# concussions



## Showjumper1289 (Oct 27, 2012)

have you ever had a concussion.i have had 4 the worst time i had bleeding in my brain broken rib and wrists and i was fully concious the whole time i was in the ER for four days.got put on one if thoose beepy things got a CT and had to have pain killers and a medication to make me stop vomiting.


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

If you've had so many you should also know that they're cumulative, and the more concussions you have the more damage to your brain. 4 is a fairly high number. In my 54 years of life, I've had only 3.

If you had a brain bleed and hospital stay with the last one, maybe it's time to give up dangerous activities.


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## Showjumper1289 (Oct 27, 2012)

Only 2 came from riding the other ones were really mild.the other time I was riding a horse they just broke and he spooked and bucked me of I hit my head but it wasn't bad.the other time I was wraping a horse I rides leg and he need me in the head.the other time my brother though it be a good idea to trip me when I was coming down the stairs and I again got a very mild concussion


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## DancingArabian (Jul 15, 2011)

In recent (within the last few months) there have been many articles on concussions in football, especially studies in children and following them to see effects later on in life. 3 concussions is enough to get a child banned from sports and is so enough to cause long term brain problems. I'd really be careful if I were you.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## beau159 (Oct 4, 2010)

> have you ever had a concussion.i have had 4 the worst time i had bleeding in my brain broken rib and wrists and i was fully concious the whole time i was in the ER for four days.got put on one if thoose beepy things got a CT and had to have pain killers and a medication to make me stop vomiting.


Maybe I read your post completely the wrong way (impossible to judge tone over the internet), but it almost sounds like you are bragging about it. I hope I read it wrong. 

As others have pointed out, concussions are a serious matter and cumulatively affect your brain function. 

I myself have had one concussion. I was riding a 3-yr-old I was training, working on loping circles. The best I can remember (as I was knocked out), she tripped over her own feet and completely rolled over me. There was dirt on the saddle horn and the back of the saddle, and my right arm and leg leg hurt (consistent with her falling on her right side and rolling over). I don't remember getting up and I don't know how long I laid there. I had already walked 1/4 mile toward home before I remember anything (was over 1/2 mile from home total). It took me a good 30 minutes to "come back to the world". My mom was the only one home and she consulted with my uncle, who is a medical doctor. I was feeling fine after that and she was instructed to wake me up every 2 hours during the night to ask me a question (What's your name ... etc). But the next morning, I could not stand for more than 30 seconds without being nauseated and dizzy. We went to the ER and they ran all the brain scans. I was very lucky that there was no physical damage and it was just a grade 3 concussion, and not a more serious brain contusion. And I was wearing my helmet during the incident. 

I have not had another head incident like that since, but I always have my helmet on when even handling my horses from the ground, and I'm very careful to keep my head away from legs when working under the horse for leg wraps, washing white socks, etc. 

In your case with 4 concussions, I would be extremely careful. I would even consult with your doctor about any Alzheimers-delaying medications that may be beneficial for you when you are older, to potentially help prevent brain disorders such as those.


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## Canterklutz (Jul 20, 2012)

I've gotten so many concussions I've lost track...Mostly minor ones from riding and martial arts. The most severe ones I've had were from narcolepsy.


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## maura (Nov 21, 2009)

I have had one very serious one from riding that required a trip to a Level 1 trauma center and a hospital stay, one moderate one from a car wreck and a host of mild ones from riding, all within a 15 year period when I was riding full time. There came a time when too many of my riding anecdotes contained the phrase "When I came to..."

With your history, it's time to be more careful, NOW. Invest in the best helmet you can find, and stop riding rough stock and greenies. Repetitive concussion syndrome is real, debilitating and life altering. No one will be impressed that at your boldness riding youngsters when you're drooling on your self or need help counting out change.


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## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

I've had too many concussions in too short a period... none for quite some time thankfully [not since early this year, not long after I got my current gelding] but in the space of a year or 2 I would have had 3 or 4 concussions, one quite serious. And by quite serious I mean helmet split in two pupils different sizes for a week can't remember much of that day or the next serious.

First one I ever had was coming off a previous horse when he slipped in a turn, then bucked to get his balance back. Then definitely one from coming off a bratty pony I used to have, and possibly another from coming off said same pony. And lastly the worst one, from coming off my gelding from a flat out gallop.

I now am VERY careful with my head... helmet on when handling horses known to be a bit bolshy, nearly always on when riding, I never EVER jump without one and don't ride young or green horses without one. Horses known to be a bit difficult, I don't ride without a helmet, and horses known to rear, I refuse to ride full stop. Buckers don't bother me, but that's because I can ride a pretty impressive buck. Bolters I won't get on if you paid me to... wouldn't get on if it was the last horse in the world.

I don't ride racehorses even though I'm light enough I could be a jockey easily enough, and I refuse to ride a horse if I can't see it ridden first. If I was to take on an OTTB I would send it to a trainer for re-training before I even considered getting on its back.

HOWEVER... I will break my own horses if they're quiet enough. If they are prepared properly, most horses don't do anything TOO dangerous, it's just a matter of knowing how to prepare which temperament type. My TB is far too sensitive and I will be paying a professional to break her. The crossbred I gave to my mother, on the other hand, is so quiet and so well-prepared that I don't doubt you could jump on her back tomorrow and ride down the trails [at walk, and mayyyybe trot if you gave her some time to figure out what in heck you're doing up there].


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## Showjumper1289 (Oct 27, 2012)

to you guys a probaly sound like im stupid.im 13 and my first horse was a ottb that had a little bit of training but i always where a helmet when i ride i dont mind buckers bolters i just got used to riding them.but i probaly should start whereing a helmet when hanlding horses .many times i came close to getting kicked in the head by the same bratty holsteiner who like to rear
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

My first horse was a standardbred not long off the track, so I don't think you're stupid, although a bit of proper spelling, grammar and punctuation wouldn't go astray.

Remember - "WHERE do I WEAR a helmet? I WEAR it on my head"... capital letters, 'a horse' and 'an ottb' [if it starts with a consonant, it's 'a', and if it starts in a vowel, it's 'an' - very very important for readability] 'many times I have come close' rather than 'many times I came close'.

I don't do bolters simply because you just don't know what they're going to run into... I had one that would stop half a stride out from a brick wall, tree, fence, his item of choice changed daily. He very nearly threw me into some very solid objects on a number of occasions and had he not paid attention on one day or another he might have run straight into any number of said solid objects. Bolting is just too dangerous...


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## HollyBubbles (Jun 22, 2009)

You've already had 4 concussions and your only 13? I would start being extremely careful with your head if I were you. I'm 17 and have had 2 concussions in my life so far, one minor and one I was hospitalized for and still don't remember what happened.

If I were you, I would wear my helmet all the time around horses, whether your on them or not.. You only have one head, one brain. If you wreck that now that's your life done and dusted, no more. Once you have brain damage that's it, you can't reverse the concussions you've already had, but you can do whatever possible to not gain more to your record.


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## HagonNag (Jul 17, 2010)

I'd be VERY, VERY careful. Even helmets aren't the be all and end all. Last July I survived a wreck because of my helmet....BUT...even with the helmet I was knocked out for at least 10 minutes and I remember nothing of the first 45 minutes after I came to! The head was the least of it, but a head injury on top of my other injuries could have killed me. As it was, I just had a concussion. Helmets will not prevent concussions: They will mitigate them.

I recently read some research that was done on football players who had suffered concussions...every single one of them showed changes in their brain.
Multiple concussions are nothing to take lightly. Multiple concussions in a growing brain???? OMG... Your brain (at least the part involving judgment) is not completely mature until your late teens/early twenties. Your brother who thought it was fun to trip you on the stairs, should be very glad that I'm not your mom. You probably should be too, because your horse riding activity would be very closely monitored. I'm not sure at all that you are taking this seriously enough.

Good luck and PLEASE be careful!


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