerous. It is dangerous for horses and riders to charge out of a starting gate at top speeds and the more horses involved, the more dangerous it becomes. Every time I see the stampede of horseflesh that thunders into the first turn at Churchill Downs during the Kentucky Derby, I marvel that no one has been killed.

Certain events carry certain risks, which is not to say that we shouldn't take every precaution necessary to make them less risky, but somehow, the thrill of competing against the best in your sport, seems to minimize our perception of the danger.

I don't pretend to have any answers but I do think that those who make the decision to run with the big boys, accept a certain level of risk. And I bet that if Christopher Reeve had been able to, he would have gotten back on his horse.