Yes, you can improve the outcomes from falls! Check out the next available training seminars Including Strathalbyn South Australia various dates 7th-12th Feb 2017 http://www.horseriderfallsafety.com.au/course-dates Check out the Horse SA website for more events, webinars and farm walks plus educational resources and info for all horse owners and organisations http://www.horsesa.asn.au/events/event/

1. Principles, Science and
Training Methods
It is not enough to know how to ride;
you must know how to fall.
--from a Mexican Proverb

2. Lindsay Nylund
 Cert III in Fitness, Cert IV in Training, BSc PhysEd(Hons), MCom (HRM)
 5 x National All-around Gymnastic Champion
 Silver Medallist in 1978 Commonwealth Games, Edmonton Canada: first
international medal in gymnastics for Australia
 All-around Finalist in 1980 Olympic Games, Moscow USSR
 Australian Gymnastics Federation – Athlete Roll of Honour
 NCAS Advanced Coaching Accreditation (Men’s & Women’s gymnastics)
 Former Head Coach – WA Institute of Sport Men’s Gymnastic Program
 Australian Gymnastic Federation Coach of the Year award
 Coach of State and National Champions, Commonwealth and Olympic
gymnasts
 Horse Rider Fall Safety Training Program – developed and refined over
the past18 months.

3. Agenda
 Fall and Response Times
 Emergency Response Action
 Fall Safety Skills / Video Review
 Tumbling at Speed
 Training Required
 Air-vests
Spontaneity isn’t random. . . . How good people’s decisions are under the
fast moving, high stress condition of rapid cognition is a function of
training and rules and rehearsal.
—Malcolm Gladwell (2005)
Blink: The Power of Thinking without Thinking

4. Fall Times
(1 sec = 1,000 milliseconds)
Height 1.5 meters = 553 ms
Height 2.0 meters = 639 ms
Height 2.5 meters = 714 ms
Jockey Fall Times
Jockey 1 1,000 ms (1 second)
Jockey 2 1,000 ms
Jockey 3 780 ms
Jockey 4 700 ms
Jockey 5 680 ms
Jockey 6 680 ms
Jockey 7 640 ms
Jockey 8 640 ms
Jockey 9 793 ms
Jockey 10 501 ms (1/2 second)
Average 741 ms
Show Jumping / Cross-country
Fall Times
Rider 1 1,334 ms
Rider 2 1,100 ms
Rider 3 1,097 ms
Rider 4 900 ms
Rider 5 800 ms
Rider 6 800 ms
Rider 7 724 ms
Rider 8 667 ms
Rider 9 600 ms
Rider 10 533 ms
Average 855 ms
On average riders have about ¾ of a second (ranging from ½
second to about 1 second) to respond in a fall incident.

5. Response Time
(RT)
SIMPLE REACTION TIME (SRT)
STUDY SUBJECTS TIME (ms)
Gavkare, A. et al. (2013) Undergrad Students / Athletes 134 - 144 ms
Kosinski, R. (2008) University Students 160 - 190 ms
Deng, S. et al. (2006) High School Students 160 - 220 ms
Hitchens, P. et al. (2011) Jockeys and Track-work Riders 192 - 215 ms
What is your Reaction Time? (Ruler drop test)
Catch distance (cm) Reaction Time (ms) Catch distance (cm) Reaction Time (ms)
Fast 10 cm . . . . . . . . . . 143 Good 21 cm . . . . . . . . . . 207
Fast 11 cm . . . . . . . . . . 150 Good 22 cm . . . . . . . . . . 212
Fast 12 cm . . . . . . . . . . 156 Good 23 cm . . . . . . . . . . 217
Fast 13 cm . . . . . . . . . . 163 Good 24 cm . . . . . . . . . . 221
Fast 14 cm . . . . . . . . . . 169 OK 25cm . . . . . . . . . . 226
Fast 15 cm . . . . . . . . . . 175 OK 26 cm . . . . . . . . . . 230
Fast 16 cm . . . . . . . . . . 181 OK 27 cm . . . . . . . . . . 235
Good 17 cm . . . . . . . . . . 186 OK 28 cm . . . . . . . . . . 239
Good 19 cm . . . . . . . . . . 197 OK 29 cm . . . . . . . . . . 243
Good 20 cm . . . . . . . . . . 202 OK 30 cm . . . . . . . . . . 247
Average adult SRT is about 200 ms
RT = Reaction Time + Movement Time

6. Emergency Response Action
250 ms (React)* + 250 ms (Brace) = 500 ms
*(once the rider realises they are falling)
RT = Reaction Time + Movement Time
Movement time = 250 ms
SUMMARY
There is no time for conscious
analysis and evaluation of alternative
courses of action
There is time for trained response
action
Response action can be quick once
trained
Response Time will improve with
training

7. Expectancy
(warning signals)
 Bertelson (1967) found that where
there was a warning of 100 to 200
ms, reaction time was quicker than
when there was no warning.
 In an unexpected fall incident,
additional time is needed (up to
200 ms) to change the focus of
attention from “riding” to “falling”
 Rider response time, after training,
is estimated to be on average 500
ms where there is some warning
signal that the rider may fall and
700 ms where the rider has no
warning signal. Allowing for
individual and situational
differences, this is expanded to a
range of values ±100 ms.

8. Hanging onto the Reins
• Not all falls can be practiced but the advantage of training is to make some
behaviour second nature – crucial when there is only a split second to react.
• There is a tendency to hold on to the reins when falling. . . these images
demonstrate potentially dangerous consequences for the rider.

9. Example of gymnastic
head first fall incident
Video = 25 Frames per second
Hand position to reduce wrist /
elbow injury

10. Rotational/Head First Fall
Training required
Basic session #
 Brace position (1)
 Dive roll drill (1)
 Standing dive roll (3)
Advanced
 Dive roll from fast run (5)
 Dive roll over obstacles(7)
 Bicycle Simulation (9)
Illustrations: SURVIVING THE UNEXPECTED: Fall safety training for horse riders (Nylund, 2016)

11. Sideways Fall
4-point landing
position

12. Prone fall direction
4-point landing
position

13. Backwards Fall
Illustrations: SURVIVING THE UNEXPECTED: Fall safety training for horse riders (Nylund, 2016)

14. Tumbling at Speed
Newtons First Law of Motion
A body at rest will remain at rest or a body in motion will remain in motion unless
acted upon by an external force.
Benefit of Tuck and roll:
 Some of the force is spent on the rolling
 the length of time to come to rest is increased, and
 forces of impact are drastically reduced
 with arms in brace position the forces of impact can be diverted away from the
head and neck
Muscle tension to stay in
tuck position, and arms in
brace position to protect the
head and neck

15. Skills development
 Brace Position
 Feet First Landing
 Four Point Landing
 Forward roll
 Sideways Roll / Egg roll
 Backward Roll
 Jump and land from height
 Emergency Dismount
 Dive Roll
 Straddle / Flank Vault
 Fall Simulation Activities
 Forward Somersault
 Pre-ride safety routines Flank vault over a replica horse
Flank vault + sideways roll

16. Fall Simulation
Activities
 Basic exercises and drills
 Replica Horse
 Mechanical Horse
 Bicycle simulation: forward
dive roll at speed
(advanced skill)

17. Recommended Training
Location
 Any Location (mobile gym); Grassed area 20 meters x 20 meters
 Canopy for bad weather (protection from sun or rain)
Scheduling
 Recommended 10 training sessions (group sizes of approximately 10)
 Can be done intensively, weekly, fortnightly, monthly, holiday programs)
Recommended session times
 Junior: Ages 8 to 12 years – 1 hour
 Youth: Ages 13 to 17 years – 1.5 hours
 Adult: 18 years and over – 2.0 hours

18. Final Questions?
www.horseriderfallsafety.com.au
horseriderfallsafety@gmail.com
Tel: 0416 043 058
“SURVIVING THE UNEXPECTED: Fall safety training for horse riders” – available now
IMPORTANT SAFETY NOTE:
• A number of basic exercises, drills and skills can be practiced by riders
unsupervised.
• Other skills must be learned under the supervision of a qualified fall
safety instructor.