In 2025, Rider Minds supported researcher Amelia Collins in recruiting participants for an interview study exploring the lived recovery experiences of female riders, highlighting the lack of education around both the symptoms and the severity of concussion as a brain injury, and misdiagnosis from professionals, leading to delayed care and prolonged recovery time.

Findings show that prolonged concussion recovery is not only physical, but also psychological, social and identity-related. Many riders reported cognitive and emotional changes such as poor concentration, low mood and mental fatigue that were not initially recognised as concussion-related and were sometimes attributed to stress or anxiety, which delayed appropriate care.

A lack of concussion awareness also meant many riders underestimated their symptoms and continued riding or working through them, unknowingly prolonging recovery with one rider commenting, “Sometimes you don’t realise you’re concussed. I tried to carry on and the recovery time was two years nine months”. Less visible or delayed symptoms, including migraines, sensory overload and extreme fatigue, were often not connected to concussion.

The study also found that many riders underestimated the seriousness of their symptoms. Limited awareness of concussion meant riders often pushed through warning signs, unknowingly prolonging their recovery. One participant recalled, “I tried to carry on anyway, eventually thinking, God, I feel worse. I woke up and thought I’d broken my back. I couldn’t feel my legs as they were numb, I was getting pins and needles, severe back pain and I couldn’t walk.”

For some, uncertainty arose from not recognising less visible or delayed symptoms as concussion-related, “I felt like I wanted the world to switch off… turns out I was actually having a migraine, but because I didn’t have a headache I wasn’t connecting the two.”

These difficulties in recognising and interpreting symptoms often delayed access to appropriate care, complicating and extending recovery journeys.

Amelia a master’s graduate of Winchester University, said, “Being both a coach and a rider, I’ve seen firsthand how often concussion symptoms are minimised. Many riders just focus on pushing through, unaware that this is a serious brain injury that can have long-lasting effects, and that recovery from concussion can be a hard process.   

I’m incredibly grateful to all the interview participants who generously shared their time and insights, this research simply wouldn’t have been possible without them. Speaking to them was a powerful experience for me and I hope this research helps raise awareness of concussion in equestrian sport. Change starts with education and by sharing these stories, we can begin to turn knowledge into action within the sport, supporting riders as they navigate their concussion recovery journeys.”

The findings highlight the need for improved concussion awareness within equestrian sport, greater and earlier recognition of cognitive and emotional symptoms, and better education for both riders and medical professionals around prolonged concussion recovery, and a more compassionate understanding of concussion recovery in equestrian sport.

Riders Mind Mental Health Expert Sylvia Bruce commented “I echo the above. We are, after all, talking about concussion – a brain injury, I repeat, a brain injury, not just ‘a bump on the head’. This essential understanding is vital for all equestrians, not just riders. Reading some riders’ experiences with medical professionals was both shocking and saddening, highlighting the need for a more joined-up, less fragmented, way of thinking regarding all aspects of concussion. This research also shows how we can all make simple changes that will make a difference.”

Mental health and wellbeing charity Riders Minds are dedicated to supporting research and developed a post-concussion mental health checker as part of their Head First Campaign. The checker is free to use and available here.

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