How to get western riders to wear helmets?

[SuckerForHorses]

[QUOTE=billiebob;7814437]
Question for those of you who choose not to wear a helmet–if you come across someone who insists you wear a helmet on their horses, what’s your reaction? I ask because my teenage cousin, who only has one parent on the helmet bandwagon, refuses to ride my horse because I won’t let her do so helmetless. I honestly never thought someone saying “please wear a helmet on my horse” was that big of a deal![/QUOTE]

Well, I wear my helmet 99% of the time now (but I never used to wear it at all).

Back when I did not wear one, if I rode someone else’s horse and they asked me to wear one, I did without complaint. Their horse, their rules.

The past few years I’ve gotten much better about wearing one on my own horses. Like I said, about 99% of the time.

I don’t have an excuse for not wearing one sometimes; I know there is no valid reason to keep my head unprotected. I will be the first to admit that it’s stupid. But I am an adult and that is my choice, and if I want to exercise that choice, I will, and I don’t need to hear any guff about it from other adults.

I do believe that children should wear them 100% of the time. No matter what discipline they ride. I too cringe when I see children riding helmetless, even when I sometimes do the same.

[kcmel]

I think it has to change with the younger generation–similar to how gays have become much more accepted over the last several decades. If all venues would enforce a rule that helmets were required for minors then it would start to become a habit. I also like the idea someone mentioned of getting one of the helmet companies to sponsor a well-known rider. As the western folks start to see more riders wearing helmets it will become more comfortable to them.

I really like that all the US WEG eventers wore helmets in dressage. Don’t know about the US dressage team?

[Dramapony_misty]

I was just at Dressage at Devon and I could count the number of riders riding in tophats on 1 hand. They actually looked old-fashioned and out of place compared to those riding in helmets (with tails no-less!).

[tabula_rashah]

For the most part, I won’t even ride with someone who won’t wear a helmet because to me that means they don’t know what they are doing.

But what I really want to address is the poster that said they’d just “pull the plug”. I’m guessing they’ve never actually had to do that because it’s not how it works. My BIL just passed away after 9 months in a coma. The remove from life support option was only there for the briefest of time but his father who had POA didn’t want to do it so it became a family battle. Then he “recovered” enough that it wasn’t an option. He got shifted around from hospital to hospital because of insurance and spent 9 months deteriorating. Do you know what someone looks like after 9 months in a coma? It’s not pretty. His father insisted on a viewing and open casket for the funeral and I got to see first hand what that 9 months turned my BIL into- he didn’t even look human. Now my BIL didn’t fall off a horse without a helmet but he made a lot of other stupid choices because he was an adult and gosh darnit he could choose to do what he wanted. Well when he was choosing all of those drinks and other substances apparently he forgot that he had 3 children, a mother, brothers and sisters, etc. My MIL evenquit her job to drive the hour+ everyday to visit him.
I know that a helmet is not going to magically make you safe but I can truly not comprehend what kind of person would want to increase the chances of doing something like the above to their family???

[GotMyPony]

Back to the original question, “How to get Western Riders to Wear Helmets?” sadly one of the most effective ways will be if/when a well-known Western rider (barrel racer or other) gets a serious head injury that a helmet might have prevented or at least lessened the effects of. The increased use of helmets in dressage - while not yet ubiquitous - can be directly tied to the traumatic brain injury suffered by Olympic dressage rider/trainer Courtney King-Dye. Not a rank horse, not a train wreck, just a horse that slipped and fell and ended up on top of her.

Nobody wants that to happen obviously but no question it focuses attention like nothing else.

[SportArab]

[QUOTE=kdow;7813969]
If a hoof/post/whatever dents your skull, the important bit that is going to get hurt is your brain. Thus, TBI discussion is entirely relevant even if you do want to run with the idea that helmets make no difference at all for concussions.

I will allow that in addition to helmets, people should be familiar with the signs and symptoms of concussions and keep an eye on each other - it can be hard or impossible to assess your own status. (My housemate is sometimes entirely unaware she is having neurological issues, so if you asked if she was okay, she would say yes. In her case, it is not new damage so it is a bit distressing to see but not a medical emergency. But the same can happen with an ongoing injury and increasing symptoms is a sign that there is internal bleeding or swelling so you need medical care ASAP.)[/QUOTE]

Having had my first concussion ever last winter - slipping on the ice on the way down to feed the horses - I can say that the signs and symptoms are pretty darned clear. And having had that concussion I was sure I had never had one before. Perhaps I should wear a helmet any time I go out in the winter?

[Beverley]

[QUOTE=tabula rashah;7815564]
For the most part, I won’t even ride with someone who won’t wear a helmet because to me that means they don’t know what they are doing. [/QUOTE]

Wow. I can think of elite riders, including Olympians, that I know don’t always wear a helmet. And yes, they know what they are doing. Conversely I know plenty of people who wear helmets who are not safe to ride with owing to their lack of knowledge and fundamental horsemanship. Like one who rides a persistent kicker who will not correct and doesn’t even realize the horse is kicking out.

So in my opinion, your generalization is flawed. But I certainly respect your (specific and general) right of choice of riding partners. And I think we agree that no matter how much safety gear is available, it’s not a guarantee.

[kdow]

[QUOTE=SportArab;7818747]
Having had my first concussion ever last winter - slipping on the ice on the way down to feed the horses - I can say that the signs and symptoms are pretty darned clear. And having had that concussion I was sure I had never had one before. Perhaps I should wear a helmet any time I go out in the winter?[/QUOTE]

So you’ve had one concussion and that makes you more of an expert than medical professionals who specialize in concussions and have specifically stated that you can have symptoms set in such that you are not aware of it happening due to the areas of the brain injured?

The exact nature of symptoms of any brain injury will depend on the area injured and the severity of the injury.

[owlbynite]

As I said a couple pages back, my son rode rodeos helmetless but knew when he took dressage lessons the trainer’s rules were no helmet, no riding!

[KBC]

I guess the answer to the question actually is, make them mandatory! I ride Western Dressage and every show I want to helmets were required, so everyone wore one, simple.

[beau159]

[QUOTE=KBC;7820435]
I guess the answer to the question actually is, make them mandatory! I ride Western Dressage and every show I want to helmets were required, so everyone wore one, simple.[/QUOTE]

While one can argue that if you make it mandatory then everyone will wear one…

Lots of states have a seat belt law that requires you to buckle up in a vehicle. Does it make everyone wear their seatbelt? Nope.

There’s also laws pertaining to speed limits. Does that prevent people from speeding? Nope.

While it might be different if someone can’t compete in a horse event because they won’t wear a helmet, some people will just plain refuse and either won’t compete, or will find a different event where helmets aren’t required.

It all boils down to personal choice. It is your own personal choice to choose to wear a helmet, or to choose not to. The same way it is my personal choice to obey the law and wear a seatbelt … or not speed … or not text and drive … etc.

[beau159]

[QUOTE=SportArab;7818747]
Having had my first concussion ever last winter - slipping on the ice on the way down to feed the horses - I can say that the signs and symptoms are pretty darned clear. And having had that concussion I was sure I had never had one before. Perhaps I should wear a helmet any time I go out in the winter?[/QUOTE]

No they are not.

There are 3 grades of concussions. With grade 1 (mild) there is no loss of consciousness and symptoms last for less than 15 minutes. These are the ones where you might feel “out of it” if you got hit hard in the head, but it can be difficult if you simply got the wind knocked out of you, or if you did indeed have a concussion. These are the ones that are “all the rage” in football right now, because many football players get grade 1 concussions but have no idea they have a concussion.

Grade 2 (moderate) you still don’t lose any consciousness but the symptoms last over 15 minutes.

Grade 3 (severe) you lose consciousness.

With a concussion, there is no brain damage. With a contusion, you have brain damage visible on brain imaging devices (such as an MRI or CT).

[SportArab]

[QUOTE=kdow;7819754]
So you’ve had one concussion and that makes you more of an expert than medical professionals who specialize in concussions and have specifically stated that you can have symptoms set in such that you are not aware of it happening due to the areas of the brain injured?

The exact nature of symptoms of any brain injury will depend on the area injured and the severity of the injury.[/QUOTE]

Well, if you need my qualifications to discuss concussions, please do look up the book I co-authored: “The Concussion Crisis: Anatomy of a Silent Epidemic” More info at www.theconcussioncrisis.com

[SportArab]

[QUOTE=beau159;7821023]
No they are not.

There are 3 grades of concussions. With grade 1 (mild) there is no loss of consciousness and symptoms last for less than 15 minutes. These are the ones where you might feel “out of it” if you got hit hard in the head, but it can be difficult if you simply got the wind knocked out of you, or if you did indeed have a concussion. These are the ones that are “all the rage” in football right now, because many football players get grade 1 concussions but have no idea they have a concussion.

Grade 2 (moderate) you still don’t lose any consciousness but the symptoms last over 15 minutes.

Grade 3 (severe) you lose consciousness.

With a concussion, there is no brain damage. With a contusion, you have brain damage visible on brain imaging devices (such as an MRI or CT).[/QUOTE]

Even a “mild” concussion comes with symptoms. People just choose to ignore them, especially if they are short lived. They do that at their peril.

“no brain damage”??? you need to learn a lot more about concussions. just because it doesn’t show on a standard scan doesn’t mean there was no damage. with newer scanning technologies damage can be seen.

[KBC]

@beau159;7821009

While one can argue that if you make it mandatory then everyone will wear one…

Sorry I was talking purely for competition, if they were mandatory on show grounds when mounted what ever the discipline, then western people would have to wear them. I totally agree that a total mandate to wear them outside the show grounds, would have slim to no chance of working. I know a few cowboys around here that I would not be brave enough to even suggest they may want to wear a helmet!

[kdow]

[QUOTE=SportArab;7821395]
Well, if you need my qualifications to discuss concussions, please do look up the book I co-authored: “The Concussion Crisis: Anatomy of a Silent Epidemic” More info at www.theconcussioncrisis.com[/QUOTE]

So you co-authored a book about concussions and yet are arguing with me about keeping an eye on each other and encouraging people to seek medical attention if they seem impaired even though they insist they are fine?

Okay, TECHNICALLY some of the things I am talking about in terms of observing people who had a fall may not fit the medical definition of concussion and instead are some kind of other brain injury, is that the issue? The person I know who survived a TBI certainly does not have an ongoing concussion even though she has neurological issues. But if I observed someone have an incident and ten minutes later they were showing things I have seen my friend do when her neurological issues are acting up, even if they insist they are fine, I am telling them to get medical attention ASAP. Because she will insist she is not having balance or speech problems too, even though she very clearly is, presumably because of the nature of the bits of the brain involved. If I have to tell that person “I think you have a concussion” even if that isn’t medically accurate so they get in an ambulance, I will tell them I think they have a concussion so they get in the freaking amulance.

Our brains are squishy fragile things where things can go wrong in all sorts of strange ways. I am protecting mine with the available options while doing higher risk activities (like wearing a helmet) and I am going to encourage people who ask me about it to do the same. And if anyone helmet or not is injured around me and I am concerned about their symptoms or the progression of symptoms, I am telling them to get medical attention. Possible brain injury of whatever type is nothing to mess around with.

[SportArab]

I am not saying you shouldn’t intervene. There’s plenty of research showing that if you ask people about the symptoms of concussion rather than using the word itself you will find a much larger number have had them. Most people don’t take these so called mild TBIs seriously enough, which is too bad because proper management in the beginning seems to make a huge difference in long term outcomes. I just don’t want people to think they won’t have a concussion because they are wearing a helmet. That just increases the likelihood there will be denial when an mTBI occurs.

[beau159]

[QUOTE=SportArab;7821399]

“no brain damage”??? you need to learn a lot more about concussions. just because it doesn’t show on a standard scan doesn’t mean there was no damage. with newer scanning technologies damage can be seen.[/QUOTE]

I should have been a bit more precise in my explanation. A concussion will not show any brain damage on an image scan such as MRI or CT. A contusion will show brain damage as a “bruise”, usually localized in one spot but you can get multiple spots affected.

Didn’t mean it to come across that there is no brain damage in a concussion, but I see that is how it is read.

@KBC;7821770

Sorry I was talking purely for competition, if they were mandatory on show grounds when mounted what ever the discipline, then western people would have to wear them. I totally agree that a total mandate to wear them outside the show grounds, would have slim to no chance of working. I know a few cowboys around here that I would not be brave enough to even suggest they may want to wear a helmet!

I understood you meant competition.

But then for those who absolutely don’t want to wear helmets, they won’t come to a competition that requires them.

They will find other competitions where helmets aren’t required.

I think a lot needs to change at the “higher” levels of the Western world before you can expect it to trickle down to the local shows. One example I’ve noticed on many occasions is Chris Cox.

Now, I’m not bashing him in any way because I love his show and his training techniques. However, he always “flashes” a little disclaimer on the screen that helmets are strongly encouraged for anyone that participates in his show. And he makes his children wear them.

But where is Chris’s helmet??? I don’t understand how you can “strongly encourage” people taking your clinics to wear helmets, but you don’t wear one yourself?

He can do what he wants with his own head, and his children’s heads, but it just makes no sense to me that he recommends one thing, but then his actions do something completely different.

Julie Goodnight is the only Western rider that I can think of who actively wears a helmet herself on her TV show.

Anyway, that might have been a little off-tangent but it that’s like if I would be an advocate for people to not drink and drive, but yet I do it myself. Do as I say, not as I do???

[rustbreeches]

I wish states would require them by law for any organized activity involving children. It seems once a month or so something comes across fb about a child having a head injury sustained during a helmetless riding incident

[rhinestone_cowgirl]

Ontario does have a law regarding helmets for minors:
http://www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/html/source/statutes/english/2001/elaws_src_s01004_e.htm

Unfortunately it only applies to “a business that provides horses for hire for riding or to be used in providing instruction in riding whether the horses are ridden on the grounds of the establishment or elsewhere”. But at least it’s a start!