A PROPERLY FITTED HELMET IS COMFORTABLE!

We require all riders at our farm to wear a horseback riding helmet approved by ASTM-SEI (American Society for Testing and Materials/Safety Equipment Institute). Actually, it's a requirement of our liability insurance company, and for good reason. Consider the following:


*Among the causes of concussions sustained by adults, horseback riding is #3 on the list.



*Head injuries are the most common reason that riders end up at the hospital.



*Head injuries account for almost two-thirds of deaths resulting from equestrian activities.



*A fall from only two feet can cause permanent brain damage [and a fall from a horse is a lot farther].

These grim statistics were presented by a Minnesota attorney involved in equine activities at a recent conference on equine law and were reported in an article on thehorse.com.

According to a paper written by another attorney from the same firm, the British of Columbia's Medical Association points out that:

*The US Pony Club lowered the head injury rate nearly 30% by requiring riding helmets.

*Britain's hospital admission rate for horseback riders fell 46% after helmet design improved and helmets became used routinely.

*Racing organizations required helmets and, as a result, jockeys now suffer fewer head injuries than pleasure riders.

Last March, Dressage-News.com reported that US Dressage Olympian Courtney King-Dye was in a coma after she fell from a horse she was schooling. Was she wearing a helmet? No. "If it can happen to someone as good a rider and experienced as Courtney then, the comments go, it can happen to anyone," the article said.

IT'S A NO-BRAINER

In our experience, riders who won't wear a riding helmet do so because they don't think it looks cool to wear one. Some say the helmets are uncomfortable, but that's a lame excuse because the helmets today are extremely lightweight, there are many styles available and one that fits properly is completely comfortable.

I took a fall a while ago and clunked the back of my head on the trail and could feel the helmet protect my skull. I had a slight headache for a couple weeks, but oh what the consequences might have been had I not been wearing that helmet.

Helmets aren't a guarantee against head injury, but it's a no-brainer that you'll be less likely to sustain a bad head injury if you've got one on.

We've had people show up to ride with a bicycle helmet, but this won't do. Horseback riding helmets are designed to prevent the types of injuries that horseback riders are likely to sustain if they fall and hit their head.

There are still several professional trainers teaching on television and at clinics and they ride without helmets. It's completely irresponsible.

Vanity should not trump safety and setting an example. Please don't be vain; wear a helmet when you ride, protect yourself and set an example for others.

Horseback riding can be a safe sport if you have a horse well-suited to your riding abilities, if you acknowledge that mishaps can happen and you are prepared, which requires wearing a helmet.

Click here to jump to an article about how not to get hurt riding or working around a barn.

Click here to jump to an article about buying your first horse.