This is a list of people and fictional characters who had severe injuries, or died from accidents related to
horses. Some of the listed accidents had important political and historical consequences, which are given when relevant.
Celebrities
Holbrook Blinn (1872–1928), Broadway stage star and silent screen actor, died from injuries in an accident on the grounds of his estate.
Cole Porter (1891–1964) American composer and songwriter. In a 1937 riding accident his legs were crushed leaving him in chronic pain, largely crippled. (According to a biography by William McBrien and oral history by Brendan Gill.) His right leg was amputated in 1958 as a result of the injury.
Shyam Chadha (1920–1951), a celebrated Indian actor from Hindi and Punjabi films, died from injuries suffered after falling off a horse.
Maureen Connolly (1934–1969), tennis star, career ended in 1954 by injuries suffered in a collision between her horse and a truck.
Malcolm Baldrige Jr. (1922–1987), American politician and United States Secretary of Commerce from 1981 until his death in 1987, from internal injuries sustained in a rodeo accident, when the horse he was riding fell on him during a calf-roping competition.
Roy Kinnear (1934–1988), British character actor, bled to death due to a broken pelvis sustained in a fall from a horse.
Kazu Makino (b. 1969), a rock singer, suffered an accident falling from a horse in 2002; the horse trampled her jaw and crushed her facial bones, which required massive reconstructive surgery.
Historical figures
According to this legend, romanticized by
Alexander Pushkin in his celebrated ballad "The Song of the Wise Oleg", it was prophesied by the pagan priests that
Oleg of Novgorod (?–912) would take death from his stallion. Proud of his own foretelling abilities, he sent the horse away. Many years later he asked where his horse was, and was told it had died. He asked to see the remains and was taken to the place where the bones lay. When he touched the horse's skull with his boot a snake slithered from the skull and bit him. Oleg died, thus fulfilling the prophecy.
King
Afonso I of Portugal (1109–1185), was severely injured in a fall from a horse in 1167 during a battle; he was captured and as ransom, Portugal had to surrender to
Castile all conquests made in
Galicia in the previous years; they were never recovered.
King
Alexander III of Scotland (d. 1286), when he and his horse went off the road in the dark, and fell over a cliff; the long term outcome was increased English influence and the
First Scottish War of Independence and the immediate result was a regency because heirs were underage or unborn.
Frederick I Barbarossa (d. 1190), while crossing the
Saleph River in
Cilicia, south-eastern
Anatolia. It is thought that he was thrown from his horse into the cold water and had a fatal heart attack or drowned as a result.
Fulk of Jerusalem, fell from his horse while hunting in 1143. His wooden saddle fell after him, striking him on the head, causing fatal injuries.
Genghis Khan (d. 1227), from injuries resulting from a fall from a horse.
Geronimo (1829–1909), prominent leader of the Bedonkohe Apache who fought against Mexico and Texas for several decades during the Apache Wars. Geronimo was thrown from his horse while riding home and lay in the cold all night, contracting pneumonia, from which he died.
Mary, Queen of Hungary, died childless but heavily pregnant on 17 May 1395 when her horse tripped, threw her and landed on top of her.
Mary, Duchess of Burgundy (d. 1482), from a horse riding accident; after her death, the Burgundy estates (of which she herself had lost Picardy and
duchy of Burgundy) formed a part of Habsburg domains.
Pope Urban VI (d. 1389), from injuries sustained after falling from a
mule.
Robert Peel, thrown from his horse while riding up Constitution Hill in London on 29 June 1850. The horse stumbled on top of him and he died three days later on 2 July at the age of 62 due to a clavicular fracture rupturing his subclavian vessels.
Roderick, king of the
Visigoths (d. 712), drowned after falling from his horse while attempting to escape through a river, following his defeat by the
Moors who then conquered the rest of
Hispania. Although his body was never found, his horse was recovered, with a boot tangled in one stirrup.
Saborios,
Byzantine general and rebel (d. 678), when his horse bolted, slamming his head on a city gate and killing him.
Stefan Dragutin,
Serbian king, in 1282 broke leg after falling from horse, became lame and so had to give the throne to
Stefan Milutin; this later provoked a war between Milutin and Dragutin's son
Vladislav.
Theodoric Strabo, died in 481 after falling from his horse over a spear rack. His death allowed
Theoderic to assume uncontested supreme command and unify the
Ostrogoths into a force that conquered Italy after the Fall of the Roman Empire.
William the Conqueror died aged 60 at the Convent of St. Gervais, near
Rouen, France, on 9 September 1087 from abdominal injuries received from his saddle pommel when he fell off a horse at the Siege of
Mantes.
William III of England (d. 1702), from injuries received after his horse tripped on a molehill.
Amado Credidio, 24, Panamanian jockey, died when his mount Spartan Monk clipped heels with another horse in a race at Aqueduct on March 29, 1982. He fell into the path of oncoming horses which could not avoid him.[3]
Earl Dew, 19, American jockey, 1940 national champion. Died from head injuries caused from a spill in the 6th race on 2 February 1941. It was Earl Dew day at
Agua Caliente Racetrack.
George Woolf, Canadian jockey, concussion after a fall during a race at Santa Anita Park believed to have been caused by
hypoglycemia. (Woolf was a
Type 1 diabetic.)
Carlos Gracida, thrown and crushed by horse during a polo match in 2014.
Edward Hempstead (1780–1817), American lawyer, thrown and died six days later.
Kim Hyung-chil, died in December 2006 while competing in the cross-country part of the three-day event in the
2006 Asian Games.
Erica Marshall, in 2012, Dr. Marshall died in an explosion of a
hyperbaric oxygen chamber when the horse that was being treated caused a spark with his metal horseshoe.
Julio Bautista, a poor farm worker in
Stephen King's The Dark Tower. Died when trying to lead his horse to water.
John Andrew Last is fatally kicked by a horse; his death precipitates his parents' attempted divorce in
Evelyn Waugh's satirical novel A Handful of Dust.
Michelle Tanner, from the TV series Full House. In the series finale episodes, "Michelle Rides Again (Parts 1 & 2)" she is thrown off a horse, hitting her head and being knocked unconscious. She subsequently develops
amnesia, and while is able to recover successfully, is permanently left of no memory of the accident.
The Doctor in the film
The White Ribbon is severely injured when a wire stretched between two trees causes him to fall from his horse.
This is a list of people and fictional characters who had severe injuries, or died from accidents related to
horses. Some of the listed accidents had important political and historical consequences, which are given when relevant.
Celebrities
Holbrook Blinn (1872–1928), Broadway stage star and silent screen actor, died from injuries in an accident on the grounds of his estate.
Cole Porter (1891–1964) American composer and songwriter. In a 1937 riding accident his legs were crushed leaving him in chronic pain, largely crippled. (According to a biography by William McBrien and oral history by Brendan Gill.) His right leg was amputated in 1958 as a result of the injury.
Shyam Chadha (1920–1951), a celebrated Indian actor from Hindi and Punjabi films, died from injuries suffered after falling off a horse.
Maureen Connolly (1934–1969), tennis star, career ended in 1954 by injuries suffered in a collision between her horse and a truck.
Malcolm Baldrige Jr. (1922–1987), American politician and United States Secretary of Commerce from 1981 until his death in 1987, from internal injuries sustained in a rodeo accident, when the horse he was riding fell on him during a calf-roping competition.
Roy Kinnear (1934–1988), British character actor, bled to death due to a broken pelvis sustained in a fall from a horse.
Kazu Makino (b. 1969), a rock singer, suffered an accident falling from a horse in 2002; the horse trampled her jaw and crushed her facial bones, which required massive reconstructive surgery.
Historical figures
According to this legend, romanticized by
Alexander Pushkin in his celebrated ballad "The Song of the Wise Oleg", it was prophesied by the pagan priests that
Oleg of Novgorod (?–912) would take death from his stallion. Proud of his own foretelling abilities, he sent the horse away. Many years later he asked where his horse was, and was told it had died. He asked to see the remains and was taken to the place where the bones lay. When he touched the horse's skull with his boot a snake slithered from the skull and bit him. Oleg died, thus fulfilling the prophecy.
King
Afonso I of Portugal (1109–1185), was severely injured in a fall from a horse in 1167 during a battle; he was captured and as ransom, Portugal had to surrender to
Castile all conquests made in
Galicia in the previous years; they were never recovered.
King
Alexander III of Scotland (d. 1286), when he and his horse went off the road in the dark, and fell over a cliff; the long term outcome was increased English influence and the
First Scottish War of Independence and the immediate result was a regency because heirs were underage or unborn.
Frederick I Barbarossa (d. 1190), while crossing the
Saleph River in
Cilicia, south-eastern
Anatolia. It is thought that he was thrown from his horse into the cold water and had a fatal heart attack or drowned as a result.
Fulk of Jerusalem, fell from his horse while hunting in 1143. His wooden saddle fell after him, striking him on the head, causing fatal injuries.
Genghis Khan (d. 1227), from injuries resulting from a fall from a horse.
Geronimo (1829–1909), prominent leader of the Bedonkohe Apache who fought against Mexico and Texas for several decades during the Apache Wars. Geronimo was thrown from his horse while riding home and lay in the cold all night, contracting pneumonia, from which he died.
Mary, Queen of Hungary, died childless but heavily pregnant on 17 May 1395 when her horse tripped, threw her and landed on top of her.
Mary, Duchess of Burgundy (d. 1482), from a horse riding accident; after her death, the Burgundy estates (of which she herself had lost Picardy and
duchy of Burgundy) formed a part of Habsburg domains.
Pope Urban VI (d. 1389), from injuries sustained after falling from a
mule.
Robert Peel, thrown from his horse while riding up Constitution Hill in London on 29 June 1850. The horse stumbled on top of him and he died three days later on 2 July at the age of 62 due to a clavicular fracture rupturing his subclavian vessels.
Roderick, king of the
Visigoths (d. 712), drowned after falling from his horse while attempting to escape through a river, following his defeat by the
Moors who then conquered the rest of
Hispania. Although his body was never found, his horse was recovered, with a boot tangled in one stirrup.
Saborios,
Byzantine general and rebel (d. 678), when his horse bolted, slamming his head on a city gate and killing him.
Stefan Dragutin,
Serbian king, in 1282 broke leg after falling from horse, became lame and so had to give the throne to
Stefan Milutin; this later provoked a war between Milutin and Dragutin's son
Vladislav.
Theodoric Strabo, died in 481 after falling from his horse over a spear rack. His death allowed
Theoderic to assume uncontested supreme command and unify the
Ostrogoths into a force that conquered Italy after the Fall of the Roman Empire.
William the Conqueror died aged 60 at the Convent of St. Gervais, near
Rouen, France, on 9 September 1087 from abdominal injuries received from his saddle pommel when he fell off a horse at the Siege of
Mantes.
William III of England (d. 1702), from injuries received after his horse tripped on a molehill.
Amado Credidio, 24, Panamanian jockey, died when his mount Spartan Monk clipped heels with another horse in a race at Aqueduct on March 29, 1982. He fell into the path of oncoming horses which could not avoid him.[3]
Earl Dew, 19, American jockey, 1940 national champion. Died from head injuries caused from a spill in the 6th race on 2 February 1941. It was Earl Dew day at
Agua Caliente Racetrack.
George Woolf, Canadian jockey, concussion after a fall during a race at Santa Anita Park believed to have been caused by
hypoglycemia. (Woolf was a
Type 1 diabetic.)
Carlos Gracida, thrown and crushed by horse during a polo match in 2014.
Edward Hempstead (1780–1817), American lawyer, thrown and died six days later.
Kim Hyung-chil, died in December 2006 while competing in the cross-country part of the three-day event in the
2006 Asian Games.
Erica Marshall, in 2012, Dr. Marshall died in an explosion of a
hyperbaric oxygen chamber when the horse that was being treated caused a spark with his metal horseshoe.
Julio Bautista, a poor farm worker in
Stephen King's The Dark Tower. Died when trying to lead his horse to water.
John Andrew Last is fatally kicked by a horse; his death precipitates his parents' attempted divorce in
Evelyn Waugh's satirical novel A Handful of Dust.
Michelle Tanner, from the TV series Full House. In the series finale episodes, "Michelle Rides Again (Parts 1 & 2)" she is thrown off a horse, hitting her head and being knocked unconscious. She subsequently develops
amnesia, and while is able to recover successfully, is permanently left of no memory of the accident.
The Doctor in the film
The White Ribbon is severely injured when a wire stretched between two trees causes him to fall from his horse.