Sleepless in the Saddle – Liz Leighton

Equestrian Awareness – Tiredness & Fatigue

Elizabeth (Liz) Leighton – Horse Safety Australia Accredited Senior Instructor
Partner Ian Leighton Horsemanship

I’ve been thinking about the realities of the working lifestyle and riding over a few years now, and have found myself at times struggling to find the motivation to push myself further with my riding.  I’ve since discovered that much of this is due to stress and physical imbalances that have manifested themselves at times as lethargy and a lack of mental focus.  I am a continual work in progress to be a better, fitter and more mentally present horsewoman, and am fortunate to have a great support network to help me on this path.

A discussion a while ago with my nephew about his post graduate studies into sleep disorders, fatigue, routines and disruptions in high risk industries started me thinking about the impact of  fatigue in equestrian activities.  I’m not just referring to workplace or competitive environments but also recreational and trail riding activities as well as general handling.

I’ve had a number of conversations over the years with horse owners following injury, returning to the saddle after recovery or making the difficult decision to not ride again.  It started me on the search for information on horse activity incidents to see if there was any pattern that could indicate a higher likelihood of an incident occurring.  With a background in risk management and compliance, I was looking to raise some awareness and wider discussion on how we could proactively reduce the likelihood of injury, and simple strategies we could all use to make our equestrian activities safer.

A common response I started to hear was that accidents and injuries occurred often when people were tired or suffering from fatigue, and it was only on review that they identified that this was the case.  Often the scenario involved attending an event, a late night preparing beforehand, an early start to the day and limited sleep, travel time, not eating well or drinking enough fluids, competition or event induced stress, or just trying to fit in a ride or training session around many of life’s other challenging time demanding activities and feeling rushed.

It was often at “the last jump of the day”, that “let’s just try one more” moment, after a lunch break, or mid/late afternoon when concentration, energy or both, lapsed.

Returning to equestrian activities after a break when fitness was not at its optimum was also an issue.

It’s not just the risk of rider falls, there are significant risks associated with the general handling horses, including transportation and providing husbandry and welfare care.

I’m not an expert in the area of fatigue or the study of sleep disorders, but I am acutely aware as a horse owner and instructor that handing horses or riding tired/fatigued has safety implications for both people and horses, as well as a reduction in overall performance.

As horse owners we need to be more aware of our physical and mental capacity to stay focussed and safe.  Each person’s capability will vary so we need to be aware not only of our own limits, but also those around us.

I think we would all raise our hands if we were asked the question, “have we ever ridden or handled horses when we were overly tired, fatigued or physically/mentally inattentive?”

The Impact of Tiredness and Fatigue

From time to time we all get tired.  Lack of sleep, busy lifestyle, inadequate nutrition and stress can all contribute to us feeling physically or mentally off our best.  Our fitness level will also determine our stamina.  Tiredness can arise from lack of sleep, stress, physical or mental exertion, and can be compounded by weather conditions such as heat or cold, as our bodies use our energy reserves to function.  Fatigue, particularly long-term fatigue, may have an underlying medical or lifestyle cause and referral to a medical health professional might be necessary to put a plan in place to manage.

It is important to recognise that being tired or fatigued is not just physical , it also impacts on our mental state and our capacity to respond or perform.  Whether we are living with constant fatigue or our tiredness is temporary as a result of lack of sleep or a temporary event, the impact is often the same.  When we are overly tired or fatigued, our ability to think clearly and respond appropriately is compromised.  It has a large impact on our decision-making capacity, our critical judgement and our ability to quickly react correctly and safely. 

There are some alarming statistics available that include fatigue as a contributing factor across different aspects of life.

Around 20% of fatal road accidents involve driver tiredness or fatigue. According to VicRoads Road Accident Facts Victoria, 1998 Edition, about 30% of severe single vehicle crashes in rural areas involve the driver being fatigued.  Most of us would have heard the message of “don’t drive tired” and “stop, revive, survive” – but now often to we apply the same message to ourselves when working with our horses.

Tiredness and fatigue are recognised as contributing factors in workplace safety incidents. Worksafe Australia’s Guide for managing the risk of fatigue at work highlights some of the safety concerns.  Key here is learning to identify the factors that contribute to and increase the risk of inattentiveness and fatigue and how we can modify our work environments to be safer.  Our equestrian environments are no different, awareness is a key component to staying safe.

The WorkSafe Australia Guide to managing risks when new and inexperienced persons interact with horses  indicates that between July 2008 to June 2011, there were 11,635 admissions to hospital for horse-related incidents, 11.5% being work related.  This leaves 88.5% of these being non-work related – we are all at risk regardless of whether we are professionals or enjoy recreational equestrian activities.   For injuries, females account for two-thirds of hospital admissions, and 40% occurred whilst being engaged in horse sports, with trail or general horseback riding account for 80% of cases within this activity.  It is not just in the competition arena that these injuries occur.

Sports injury statistics show injury related presentations to emergency departments involving horse riding/equestrian activities rank in the top 10.

I’m yet to find specific statistics on horse/equestrian injuries that go as far as to identify rider tiredness or fatigue as a contributing factor, but common sense and comparison to other high risk activity statistics would tell us that activities with a significant risk such as horse riding raise the likelihood of incident when we participate tired or fatigued.  It impairs our judgement, our ability to react or respond and our awareness of harmful risks or situations.

Whatever the environment or activity we participate in with horses, one thing appears evident.  There is a much higher risk of injury when we do any activity that requires focus, attention, physical or mental exertion, when we are overly tired or fatigued.  There is no argument that horse related activities fall into this category, whether competitive or recreational.

As responsible horse owners we need to look at everything we can do to keep ourselves and our horses safe.  This includes being physically and mentally aware of our surroundings, and knowing when we are pushing our limits of staying alert and safe.

Signs of Tiredness & Fatigue

As a horse owner, I have a series of checklists that I use.  What equipment do I need to have available, what do I need to pack when going to an event or social ride away from home, steps I go through as part of my riding preparation, groundwork and warmup – these are all checklists that I refer to from time to time.  I am aware of the mental and physical requirements of being an effective rider.

I think having a mental checklist to avoid handling horses or riding when overly tired or developing fatigue is very useful.  Know the signs, tips to manage tiredness and fatigue and importantly, recognise when to call it a day before succumbing to over-tiredness with enough in the mental tank to safely travel home and put our horses away.

I also think it’s important to know the signs of tiredness and fatigue for those around us – particularly for those younger or novice riders whose decision-making capacity is sometimes impaired by inexperience.    Accidents and injury impact not only on the person involved but can have a serious impact on friends, family and those witnessing or at the same event.   Awareness is one of our greatest attributes in preventing accidents and injury, for ourselves and for those around us.

Some signs of tiredness include:

• Yawning
• Poor concentration
• Sore/tired eyes
• Restlessness
• Drowsiness
• Slow reactions
• Boredom

Severe tiredness can lead a lack of physical energy, and eventually exhaustion, impacting on not only mental capacity to react but the bodies capacity to respond.   Our ability to physically balance and correct our position in the event of an unanticipated movement or stumble by our horse is paramount to rider safety.

Fatigue, particularly constant fatigue, is a more serious condition that can have many different symptoms, and should treated by a medical professional.

• tiredness even after sleep
• reduced hand-eye coordination or slow reflexes
• short term memory problems and an inability to concentrate
• blurred vision or impaired visual perception
• a need for extended sleep during days off school or work

The Body Clock – Our Circadian Rhythm

The body clock is the body’s natural rhythm repeated every 24 hours. It is known as the circadian rhythm.  It regulates functions including sleeping patterns, body temperature, hormone levels and digestion. As it is programmed for different levels of wakefulness, and people experience different levels of alertness depending on the time of the day.

Our circadian rhythm will affect how we feel throughout the day.  It will regulate the timing of when we feel most awake and when we feel most sleepy.   If we keep a regular sleeping routine, this rhythm should stay balanced, but a change in our schedule can disrupt our body clock.  When our body clock is out of step alertness decreases making us feel fatigued. This increases the risk of making errors and causing incidents and injuries. This is particularly relevant to those who undertake shift work or have irregular sleep routines.

Most people will feel the strongest desire to sleep between 2:00am and 4:00am and then again 1:00pm – 3:00pm.   It is this afternoon “post-lunch” period that can sometimes catch us out, particularly when combined with the effects of tiredness or fatigue.

Interestingly, there is also research being undertaken on equine circadian rhythms and the effect of exercise routine.  Whilst establishing or identifying these rhythms in horses is challenging due to their sleep-wake patterns being different from us, the timing of actively periods, long distance travel and competition periods when their routine is changed is something the high-performance equestrian community is exploring.  A change in sleep/rest and routine can have an effect on our horses too.

Tips to Manage Tiredness and Fatigue

Most of us are not professional riders, equestrian athletes, who train for hours each week to develop and maintain peak physical and mental fitness.  Most of us get a few hours a week at best to condition ourselves and our horses for the level of physical activity we undertake.   We need to be more aware and mindful of this.

We all need to learn the signs of becoming too tired to continue safely.   We all need to be more aware of our physical and mental fitness and our limits before they are reached.  We need to understand how our concentration and judgment can be compromised when we are tired.

Some easy things we can do:

• Work on improving our own fitness and strength
• Eat a nutritious and appropriate diet
• Sleep/rest adequately and maintain a good sleep routine
• Be mindful of the role that stress plays in our physical and mental fitness
• Be aware that shift work and changes to our sleep routine will impact on our body clock, and our physical and mental alertness
• Seek medical advice if any of the above are out of balance in our life and seek assistance to establish a healthy life/balance routine
• Develop an attentive attitude, avoid complacency
• If we can, schedule our handling/riding times to when we feel most alert
• During those times of tiredness or fatigue, when our concentration is low and reaction time slow, if we have to undertake tasks be more aware

If travelling to an event or competition:

Prepare for travel without leaving the major packing up until the night before (checklists help greatly here)

• If it’s a multi-day event and you are staying over, pack comfortable and warm bedding for a good night’s sleep
• Get an early night/good night’s sleep the night before leaving home
• Eat well in the morning and during the day – we all know nerves can make us feel uneasy and we may not want to eat, identify foods that provide the right kind of nutrition/energy to get through the day and have a supply on hand
• Hydrate – drink water, add a bit of refreshing lemon or lime (my preference)
• Prepare for the forecasted weather conditions, don’t overheat or get too cold
• Pace yourself – rest in between classes or sessions
• Take a brisk walk or do something physical to warm and wake the body and mind up before resuming handling/riding after a break
• Be aware that you will still need to travel home after your event, so have enough in reserve to remain alert and focussed for the drive home

Taking some time out  for discussion & rest

If riding or handling horses during the times we know our body clock is telling us that we aren’t at our most alert, or after a rest period:

• Eat something nutritious before-hand which will provide our body with energy, identify the types of food that provide good body fuel and have these readily available
• Go for a brisk walk or do something physical to get our body warmed up before we start working with our horse. Squats, lunges, anything that raises the heart rate a little and increases oxygen intake and gets our muscles moving will improve our physical and mental alertness.  Incorporate some physical exercises and stretches into our pre-ride warmup
• Hydrate – drink water & have water on hand if we are going to be working for a while

A well ridden/handled halt

Lastly and most importantly, learn to recognise when we should stop.  Even if our event isn’t completed, or we have planned a longer riding session.   If you are at a full day event and you need a break, take one.     Instructors or event coordinators will understand if you politely let them know you need a break.  Sit out a session, you can still be involved in the learning by listening from the sidelines.

If we are performing husbandry or handling activities, try to schedule those that require focus, attention and energy at times when we are likely to be alert.   Take time to be more aware if we have to do these activities when we are tired, or ask for help from a capable person.

We aren’t doing ourselves or our horse any favours by over facing ourselves physically or mentally.   Chances are that our horse may also be feeling a little off his best – particularly if it’s been a long event or competition day, our horse isn’t conditioned or fit or the weather conditions challenging.  If we feel the serious effects of being overly tired or fatigued creeping in, don’t be afraid to call it a day.  There will always be another ride to look forward to, and we all need to be responsible for ourselves and our horse’s welfare before anything else.

We can all take a little more responsibility for our own safety when we are around our horses, and be a little more proactive about it.  Exercising good judgment is something we all need to develop in our horsemanship.   Adopting a “Don’t Ride Tired” approach is wise, and something we can all easily self-manage.

Breathe & Ride

 

Refences

Transport Accident Commission Victoria www.tac.vic.gov.au
Safe Work Australia  Guide for Managing the Risk of Fatigue at Work November 2013
WorkSafe Australia Guide to managing risks when new and inexperienced persons interact with horses June 2014
D Tharanga Fernando, Janneke Berecki-Gisolf, Caroline F Finch Sports injuries in Victoria, 2012-13 to 2014-15: evidence from emergency department records –  April 2018
National Sleep Foundation www.sleepfoundation.org
Raymond A. Cripps Horse-related injury in Australia  Australian Injury Prevention Bulletin No. 24 May 2000
Murphy, Barbara & Wagner, A.L. & McGlynn, O.F. & Kharazyan, Faezeh & Browne, John & Elliott, Jeffrey. (2014). Exercise influences circadian gene expression in equine skeletal muscle. The Veterinary Journal. 201. 10.1016/j.tvjl.2014.03.028.