How to handle most common accidents that occur in horse riding
Handling a Dislodged Tooth
Most of the time when a tooth has been knocked out, it can be replanted and retained for life, especially if the tooth has been properly handled. One critical factor in achieving a successful replant is the care and handling of a dislodged tooth.
The best way to store a tooth is to immerse it in a pH-balanced buffered cell-preserving solution, such as Hank’s or Viaspan® (used for transplant organ storage). Hank’s solution (under the trade name Save-a-Tooth®) may be purchased over the counter at many drugstores. With the use of a proper storage and carrying container, there is an excellent chance of having a dislodged tooth successfully replanted.
Vision and Corrective Lenses
Your vision, just like the strength in your arms and legs, is an important part of your overall performance, and the demands on your vision during sporting activities are rigorous. To ride your best, you must know what’s behind you, beside you, and in front of you at all times, and this takes a variety of visual skills. If your natural vision inhibits your athletic performance, ask your doctor about corrective lenses.
Today’s eye-care practitioners use a wide variety of lens materials. Among them are the new impact-resistant lenses now available for use in prescription glasses. These lenses are cosmetically excellent, reasonable in cost, lightweight, and will not shatter if broken.
Another option is contact lenses. Available in hard and soft lens materials, contacts offer many excellent advantages to the athlete. For best results, tell your doctor about the type (or types) of riding that you do. That information will be helpful to the doctor in selecting the best lenses for you. If you wear contact lenses, take your cleaning and wetting solutions with you to all equestrian events, and notify your riding instructor that you are wearing contacts. Instructors, as well as riders and parents, should have a basic understanding of how to remove, insert, or recenter a contact lens.
Getting a foreign object in the eye is the most common eye problem associated with riding. Fortunately, these foreign objects are usually in the form of minor irritants, such as dust, dirt, or sand. More serious intrusions, such as a blow to the head, may produce bleeding in or under the skin, causing a black eye. An ice pack will reduce swelling until a doctor can evaluate the injury.