Provided through a partnership between STRIDER & the United States Eventing Association, our Featured Clinician article series published on USEventing.com spotlights a different top industry influencer each month in dressage, showjumping or eventing. It is republished below for widest possible dissemination
The Landsafe Equestrian program enhances all equestrian disciplines by providing accessible fall prevention techniques and education for riders of all levels. Since the programās launch in 2016, co-founders Danny and Keli Warrington have traveled coast-to-coast teaching multi-day clinics focused on reducing risk and injury associated with rider falls.
STRIDER caught up with Danny and Keli shortly after the American Eventing Championships where Landsafe was Title Sponsor of the Event College educational tent. As the dynamic duo headed West to kick off their fall clinic tour, they shared some little-known facts about themselves and their incredible program, plus insight about the importance of having conversations regarding rider falls for the future of equestrian sports.
āNobody is having conversations about falling, but thereās a void between riding and hitting the ground. There is time for a rider to react, but if you donāt know what to think, or how to react/Then, how can you react?ā
The Landsafe Equestrian program was very much founded upon this question. āI thought a lot of rider reaction was lacking during falls. When you watch a fall with a lack of reaction, and then you watch someone fall with a thought processā¦ thereās a big difference. We play a high risk sport. I donāt say that to scare people, but as a reminder to give that some considerationā.
As a former steeplechase and race jockey who has competed through the Three Star Level in eventing, Danny knows a thing or two about high-risk sport. An ICP Level III Instructor, Danny also truly values rider education. When the Landsafe Program was first thought-of, Danny and Keli were both actively competing and successfully operating their training business, Warrington Eventing in Maryland. Keli has competed through the CCI One Star level, and was a nationally ranked gymnast for over 10 years who is also a certified USA Gymnastics Instructor.
With backgrounds in high performance sports, Danny and Keli have been able to emphasize education as a tool to reduce some of the risk associated with equestrian sports. āI wonāt ever forget my very first fall racing. Iād been taught to curl up in a ball get small to avoid getting stepped on. I was in front in a race and I fell, and it seemed like everything got so slow, I watched every horseās foot. Knowing what to do in that moment and getting up and walking away.. it just instilled confidence. If you know what youāre doing and how to get small, the outcome probably wonāt be as bad,ā Danny says.
āThe idea for the program happened about 10 years ago, but it really took some time to develop. I was doing a lot of studies, looking at photographs and videos of falls, but I was also riding at the time so I couldnāt focus my attention on the program. There was a time when I thought I was going to get away from the horses all together but it didnāt work out that way and Iāve signed on for another 10 years it looks like!ā
A purposeful blend of gymnastic skills, confidence building, and falling practice on Landsafeās customized Simulator are at the core of the unmounted workshops. Danny also credits Keliās unique teaching abilities as a key component of the programās success. āSheās a great coach and has a ton of confidence plus knowledge about body shaping and awareness. [Keli] has made the program so tangible and teachable. She can take someone who has never done a somersault before starting the program and have them comfortably doing tons by the endā.
Are you wondering just how accessible the Landsafe program is? āWeāve run the gauntlet with who has done the program. We get everyone from 12 year olds and the eldest participant weāve had was 70! To be honest, the program was designed for high performance riders, but it has turned out to give adult amateur riders a new lease on confidenceā.
āWeāve had riders of every shape, size, and level of coordination successfully complete the program. If everyone came in like a ninja, I would be out of a job. I have to make you the best ninja you can be,ā Danny jokes.
Landsafe workshops take place over two days, with groups of up to 10 participants training for approximately four hours each day to work through the levels. These small groups allow for personalized instruction and enable participants plenty of time to develop their skills. āThereās only so much you can do in one day because itās a physical program. Muscles get tired, and we donāt want people to make mistakesā.
āWe love to help people. We had 15 people come up to us at the AECs and thank us. Weāve worked very hard for the last 3 years and in that time weāve reduced enough injury to put a little smile on our faces. If I save one life in the next 20 years Iāve done a lot more than tons of other people have done for the sport,ā says Danny.
That hard work is certainly paying off for Danny and Keli, who are rewarded for their efforts when riders are able to walk away from falls that might have been worse had they not experienced Landsafe training. āWe had a rider have a pretty good rotational at StableView last year. She came up to us and said āsorry, I didnāt do the LandSafe stuffā. Sure enough, we watched the video, and she did exactly what she was trained to do, it had happened so fast she just didnāt realize itā.
Landsafe has upheld the commitment to improving the safety of equestrian sports, and to reducing some of the risk in the sport of eventing. āWhat weāre finding is that this is a new safety measure. We are realistic and understand that we arenāt going to avoid/ reduce/ save every injury. The time when youāre in the air is the worst 500 milliseconds of your life. Landsafe can help you slow that down, and educate you through that process. We are not claiming that this is the only answer, but weāre saying this can helpā.
āI was asked a long time ago, āwhat is safety?ā and I truly believe education is safety. The more educated you can be about the horses you ride, the levels you compete, and how to adapt to new situations, the better. This program will help riders stay on. [Landsafe] will help you learn to think your way through, and give you some extra time to react. But, thatās something you often donāt realize until after the factā.
āI want people to look at this from an athletic standpoint. Look at what other sports are doing for concussion training and prevention. For equine sports as a whole all that we are doing is putting on a helmet. We know from football thatās not enough; you need to learn to be more stable in your body so you donāt get whiplash and you can use your hands and body to absorb impactā.
Danny and Keliās clinic tour stretches from coast to coast. You can find & register for an upcoming Landsafe Equestrian opportunity on STRIDER by clicking here. For more details on the Landsafe Program, head to www.landsafeequestrian.com.