Resistol Ride Safe Helmet

[Palm_Beach]

[QUOTE=NoSuchPerson;8659159]
Opening beau159’s can of worms… :lol:

Why do people make up bullshit excuses like “if I train my horse properly, I won’t fall off so I don’t need a helmet”?

Who here has not heard of Courtney King Dye, Olympic dressage ride who suffered a TBI when her very well trained horse tripped and fell? She wasn’t jumping nor was she riding at speed. To claim that you don’t need a helmet because you’re a good rider on a well-trained horse is laughable.

And a new study, out since the last time we argued about this:

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/horse-riding-leading-sport-related-traumatic-brain-injuries/story?id=38090435

http://thejns.org/doi/abs/10.3171/2016.1.FOCUS15613

As I’ve said many times before, if you’re an adult, I don’t care whether you wear a helmet or not. But it does offend my sensibilities when people aren’t honest about the reasons why. Because there is no logical justification for not doing so, it’s a purely emotional decision, at least among people who post here at COTH and have seen the statistics and heard the stories.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=beau159;8659814]I see your point if we are (for example) talking about a horse that is a known bucker, or bolter, or is green-broke, etc.

But I guess I don’t understand the rational that “my horse is trained well so I don’t need a helmet” simply because accidents can happen even if you have the best bombproof horse who is very well trained. They aren’t immune to tripping or slipping, or having an accident.

Again, if you don’t want to wear a helmet, fine. Do what you want. But be honest with yourself.

I’ve been riding horses for almost 30 years and have pretty much had a helmet on that entire period. Thankfully, I can say I’ve only had one head injury in all those years, and I do credit my helmet for taking most of the blow.

I was riding a green 3-year-old filly. Super sweet mare. Not a mean bone in her body; I don’t think she even knew how to pin her ears! I had a lot of fun training her. One evening, I was riding her out on the trails about 1/2 mile from my parent’s farm. We were working on loping some circles in the field. We were working a circle to the left and remember she just wasn’t rounding as nicely as I would like, so I was working on getting her nose a little more tipped to the inside and getting her shaped a little better.

The next thing I remember is I am on foot, walking toward my parent’s place. I’m not anywhere near the field anymore, and I’m holding my right arm because it hurts.

What we can piece together and what I very vaguely remember, is her starting to “go over” to my right. I believe she simply stumbled at the lope, and completely rolled over me. My right arm hurt, and my left leg hurt. And there was dirt stuck on my saddle horn and cantle. So the “evidence” supports my theory, even though I can’t really remember it.

So I guess just an example of a horse that didn’t have any risk but something still happened. Sure, one could argue that she was “risky” because she was green broke, but she was honestly one of those true sweetheart horses that I would be comfortable letting ANYONE ride her. She was pretty quiet (not going to take off running), she didn’t spook (even if a bird flew up in front of her), and was just a joy to be around.

She just tripped over her own feet. Freak accident.

Can happen even to the best well-trained horse.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=aktill;8660298]These threads are always the same circular set of arguments:

1. Ack, some accident happened, wouldn’t have been so terrible if helmet was involved.
2. Some people say stop bugging me, I’m fine.
3. Other people say no, your choices are affecting my health care premiums
4. Come back with why not helmets? Why are body protectors, smoking, or driving on bald tires not the same as wearing helmets?

…and around and around we go.

Evangelism doesn’t work on either end.[/QUOTE]

Too right!!

[Aces_N_Eights]

[QUOTE=NoSuchPerson;8660687]
And that’s fine. Adults can do whatever they want to do.

That’s a silly and irrelevant argument. We all take precautions for some risks and not for others. We all engage in all kinds of risky behavior. And we take precautions for some of it and for some of it we don’t. Everyone has to make their own personal risk assessments and decide which risks they want to accept, which risks they want to avoid, which precautions they want to adopt, and which precautions they don’t. But saying, “Well, you’re overweight and you have a poor diet so why would you bother wearing a helmet?” is nonsensical.

That makes no sense. None of that has anything to do with people wearing helmets. How the hell is having someone around who knows how to “help keep someone out of a wreck” going to prevent a rider from suffering a TBI when one of your “freak accidents” happens?

You’ve missed the whole point of people citing Courtney King Dye’s accident. I cited it because Palm Beach claimed that he/she didn’t need a helmet because he/she trained his/her horses properly and was an experienced rider. Courtney King Dye’s accident is prime evidence that such a statement is false. Having a well trained horse and being an experienced rider is NOT sufficient to protect you from injury and I wish people would stop saying that it is. And that is the lesson of the CKD story.

Hey, if your personal risk assessment suggests to you that you should, go right ahead. As I already said, we all have to conduct our own personal risk assessments and decide which risks we’re willing to accept and which risks we’re not. And adults are free to do whatever they want.

That’s fine. It’s your choice. But, as I’ve argued before, people who chose not to wear helmets should be honest and just say, “I don’t want to wear a helmet because it’s uncomfortable and it’s hot and it looks dorky.” Don’t try to justify not wearing a helmet by saying things that are clearly untrue, like “helmets don’t really help,” or “my horse is well trained so I won’t fall off.”

I think I’m the only one who has said anything like that in this discussion and what I said was that I thought organizations should adopt the 4-H rule, which is that kids must wear helmets at official events/activities. And I stand by that statement. Around here, the law requires kids to wear bicycle helmets. Why shouldn’t helmets for riding also be required for kids?

Kids’ “melons” are more fragile than adults. Their lack of impulse control and good judgment leads them to engage in more risky behavior. I was a pretty risk averse kid, and yet I did stuff with my ponies/horses that would make any parent’s hair curl. Heck, I might have a few more IQ points today if I had been forced to wear a helmet when I was younger.

If I was worried about looking dorky in public, I wouldn’t be able to leave my house. :lol:

Which argument? That wearing a helmet while riding can help prevent TBIs? That falls and TBIs can happen to anyone, no matter how well trained their horse is or how experienced a rider they are? I will continue to say those things because they are true. Whether or not you chose to believe them or chose to wear a helmet is irrelevant and doesn’t change the truth of those statements.

And, one last time, as an adult, you are free to wear or not wear a helmet. I truly don’t care. I have several friends (lifetime western riders) who never wear a helmet. I would never comment on that or suggest to them that they ought to wear a helmet, because it’s none of my business.

I just want non-helmet wearers to stop saying things that aren’t true, or denying the validity of things that are true.[/QUOTE]

I find it laughable when BigMama1 asks the opinions of those who don’t wear a helmet, yet at least three helmet wearers respond touting why they do and how they feel like outcasts in the western world. It is an open forum on the interent and anyone is free to post but I still find it funny. As a non-helmet wearer I state my opinion as why I don’t and I get told my reasoning isn’t valid. LOL Staying with the religious theme, I feel the helmet wearers are like a bunch of born again Christians trying to convert us heathens.

NoSuchPerson, having someone around that can keep you out of a wreck is valid in my case and it is one of my reasons for not wearing a helmet. It is not valid to you because it doesn’t apply to you. Using horse shows or group rides was an example to help clarify what I was getting at. In my profession it has saved myself and others from getting severely injured. Purely anecdotal but I don’t hear a lot of horror stories. Being able to prevent a wreck goes a long ways in my opinion. When I get in a wreck I don’t think “I should of been wearing a helmet” it is more like, “how can I prevent that from happening next time?”
I also agreed freak accidents can happen, a horse can fall on top of you at the walk or step in a badger hole and the rider could be injured. And like I said, I have tripped on the dog yet don’t feel the need to strap on a helmet.

I have never once denied the statistics or studies showing head injuries related to horse accidents. I accept those risks and the possibility that I may be injured. I have never once said I wasn’t ever going to get hurt whether it be a head injury or not nor am I trying to convince others NOT to wear a helmet or they couldn’t be injured.

I also was not referring to your comment about 4H kids, making helmets mandatory for them. I was talking about the comment in post #3 and similar comments made in other threads. I am talking about grown adults capable of making decisions on their own. I don’t feel helmets should be mandatory for adults. And the argument I was speaking of is just that, helmets mandatory for adult western riders.

[NoDQhere]

I’m sure I won’t get the quote exactly as he said it, but I read an article about (Jake Barnes)?, the team roper who suffered a TBI in a freak accident. He said he will wear a helmet from now on because he never wants to put his wife through THAT again.

IMO, there are many considerations regarding the wearing a helmet other than “It’s my choice”.

[HSDesign]

Follow Up

Hi,

I’ll respond to a couple of the comments posted after my response.

1 - we have been approved and passed ASTM / SEI

2 - The question regarding the brim during a fall. - In all of our ASTM tests the brim does not affect the impact at all. The weight of your head during a fall will easily fold / flatten the brim. The brim will not cause any neck injuries during a fall.

3 - Regarding the comments about it being a good idea but missing the mark. We already know it isnt for everyone. And some people who wear helmets will prefer the English riding style hard plastic helmet.
This product was designed for those who don’t like the english style, and would prefer a cowboy hat or who currently don’t wear a helmet because when they ride they wear a cowboy hat. We want the option to be there for western riders.
Resistol understands the growing need for safety and this product is an option. Not for everyone, but for some.

[Palm_Beach]

Good post A&8s.

[rainpants]

@Palm Beach;8648749

The riders who want to wear helmets are wearing helmets. The ones that don’t, aren’t.

And before anyone posts the “do you want your loved ones bearing the burden of your care blah blah blah” first take a look at your own lives and think about whether or not you are overweight, have ever smoked, consume more than 1-2 drinks per week.

Wait, do I get to be self righteous then? I am an appropriate weight for my height, don’t smoke, rarely drink and exercise pretty regularly. And I wear a helmet. :lol:

I’ve noticed that a lot more Western riders have been wearing helmets lately. As in, I’m not the only adult at clinics and shows in a helmet anymore (kids must wear helmets, by law here), usually I’m joined by about 2-3 others in any group of 10-20.

Like the developers acknowledge, this isn’t for everyone (and I’ll stick to my Tipperary, thanks) but there are more Western riders looking to protect their noggins and at least some of them want to look slightly more traditional and this may help fill that niche.

[jdobbs64]

wow that is not an entry level price. the suede troxels would serve the same purpose for a lot less $$. I think a simple schooling helmet is less obvious than this thing- it looks heavy and clunky.

[Sonesta]

I like the Hellhats.

[Rackonteur]

That “industry-leading protective technology” bit sounds really suspicious to me. We already have “industry-leading” technology – that which meets ASTM/SEI standards! Anything that so totally disregards the existence of those standards is suspect IMO.

Why go back and try to reinvent a wheel? There are plenty of good helmets out there, including some designed with a “western” look. Why mess about with that silly brim?

If riders want to protect their heads, wear an approved helmet. Cowboy hats were designed to protect their wearers – from the sun and the rain, not from falls. If hunters can hunt outdoors all day long, and hunter-jumpers, eventers, and others can show outdoors all day long, without getting sunstroke, then western riders can too. Hunters are some of the most tradition-honoring riders in the world – but how many do you see wearing top hats nowadays? Or velvet hard hats with no chin straps? If they could switch to new safety helmets – even skull caps – western riders can too, and would get a lot of respect for adopting such an intelligent fashion.

Remember Squire Gordon’s comment to his military friend about setting a good standard because of the influence he had on the neighborhood? Western riders are in a great position to adopt good safety standards and influence others to do so as well.

If western competitions would just REQUIRE helmets, everyone there would soon get used to the new look, too.

After all, some of the “toughest” western riders are bull riders and I’ve seen them wear ridiculous-looking helmets – ridiculous 'til you consider that protecting one’s head is not ridiculous at all.

[Palm_Beach]

[QUOTE=fallenupright;8723366]
Wait, do I get to be self righteous then? I am an appropriate weight for my height, don’t smoke, rarely drink and exercise pretty regularly. And I wear a helmet. :lol:

I’ve noticed that a lot more Western riders have been wearing helmets lately. As in, I’m not the only adult at clinics and shows in a helmet anymore (kids must wear helmets, by law here), usually I’m joined by about 2-3 others in any group of 10-20.

Like the developers acknowledge, this isn’t for everyone (and I’ll stick to my Tipperary, thanks) but there are more Western riders looking to protect their noggins and at least some of them want to look slightly more traditional and this may help fill that niche.[/QUOTE]

Of course! Equal opportunity is always encouraged. I just struggle to understand the people who pick ONE risk factor and get self righteous about it, and ignore other even riskier factors. I have the “pull the plug” thing going on, so I’m not too worried about being a vegetable.