EQUESTRIAN sport was the third leading cause of sporting head injuries among Victorian children in the past year.

A study by the Murdoch Children's Research Institute reviewed the medical records of 406 children aged 6-16 who were admitted to the Royal Children's Hospital's emergency department with head injuries over the 12-month period.

Sport was found to be the leading cause of head injuries, responsible for 32 per cent of cases, ahead of traffic accidents (20 per cent) and injuries sustained during leisure activities such as bike riding and using play equipment (17 per cent).

Of the sports-related head injuries, 33 per cent were suffered playing Australian Rules football (33 per cent), followed by cricket (12.4 per cent) and equestrian sport (11.6 per cent).

Of particular concern is that half the children injured from equestrian accidents were not wearing head protection, putting them at increased risk of severe injuries. Boys accounted for almost 80 per cent of the sports-related cases.

The study's co-author, Prof Vicki Anderson, said the findings highlighted the importance of using safety measures and educating coaches and clubs about the risk of head injuries, particularly in high-risk sports.

"Head injuries are a major cause of death and disability in children and even minor injuries can lead to problems with behaviour, attention and learning," she said.

"It is vital that coaches and clubs understand the risk and put in place appropriate prevention measures and return-to-play guidelines."

While most of the head injuries were classified as mild - drowsiness, disorientation and brief loss of consciousness - one in 10 was more serious, involving skull fractures and bruising to the brain.

Prof Anderson said data from the study was likely to under-represent the total number of sports-related injuries in Victoria each year as many children did not present to hospital, instead attending general practitioners or seeking no medical help.