I have noticed quite a few more helmets on trail riders this year, especially on children. As well as air vests.
Right wrong or otherwise the perceptions are there. I never wore a helmet growing up-it just wasn’t thought of. I rode saddleseat, western, and gaited horses. To Daddy’s mind, I wasn’t jumping so I didn’t need one. Being a parent and grandparent now, I see the need for them definitely. Matter of fact, I got chewed yesterday for leading my 5 yr old grandson around without a helmet for a 3 minute “pony ride”. I deserved it. My own daughters, including his mother who chewed on me yesterday, don’t wear one unless they are working something green or riding hunt seat. I wish they would.
I do know that the saddle club where we spend way too much time has seen an increase in the number of speed event riders that are wearing them. With the exception of one girl, the ones wearing the helmets are not placing high. Their times are not good at all. I know one doesn’t cause the other, but I am afraid that these younger less experienced girls will see the older girls who are running a whole lot faster not wearing a helmet and want to emulate them. The division my youngest runs in is 13-19. All night long the older girls without helmets are trouncing the younger ones with helmets. Being young and hungry, I am so afraid that they will say oh well, So and So doesn’t wear one and she runs 14s, and I do and it doesn’t help. They won’t see that the 18-19 yr old girls have just been lucky to not be injured. Sounds silly, but those of you with young teen daughters know what I am talking about. Reason is not a big thing for them at 13-14 unless it is something THEY want.
[QUOTE=wonderhorseguy;8349535]
So somebody who pays into these programs should be able to restrict what somebody else does? If somebody thinks jumping is to dangerous they should be able to tell the “idiots” who jump that they can no longer do this?
The helmet Nazis come out each year to try and force their views on everybody else. If you think riding without a helmet is dangerous, then wear a helmet. There are many more frequent injuries which occur from riding.[/QUOTE]
THIS^. Helmet pearl-clutching has become a division of the Health Nuts’ “Virtue Cult.” Subtext is, “I’m better/smarter/more virtuous/more socially responsible than YOU because I wear the ice bucket/flak jacket/air bag which means I’m ‘safe,’ while preaching to all the rest of you ignorant fools.” These people seem need a “cause” to attach themselves to for earning their health-nerd brownie points. Same as the kind who brag about their “juicing.” :rolleyes:
I have never seen the helmet yet that has prevented an aggrieved party’s insurer from suing everybody in sight until they find someone who’ll settle. If you think a helmet’s going to save someone from a lawsuit, you are mistaken.
If the underwriter for the Congress or any other equestrian event does not require helmets to be used, the event should be helmets-optional. Not penalized, but not required, either.
MILLIONS of people, the overwhelming majority of riders on earth, ride not only horses but bicycles, motorcycles and ATV’s every day without them, and it is really nobody else’s business but the owner of the head in question or their parent or guardian. Their head–their choice.
Frankly “Virtue Cults” surrounding “health and safety” have jumped the shark a long time ago and become unbearably tedious.
How about respecting other people’s choices for a change?
[QUOTE=LJStarkey;8348381]
As we all know, appearances speak louder than words.
From the way a hat is creased, I can tell whether the wearer is an amateur or a pro and whether that person’s specialty is working cow horse, reining, halter, western pleasure or something else.
I can tell whether it’s summer or winter by whether the wearer has on straw or felt. The quality of the hat tells me whether the wearer knows quality and has chosen to flout the rules regarding Labor Day and felt.
I can tell whether a cowboy is the real thing or a wannabe.
A hat isn’t “fashion.”
Hats are expensive purchases, carefully tended and stored when not in use in specially designed hat cans.
A hat is the person’s complete identity sitting atop her head, speaking silently to the world.
Here’s what helmets say silently to the rest of the western world:
- I’m a child.
- My mom made me wear this.
- My horse isn’t broke.
- I’m afraid of my horse.
- I’ve never been on a horse before.
- I have a physical disability.
- I have a mental disability.
No professional western horse trainer will ever wear a helmet as long as those perceptions exist. No trainer will risk his/her livelihood in that way.
Those perceptions may seem wrong to you, but they are real. If you want to western riders to wear helmets, you will need to change the perceptions.
And I think you’re much much much likelier to get western riders to wear yellow shirts than to wear helmets.[/QUOTE]
It was that way with the top hats in dressage, as well, and of course still is with some riders, especially in Europe. Riders actually feared it could hurt their scores and their public image in the sport. They said so, right here on COTH.
Sometimes it just takes that one role model rider at the right moment … Allison Springer was the first rider to wear a helmet up the center line at Rolex Kentucky. Hard to believe that was only in 2010.
In 2015, I suspect more riders wore a helmet in Rolex KY dressage than did not, but I don’t have a count.
That Western riders are wearing helmets in competition in games, etc., is a huge change from a couple of decades ago. It may be the leading trend, even if it is a trend made of slow creep.
It does sound irrational that appearance is more important than safety, but so it is. It took a rules change to get the show hunter riders out of the cap and into helmets, in the face of widespread gnashing and wailing … 
… Now many people seem to believe those riders always wore helmets of the type they do today, chinstrap and all. Definitely not the case. 
[QUOTE=sorrelfilly721;8350165]
Although I am certainly not against helmet wearing, you can only use the Medicaid/Medicare reason if you yourself are a non-smoking, not overweight, healthy eating, exercising, etc individual. Obesity costs me WAY more tax dollars than head injuries.[/QUOTE]
And I hope you’re genetically flawless for 10 generations while you’re at it. :yes:
I personally wear a helmet, and continue to do so even though I’ve gone Western. However, I don’t fuss at people or about people for not wearing a helmet. Why? Because where you draw the line in safety is pretty personal and arbitrary. For example, someone could easily decide the safe thing to do is not fork a 1200 lb prey animal for kicks and giggles. As soon as I realized this I stopped talking about who’s not wearing a helmet.
Paula
[QUOTE=Lady Eboshi;8401029]
And I hope you’re genetically flawless for 10 generations while you’re at it. :yes:[/QUOTE]
I don’t think any of us are genetically flawless (unless there’s a secret cloning operation I’m not aware of:)). My point was that no-helmet wearers are not causing the Medicaid/Medicare crisis.
[QUOTE=paulaedwina;8401043]
I personally wear a helmet, and continue to do so even though I’ve gone Western. However, I don’t fuss at people or about people for not wearing a helmet. Why? Because where you draw the line in safety is pretty personal and arbitrary. For example, someone could easily decide the safe thing to do is not fork a 1200 lb prey animal for kicks and giggles. As soon as I realized this I stopped talking about who’s not wearing a helmet.
Paula[/QUOTE]
Perfect! You are so right. When you had that epiphany did you just kinda stop and think, well ok then? I have had those moments like that and they just pull me up short like WHY did that not occur to me before?
[QUOTE=LJStarkey;8348381]
As we all know, appearances speak louder than words.
From the way a hat is creased, I can tell whether the wearer is an amateur or a pro and whether that person’s specialty is working cow horse, reining, halter, western pleasure or something else.
I can tell whether it’s summer or winter by whether the wearer has on straw or felt. The quality of the hat tells me whether the wearer knows quality and has chosen to flout the rules regarding Labor Day and felt.
I can tell whether a cowboy is the real thing or a wannabe.
A hat isn’t “fashion.”
Hats are expensive purchases, carefully tended and stored when not in use in specially designed hat cans.
A hat is the person’s complete identity sitting atop her head, speaking silently to the world.
Here’s what helmets say silently to the rest of the western world:
- I’m a child.
- My mom made me wear this.
- My horse isn’t broke.
- I’m afraid of my horse.
- I’ve never been on a horse before.
- I have a physical disability.
- I have a mental disability.
No professional western horse trainer will ever wear a helmet as long as those perceptions exist. No trainer will risk his/her livelihood in that way.
Those perceptions may seem wrong to you, but they are real. If you want to western riders to wear helmets, you will need to change the perceptions.
And I think you’re much much much likelier to get western riders to wear yellow shirts than to wear helmets.[/QUOTE]
I don’t think their image or identity will matter much to them when they’re dead from a head injury !
I agree that you can’t make adults wear helmets, but for gosh sakes, there should be rules about minors wearing helmets !
[QUOTE=Gnalli;8401610]
Perfect! You are so right. When you had that epiphany did you just kinda stop and think, well ok then? I have had those moments like that and they just pull me up short like WHY did that not occur to me before?[/QUOTE]
LOL! Yeah. The worst thing I was ever told was by a friend. She said, “Paula, often the trait you find most annoying in someone is a trait you share”. She pretty much ruined my life because from then on I’d catch myself thinking or saying, “Gosh why are you so…” and then pausing, thinking about it and shutting my mouth. :lol:
Paula
Helmet or no helmet, I have to chime in to say that I love your friend :). Now my OWN life is ruined 
I grew up riding western and now joined the dark side…I ride english. Do I wear a helmet? Nope, a baseball cap is usually what your going to see me in when I am exercising a horse or putzing along on a trail or at home, unless I am showing, then I do dress to what is required of me.
Growing up we moved cattle, we did 4-H equine events, we went camping with our horses and trail riding on weekends. My dad rode in a felt cowboy hat, humming down the trail, as he got older he added a pipe to that picture and was the true western cowboy. I have taken my tumbles off of horses, had others I just could not stick like a burr to the saddle on a few good bucks and ate more dirt than required to be healthy. God has always looked after fools and sinners…and this ole gal has a bit of both.
It is up to the parent to require if their child should or should not wear a helmet. It is up to the adult to wear one if they want to or not and it is their right to go in and start lobbying to change rules and regulations. Someone wants the AQHA youth at Congress to start wearing helmets? Then become a member and start demanding they change rules to suite your wants…see how fast your going to be shown the door. Many of those horses that go to Congress are the best of the best as I work for a woman who has an AQHA World Congress winner and the amount of time, effort, sweat, and hours she puts in to keep that horse fit and the training as well, he is an exceptionally well trained horse. Those who do not show in that level just do not understand what it takes to get there, the points you have to earn and get, etc.
Before anyone starts on their bandwagon how selfish, irresponsible, etc. I am, I was an EMT, worked in the nursing industry and I KNOW what a brain injury can do to me. I PAY a premium for my health insurance out of my OWN pocket so I can be covered. So as long as I work hard and pay my own way, it is up to me to do what I want, when I want, and how I want with my ow body. I also am not going to be telling anyone else what they should do on their horse and that not wearing a helmet is wrong, as it is a personal choice.
^ Good post. The safest thing you can do is to put a lot of miles and hours into your horse and try to eliminate the horses’s behavior as a cause of injury. I ride a number of horses a day, and occasionally there are times when I will put on a helmet. And I say to myself, “Why are you even getting on this horse if you feel like you have to wear a helmet?”
First, let me say that if you want to ride without a helmet, that’s your choice and I have no problem with it. I would never say anything to you about your choice not to wear a helmet. It’s your business and your choice to make.
However, I HATE seeing people excuse not wearing a helmet by saying things like"If you think you need a helmet, then you should train your horse better," or “If you’re worried about getting hurt, maybe you shouldn’t ride at all,” or “Lots of people don’t wear helmets and don’t get hurt” or “I’m an experienced rider, I don’t need a helmet.”
FACT: Top level equine professionals have suffered life-altering TBIs from falling off well-trained horses that simply stumbled or had a misstep or had a little spook.
If you calculate your own personal risk assessment, or your child’s risk assessment, and conclude that wearing a helmet, or making your child wear a helmet, is something you do not feel compelled to do, that’s fine. But at least be honest enough to do the risk assessment.
Personally, I grew up before the days when people wore helmets. I never wore a real, protective helmet until I was in my 30’s, and then only because I was taking lessons at a place that required it. And I did have a TBI (although they didn’t call it that back then) from falling off a horse when I was a teen (fortunately with no lasting effects*), so you would have thought I would have embraced the idea once protective helmets became readily available to the general horse-owning public.
I didn’t start wearing a helmet routinely until I was in my 50’s. I guess at some point you begin to be able to see your own mortality and it changes your risk calculation. So, believe me, I’m not holding myself up as some kind of paragon of helmet-wearing virtue. All I advocate for is that people make conscious fact-based decisions to wear or not wear helmets.
*some people might dispute that. :lol:
Well put it this way. It is very expensive to raise children, particularly those involved with horses. Most likely the parents have the kids ride without helmets in hopes that the kid might take a header into a hard object and croak. "Of course it’s a little sad, but now that we don’t have Susie/Jimmy anymore and that/those damned horse (s) we can use that money to treat ourselves those lavish vacations that we so richly deserve!!!
FACT: More people have head injuries from auto accidents than falling off horses. So why not wear a helmet when you drive if you are that concerned?
I also ski without a helmet. I actually trail ride with a helmet, not because I am worried about my horse’s behavior, but because the trails themselves can be a little tricky in my area. But when I ride at home, I rarely wear one.
These threads always amaze me - the vitriol between the helmet wearers and non helmet wearers!
I have learned that what others do is not my business.
I wear a helmet to school my horse, trail ride, and work my youngsters. But I will not wear a helmet to show western or saddle seat (tradition and all that), though I would for dressage, hunters/jumpers, and when I event.
It’s my choice and it’s my head. My last fall, I would not have walked away if it weren’t for a helmet - I still had a severe concussion, a migraine and saw auras for a few days afterwards when I fell jumping.
Do I wish youth would wear helmets? Absolutely. If I ever have kids (I don’t plan on it), I will make them wear them until they are 18 and it is their choice. If I have youth ride on my farm, they will wear a helmet or they won’t ride. But, past that I have no choice and I’m not going to go fight other people over it.
I don’t think people who won’t wear helmets are idiots and I expect them not to think the same of me for wearing one. If they do, guess it’s no skin off my nose.
[QUOTE=Palm Beach;8402581]
FACT: More people have head injuries from auto accidents than falling off horses. So why not wear a helmet when you drive if you are that concerned?.[/QUOTE]
I pretty sure that’s on the list of logical fallacies. Maybe “Weak Analogy?” “Irrelevant Appeal?”
How is this argument ridiculous? Let me count the ways.
-
Of course more people have head injuries from auto accidents than from falling off horses. Vastly more people drive or ride in automobiles than ride horses.
-
The forces involved in an auto accident are vastly different from the forces involved in falling off a horse. There are ASTM tested and approved helmets for riding that have been demonstrated to provide protection to the wearer’s head during a fall. The same cannot be said for helmets in car accidents. (Not counting car racing.)
-
Drivers and passengers in vehicles have a variety of other safety devices to help protect them in accidents. Seat belts, air bags, front ends that collapse and absorb impact…
Here’s what the American Association of Neurological Surgeons has to say about helmet use in equestrian sports (emphasis mine):
While head injuries comprise about 18 percent of all horseback riding injuries, they are the No. 1 reason for hospital admission. A 2007 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that horseback riding resulted in 11.7 percent of all traumatic brain injuries in recreational sports from 2001 to 2005, the highest of any athletic activity. Of the estimated 14,446 horseback-related head injuries treated in 2009, 3,798 were serious enough to require hospitalization, for an estimated 4,958 concussions and 97 skull fractures. Subdural hematomas and brain hemorrhages comprised many of the serious injuries. According to the Equestrian Medical Safety Association, head injuries account for an estimated 60 percent of deaths resulting from equestrian accidents.
There are factors that may increase the risk of falling, such as a green horse, slippery footing or bareback riding, but it is the height from which the rider falls that most significantly impacts the severity of the injury. According to the Ontario Equestrian Federation, a rider sitting on a horse is elevated eight feet or more above the ground, and a fall from just two feet can cause permanent brain damage. Riders ages 10-14 are most likely to be involved in an accident with a horse.
While serious head injury can occur while wearing a helmet, the data very clearly shows that the severity of the head injury can be decreased through helmet wear. According to the New England Journal of Medicine, helmets can reduce head and brain injuries by 85 percent. While helmets are required in equestrian sports that involve jumping, including eventing and show jumping, in high-level dressage competitions, the riders generally wear top hats, which provide no protection. Accidents are less common in competitive dressage, but accidents can occur. While most dressage riders do not wear helmets even when practicing, they are allowed both during practice and competition.
The United States Equestrian Federation strongly encourages all riders while riding anywhere on the competition grounds to wear protective headgear with harness secured which passes or surpasses ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials)/SEI (Safety Equipment Institute) standards for equestrian use and carries the SEI tag.
I wish everyone would wear helmets while riding. I will no longer get on any horse without a helmet. Yes, it’s legally your choice to make, but please don’t pretend that helmets don’t greatly improve your safety on a horse. I also hate the argument that wearing a helmet indicates a lack of training in the horse or lack of confidence in the rider. The quietest, most well-trained horse in the world can still trip and fall.
Its not just western riders. The guy that owns the hunting property next to my place let’s his kid go buzzing around in a side by side with no helmet. And this dude is a neurosurgeon.
