# I split my helmet



## mmshiro (May 3, 2017)

So it finally happened - my first "real" fall other than simply, "Well, that was just inconvenient..."

We were about to jump a 18"-log between two fence posts, following another horse. She drifted a bit to the right - too fast for me to correct - and I clipped the fencepost with my foot in mid-jump. That knocked me off balance, so I wasn't in a perfect position to ride the ensuing gallop up the hill...after about 1/4 of the hill I verified whether gravity still works. It does.

My ankle hurt, and my helmet sported a split in the back. My instructor taped me up with vet wrap, gave me a new helmet, and off I went taking that hill. Gotta get right back on, or my brain will be busy reliving that moment for the next week or so. I also went a trail ride that followed - other than posting the trot I didn't feel too uncomfortable. 

Coming home, the ankle was swollen and really sensitive to the touch, so my wife took me to the ER. Sprained ankle, possibly a bit of a concussion (but no dizziness or nausea). Went back to work today with an air splint, crutches, and a generous supply of Ibuprofen. There is zero pain if there is no weight on the ankle.

So while the fall could be called "operator error" because I didn't keep her in line, I'm a little disappointed in my mare because (a) we went over that log and hill dozens of times, and (b) she just had to follow the horse in front of her which was dead-center. Mares, eh? Well, she didn't get out of that ride! Hah! Let the record indicate that his happened during a routine maneuver, not a "hold by beer and watch this" risk-taking event.

Compared to my colleagues who reported "rolling their ankles" climbing out of bed, I definitely have the better story, though. 

Finally, I don't like helmet *laws* (just like any other nanny government law), but I'm _in favor of_ helmets. The image below shows why.


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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

> I verified whether gravity still works. It does.


We usually take that as given, no need to test it!

TG you were wearing your helmet, now you get to shop for a new one. I hope that there is no lasting damage, makes a pesrson think though when you imagine if you hadn't had the heleet.


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## carshon (Apr 7, 2015)

Wow! Thank goodness you are OK. - not just from the fall. I imagine your wife wanted to kill you!

Glad that you are not one to solely blame the horse. Sometimes us operators make errors.


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## mmshiro (May 3, 2017)

carshon said:


> Wow! Thank goodness you are OK. - not just from the fall. I imagine your wife wanted to kill you!


I still got a better story than my wife - who got a compression fracture of the radius _feeding_ horses. (It was muddy and slippery, one of the horses nudged her and pushed her backwards, and she braced her fall with outstretched arms behind her. Should have opted for letting the bum take the hit. :smile


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## SilverMaple (Jun 24, 2017)

^ my friend, who rides event horses, got a nasty concussion feeding a horse of all places. Her old, retired, super-safe kid's horse swung his head up to watch something in the distance and popped her right under the chin. She went down like a rock. She told her employer she had a 'horse accident' and I'm pretty sure he thought she did it riding! She now makes her kids wear helmets to go down to the barn at all. 

Glad you're ok!!


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## SteadyOn (Mar 5, 2017)

SilverMaple said:


> ^ my friend, who rides event horses, got a nasty concussion feeding a horse of all places. Her old, retired, super-safe kid's horse swung his head up to watch something in the distance and popped her right under the chin. She went down like a rock. She told her employer she had a 'horse accident' and I'm pretty sure he thought she did it riding! She now makes her kids wear helmets to go down to the barn at all.
> 
> Glad you're ok!!


I usually wear a helmet for lunging and groundwork, too. It might look odd, but you never know when you might get clipped -- either by accident or out of a horse's frustration at a challenge. 
:shock:


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

the first fall I took, when I got back into horses at the age of 41 was one that cracked my helmet. I was cantering in an arena, horse spooked and dodged and I went off . my head snapped back and hit the ground, and 'CRACK!" it loudly broke. horse got away, and when a lady brought her back to me, and I told her about my helmet, she said, " I thought that was a fence board cracking". Oh, no, that was just my head, cracking a helmet!

I had the worst whiplash for days, but no concussion.

please do go easy on your head for a couple of weeks, as you'll be extra susceptible to a real concussion.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

mmshiro said:


> I still got a better story than my wife - who got a compression fracture of the radius _feeding_ horses. (It was muddy and slippery, one of the horses nudged her and pushed her backwards, and she braced her fall with outstretched arms behind her. Should have opted for letting the bum take the hit. :smile





SilverMaple said:


> ^ my friend, who rides event horses, got a nasty concussion feeding a horse of all places. Her old, retired, super-safe kid's horse swung his head up to watch something in the distance and popped her right under the chin. She went down like a rock. She told her employer she had a 'horse accident' and I'm pretty sure he thought she did it riding! She now makes her kids wear helmets to go down to the barn at all.
> 
> Glad you're ok!!


Make me #3 with the dangerous feeding of horses resulting in injury stories. I went to feed on Christmas eve and a new mare, who had no concept of personal space, bumped me HARD and knocked me onto the frozen ground. Dislocated my shoulder so bad that I had to have surgery to keep it in place. See? Feeding is MUCH more dangerous than riding!


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## beau159 (Oct 4, 2010)

Arms and legs heal a little better than heads, in most cases. 

Glad your helmet did it's job!


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## mmshiro (May 3, 2017)

Yesterday I went to the orthopedist for post-ER check-up...nothing out of the ordinary, just gotta let things heal. The nurse told me that equestrians are the toughest mofos coming through there, so naturally I went on an easy walk/trot/canter small-group trail ride today. Not on Dita, though - if I'm not confident enough for my motorcycle, I'm not confident enough for the race horse. But I did take out the greenie I've been working with/helping to train/helping to ride for the last two months, and after the last two rides I trust him implicitly to take care of me. Let's just say if there is such a thing as a nerd horse - always willing to learn, quick on the pick-up - he'd be one.


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## newtrailriders (Apr 2, 2017)

I had my second bad fall on Wednesday so now I'm firmly in the helmet club. I'm also getting ready to join the airvest club, as I have whiplash and it hurts like hadies, which is why I'm awake at 3:25 am playing on a horse forum.

My first bad fall resulted in my pelvis getting broken in 5 places and I got a concussion even though I'm pretty sure my head didn't hit the ground - it was the force traveling up my spine I guess....then Wednesday I landed flat on my back then hit my head on the ground and got a big goose egg. 

Thursday I bought a helmet. Hope it's not too big once this goose egg goes down.

I was looking at the airvest advantage and I see it inflates nicely around the neck and it looks like it would do a great job of preventing whiplash. Too bad the bottom of it won't completely cover the pelvis.....maybe they need to start making airshorts.....


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## ag2001 (May 26, 2015)

I fell off my horse 2 weeks ago. I was bareback. I had just mounted him and he took off like a bat out of hell...i lost balance and flew off. I have L1 burst fracture and T12 fracture in my low back. In aug i fell off trotting bareback...broke wrist and dislocated finger. ( i know probably use saddle...but i love bareback) Lots of people telling me no more riding horses. This makes me very upset though it may be what dr eventually says also. My question is...has anyone ever gotten a rod a screws put in their back and continues to ride? I dont have a death wish...just the thought of not riding isnt setting well in my head. Any thoughts much appreciated. Im 54 yr old woman. beginner rider.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

Well, I'd do the first and easiest things: Get and use a saddle. And get some riding lessons to improve your balance. And does your horse do stuff like charge off the second you are in the saddle regularly? If so, he needs training. 

I have no idea about the limitations of back rods, though. I sure hope you'll be able to continue riding.


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Glad you were wearing a helmet @mmshiro! I got a deceleration concussion last summer - my head didn't hit the ground, but it was shaken badly to the point where I lost bits and pieces of memory of the event.

Did they check you for a concussion? If you have one, you should not be riding until all symptoms are gone (headaches, mostly). A second concussion before the first has healed up has very serious consequences. 

Falls do shake your confidence, so it's good that you got back on, but also good that you're taking it easy for now.


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

ag2001 said:


> I fell off my horse 2 weeks ago. I was bareback. I had just mounted him and he took off like a bat out of hell...i lost balance and flew off. I have L1 burst fracture and T12 fracture in my low back. In aug i fell off trotting bareback...broke wrist and dislocated finger. ( i know probably use saddle...but i love bareback) Lots of people telling me no more riding horses. This makes me very upset though it may be what dr eventually says also. My question is...has anyone ever gotten a rod a screws put in their back and continues to ride? I dont have a death wish...just the thought of not riding isnt setting well in my head. Any thoughts much appreciated. Im 54 yr old woman. beginner rider.


I have to agree with @Tiny, there is no sense in a beginner rider riding bareback, especially not trotting! Are you working with a coach at all? I know you love bareback, but if it means ending up not being able to ride anymore because of your injuries, is it really worth it? Also, is your horse beginner-safe? There are just a lot of things that strike me as odd about this situation. Falling is part of riding, but there's no need to exacerbate the risk.


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## mmshiro (May 3, 2017)

Acadianartist said:


> Falls do shake your confidence, so it's good that you got back on, but also good that you're taking it easy for now.


It's an old posting from last summer; I'm all good now. I went to the ER because I couldn't move my foot - the concussion didn't cause headaches, only dizziness when moving my head and cognitive impairment (fogginess). I only noticed it the next day, but the after effects lingered for a while.

To take it easy, I switched from a TB to a Paint the next few weeks...


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## JoBlueQuarter (Jan 20, 2017)

That is quite a crack in the helmet! I'm glad you're OK, mmshiro! 



Edit: I only just realized that this is an old thread; I never think to check the date ;-)


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

mmshiro said:


> It's an old posting from last summer; I'm all good now.


:thumbsup: :thumbsup:.....

Most important is YOU LIVED TO RIDE ANOTHER DAY!!!

There are pros and cons to helmets and rules for riding just like rules in any sport aimed at keeping you safe as possible...

You only have one brain, encased in a delicate shaped sphere called a skull...
One bump the wrong way can ruin your day, your existence and life...or kill you.

So glad you wrote of it, were able to update the progress you made and to ride another day in health!
:runninghorse2:....


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

I was rather surprised that at the time of your helmet cracking fall, @mmshiro, that your trainer had you back on the horse for a gallop. I would have been worried that you DID have a concussion, and galloping risks you falling again from impaired balance. 

I remember years ago coming in to the barn and finding a barn friend sitting on a bench, head in her hands sort of slumped over , and she could not tell me how she got there. Another barn mate found her horse wandering on the driveway, put it away and took this woman hospital. She was off riding for 6 weeks.


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Sorry @mmshiro! Didn't check the date. Duh...


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## mmshiro (May 3, 2017)

tinyliny said:


> I was rather surprised that at the time of your helmet cracking fall, @mmshiro, that your trainer had you back on the horse for a gallop. I would have been worried that you DID have a concussion, and galloping risks you falling again from impaired balance.


Yeah, I had zero symptoms that would hint at impairment - nothing spun, no nausea, anything, and I still remember in detail how that fall came about. Not only did I finish that gallop, I finished the entire ride - the only problem being putting weight on my foot, so cantering was more comfy than posting.


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

tinyliny said:


> I remember years ago coming in to the barn and finding a barn friend sitting on a bench, head in her hands sort of slumped over , and she could not tell me how she got there. Another barn mate found her horse wandering on the driveway, put it away and took this woman hospital. She was off riding for 6 weeks.


This was me last summer. I have flashes of hitting the ground, attempting to get up and deciding it was best to lay there for a bit, seeing my son ask me if I'm ok (I don't think I answered, he said I looked sleepy), and the next thing I knew, I was in Kodak's stall asking my 12 year old what I'm supposed to do next (she had brought in both horses and untacked them). Scary experience when normal, everyday things seem foreign all of a sudden. I was off riding for about 3 weeks. Dr. said I needed to go a whole week without symptoms before riding again or practicing any other "contact sport".


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## mmshiro (May 3, 2017)

newtrailriders said:


> My first bad fall resulted in my pelvis getting broken in 5 places


About a decade ago I started working at a day school in Cleveland. One of my students was a girl who broke her pelvis in 12 places - horseback riding. Clearly, I don't learn from others' mistakes...


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