# head injuries



## diadem (Feb 13, 2013)

does anyone have any pics of head injuries from riding accidents I would like to show it to someone who has no respect for people who wear helmets


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## Endiku (Dec 6, 2010)

Well honestly the only head injury I got while riding was actually when I was wearing a helmet. Not BECAUSE of the helmet, but it obviously didn't really do anything.

I wear a helmet, and I think its a good idea because its better safe than sorry, but I wouldn't go out of my way to convince someone else it was a good idea if I had no legal ties to them. Its their choice. If they want to run a bigger risk of splitting their heads, they can be my guests. I likely won't change their mind anyways.


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

If they don't have any respect for people who wear helmets, what makes you think showing them pics of head injuries is going to change their mind?

The pictures and videos of horrific traffic accidents shown to teens and even adults haven't stopped them from not wearing seatbelts, or talking/texting on their cellphones while driving.

People will only take precautions if they feel they need to. If they don't feel a need there's nothing you can say, do, or show them to convince them otherwise. Unless you're their mother or employer, you really have no say in what another adult does.


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

I have a 6 inch scar from the side of my right eye, over the top of my ear and around the side of my head but no photos of what it looked like when it happened
I have to say though that these things are just like everything else - you dont take notice until it actually happens to you and even then you carry on with other high risk things that could have equally bad consequences
Wearing a helmet is down to the individual and its your right to wear one. If people ridicule you for that then just explain how it works but remember its also their right to not wear one so you have to allow them that.


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## beau159 (Oct 4, 2010)

If someone shows no respect for someone who wears a helmet, I highly doubt they are a very respectful person in general about anything. Period. Just one of _those_ people. 

Whoever this person is, I wouldn't hang out with them or be around them. 

It doesn't happen very often, but I do get a "comment" every so often about my choice of wearing a helmet. For the most part, I just ignore them. But, if I did have someone in my group who rags on people about wearing helmets, you can bet I am not going to be very nice to that person and will find something to point fingers at THEM for. 

Of course, actions always speak louder than words. Love it when I go into that arena and blow the competition away in barrel racing, or gaming ...... while being the only one sporting a helmet. That shuts people up in a hurry. 

I do agree that showing this rude person pictures or telling them stories will probably NOT change their opinion of helmets, if they are already so ignorant of personal respect. So don't waste your time on them. 

As far as my personal story with helmets, I don't have any pictures to show. My grandma bought all of the grandkids helmets when I was about 6 or 7 years old. I am going to be 27 in a few months. I have always ridden with my helmet. Sure, when I was younger, I whined about it and hated it. But now, I wouldn't imagine getting on a horse without one. 

I think it was 3 or 4 summers ago, I was riding a 3-yr-old mare that I was training. She was one my favorites I ever trained. Just the sweetest thing and so pleasant to ride and be around. One evening we were loping easy circles, and I vaguely remember she was stiff to the left. She I was bumping her with my reins and legs to bend him a bit more. The next thing I remember, I am walking home on the gravel road, holding my arm that hurt. 

It was just about getting dark outside by the time I walked the 1/2 mile home cross-country. I find my mare eating grass in the ditch next to the other horses, with the reins broke off. My mom comes and asks me, "What happened?" I said I didn't know. She took my horse from me and I went and sat in the house. It took me a good 30 minutes to come back 100% to the world, as I was pretty out of it. 

The best we can piece together, she tripped over her own feet and rolled completely over me. Made sense since there was dirt on my saddle horn and cantle, and my right arm hurt, and my left leg hurt. I felt fine the rest of the night, and went to bed (after consulting with my uncle, who is a doctor) and my mom woke me up every 2 hours to make sure I could answer a simple question. 

Well the next morning wasn't so great. I couldn't stand for more than 30 seconds without being dizzy and nauseated. We went to the ER and I had a CT scan done. There was no physical brain damage, but I had a nasty Grade 3 Concussion. (To which the stupid doctor lectured me for 30 minutes that if I was a football player, he'd tell me not to play football for 6 weeks, therefore I shouldn't ride my horse for 6 weeks. No connection whatsoever.)

I had my helmet on during the incident. 

I can't imagine the damage that would have happened if I wasn't wearing it. Over a freak accident of my horse tripping. 

That's certainly enough to make me strap on a helmet all the time.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

Don't worry if they respect you or not. if you choose to wear a helmet, it is for YOURSELF that you make this choice, not to garner any respect from others. So, if they are making fun of your choice, would it make that choice any less wise?


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## SouthernTrails (Dec 19, 2008)

.

Here is a picture of a Helmet after a Horse Riding accident, the rider suffered no serious injuries.










Imagine a picture of someone's Head if no helmet was being worn in the same accident, I would guess it would too ugly to post :wink:


.


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

*Beau* - That is pretty much what happened to me - I have no memory of it at all but friends with me told me that my horse appeared to trip over something in the long scrubby grass we were riding through and pitched forward throwing me over his shoulder, he jumped over me and caught me on the head - I wasnt wearing a helmet as I thought (a) I was invincible and (b) didnt look so good (well I was younger!!) I was very lucky - it could have been much worse.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

the ones that were "much worse" aren't here to tell their stories.


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## updownrider (Mar 31, 2009)

I'm not normally into scare tactics, but I think the most powerful way you can show someone, that is resistant to wearing a helmet, is Courtney King-Dye's youtube video. Courtney was a member of the 2008 US Olympic Dressage team, and then suffered a traumatic brain injury. But I will let her tell her own story.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awJDYBhBPzk


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## QOS (Dec 8, 2008)

Hubby sustained a head injury on a motorcycle going about 15 mph when someone ran in front of him. He missed them but was confronted with oncoming traffic and lost control of his Harley and went down. No helmet. Going slower than some people on horses. He still doesn't remember the accident that was 6 years ago this month. Two brain bleeds, serious road rash on his face, fractured skull, broken collar bone, huge gash in his head, tore a hole an artery that leaked slowly and LOUDLY in his head for 2 years. Titanium plate in his shoulder a week after the accident, brain surgery 2 years later. Still rides his Harley with no helmet, rides his horse etc.

Make no mistake though - this accident took so much from him and changed him in many ways. I started riding with a helmet a year ago and don't ride without one now. My barn buddies ride with helmets but none of our other riding friends do. Don't care. I was the one standing next to hubby that night dabbing the brain fluid leaking out of his ear while he kept asking me "What happened? Where am I? Where is my Harley?" for about 6 hours. 

He was lucky he wasn't killed but geez...head injuries change so much in your life it is not worth the risk. I am a careful chick. Yeah...I get some ribbing on my nerd helmet but do I care? No...not in the least. One head injury in this family is way more than enough. I do have pictures of hubby but he would KILL me if I posted them in a public forum. Let's just say they aren't too pretty. Could have been worse. If he had had a helmet on he would have walked away with maybe a broken collarbone.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

when my brother was 18 he climbed on the back of a VW bug , at a wedding, that was pulling out and away without the driver realizing he was there. by the time he jumped off, he was going so fast that he fell and fractured his skull on the concrete. The first few days, it was touch and go. Becuase it was a brain injury , they did not want to supress his brain with any sort of pain medication, so he was awake and in excruciating pain for days. He begged us to let him die. I will never forget my mom's face .


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## EvilHorseOfDoom (Jun 17, 2012)

Personally, while I understand the cultural barriers particularly in Western and Dressage circles, I think it is madness not to wear a helmet - and all riding places around here require a properly fitted helmet to be worn at all times because it's a requirement of their public liability insurance.

I always wear a helmet (and would, whether it was required or not) and I've landed on my head quite lot, thanks to Brock's bronco impersonations. Pretty much every time I've been able to get up immediately and get back on. However there was one time (our second ride out together) when I came off the front and my helmet, which was about half a size too big, flew off my head and I landed head-first without it, thankfully on a soft sand/gravel mix. I was completely blacked out for about 30-40 seconds, then when I came to I couldn't open my eyes or move for another few minutes. I ended up suffering symptoms of concussion for the rest of the day, like sudden black spots in my vision and being disoriented and confused. 

One of the last times I rode, I was demo-ing Brock for a prospective lessee. He had been well-behaved under saddle for months and I wasn't really geared up when I went to mount him. In fact I was so casual and switched off I forgot to put my helmet on. We got halfway down the "arena" before a drop of rain fell on my head and I realised I was helmetless. I quickly put it on and continued. About 20 seconds later Brock baulked at a pole we were passing, which he'd gone past or over a hundred times, and started a bucking frenzy. I came over the left shoulder and landed on my head pretty hard. All I could think about was, _"Thank goodness that drop of rain landed on my head!!"_


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## gunslinger (Sep 17, 2011)

We'll I'll be darned....another helmet thread.


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## goneriding (Jun 6, 2011)

:wink:I shall pour a glass of Merlot....

People need to focus on themselves not others. You do not want to be judged yet you are judging others. You are placing non helmet users below yourself. People do not want other people telling them what they can/should be doing. Who the heck are you for taking that position? Focus on yourself, don't judge, the man upstairs will handle that. Seriously, who gives a rats a## what others are doing as long as it is not affecting anyone else?


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

I might have missed some posts but from what I can see people are just giving their own experiences and opinions


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## bbsmfg3 (Aug 12, 2010)

Helments are like seatbelts, IMO, it should be left to the individual to decide.


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## BlueSpark (Feb 22, 2012)

my horse tripped going up a ditch, sumersaulting and throwing me across a gravel rode onto my head. Split my helmet, major whiplash.

My broke saddle horse spooked violently while we were walking around the yard bareback. I landed on my tailbone, then violently smashed backwards. whiplash, severe concussion and a smashed helmet. I dont want to know what my head would look like without the helmet.


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## EvilHorseOfDoom (Jun 17, 2012)

jaydee said:


> I might have missed some posts but from what I can see people are just giving their own experiences and opinions


Yep, I'd never presume to nag an adult dead against helmet wearing to wear one, but I'd kindly advise anyone who was feeling the pressure not to wear one but who felt they should only were perhaps keen to fit in. Not to be harsh and not aimed at anyone personally, but IMO if someone is so dead against wearing helmets then natural selection will take care of their lack of self-preservation.

If someone was riding my horse, however, I would insist on them wearing a helmet - I'm not going to feel guilty because they get a brain injury. I'm also dead against anyone's kids not wearing helmets - until you're old enough (i.e. 18 years) then you should be wearing one. For parents not to insist on a helmet is IMO neglectful. Once you're an adult - do as you like, so long as it's not on my horse. But if you ask me for advice I say - helmet every time.


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## goneriding (Jun 6, 2011)

Either you choose to wear one or you don't, it is that simple!


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## diadem (Feb 13, 2013)

thanks everyone for the replies


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## QOS (Dec 8, 2008)

I didn't start wearing one until a month before we were going to ride in an endurance ride that crossed busy roads at the Bush International Airport in Humble, Texas right outside of Houston. It was a requirement to ride in the Airport Express Ride. I had rode all over without one but got used to it an ride in it now. I wouldn't presume to tell anyone to wear one - it is not my place. 

I am excited about riding up at Ebenezer tomorrow - that is what it is all about - riding!!! Biscuit is shedding like a little polar bear and is about that color right now!! Sarge was certain there was something for him in the tack bag if he could just dig far enough. He was trying to pick it up with his teeth until I fussed at him.


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## countrylove (Oct 18, 2012)

QOS said:


> I didn't start wearing one until a month before we were going to ride in an endurance ride that crossed busy roads at the Bush International Airport in Humble, Texas right outside of Houston. It was a requirement to ride in the Airport Express Ride. I had rode all over without one but got used to it an ride in it now. I wouldn't presume to tell anyone to wear one - it is not my place.
> 
> I am excited about riding up at Ebenezer tomorrow - that is what it is all about - riding!!! Biscuit is shedding like a little polar bear and is about that color right now!! Sarge was certain there was something for him in the tack bag if he could just dig far enough. He was trying to pick it up with his teeth until I fussed at him.
> 
> ...


My girl is shedding just like that lol there is so much hair I'm surprised she isn't bald lol
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

bbsmfg3 said:


> Helments are like seatbelts, IMO, it should be left to the individual to decide.


 
where I come from seatbelts are mandatory. you get a ticket if you don't wear one. (Click it or Ticket) campaign is big here.
I think this was made into law because it could easily reduce the severity of injuries and deaths in accidents. That saved a lot of money for the insurance industry, so they would be big supporters of such.


I think this thread is to share head injuries resulting from horse riding, or other things . Isn't it?


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## HagonNag (Jul 17, 2010)

Another helmet thread....

I wear one. I don't give a rat's posterior if people respect me or not because I wear a helmet. As an adult, it's my choice. It's their choice also. I gave up worrying about what people think about me a long time ago. Try it, it's delightful!


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## thenrie (Sep 10, 2012)

I read all the posts, didn't see much mention about the type of riding. 

For English riding of any kind, which I believe the OP does, I can see where a helmet should be considered standard equipment. Nothing to hold onto when the horse is acting up.

I can see some sense in wearing a helmet for competitive western riding, such as broncs, bulldogging, barrels, poles, etc.

For trail riding (this is the trail riding forum, right?) in a western saddle, I'm more concerned about rain down my neck and skin cancer on my neck, face, and ears, than getting my head cracked. In 45 years of handling horses I've gone down a number of times and only got a concussion once. In that instance a horse fell on a road with me and I landed smack on my face. Broke my nose and got a bit of road rash on my cheek. Helmet wouldn't have done a thing. 

For western trail riding, I consider good leather western boots, with a riding heel, to be of greater importance than a helmet. Try getting one of these new lace-up, lug-sole, tennis shoe-type "riding shoes" out of a stirrup in a hurry!

But that's just me. I only make the rules for myself.

Thought I'd post those thoughts, because in my mind different styles of riding require different safety equipment.


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## phantomhorse13 (Feb 18, 2011)

thenrie said:


> For trail riding (this is the trail riding forum, right?) in a western saddle, I'm more concerned about rain down my neck and skin cancer on my neck, face, and ears, than getting my head cracked. In 45 years of handling horses I've gone down a number of times and only got a concussion once. In that instance a horse fell on a road with me and I landed smack on my face. Broke my nose and got a bit of road rash on my cheek. Helmet wouldn't have done a thing.
> 
> Thought I'd post those thoughts, because in my mind different styles of riding require different safety equipment.


Worst accident I ever witnessed was a friend who was taking a lap around the arena after having just returned from a trail ride in her western saddle on her dead-broke QH who took a bad step at a walk and went down on his knees, catapulting her off and onto her head. Result was multiple skull fractures and several days in a medically-induced coma. By the grace off all things good, she was very lucky to recover with only some speech impediments after months of physical therapy. 

I hope you go another 45 years with no issues. But an accident is an accident by definition of its unexpectedness. 

I wear a helmet. I also wear a seatbelt. Wonder what the correlation, if any, between the two is? Do you wear a seatbelt?

In the end, an adult can and should make the choice for him or herself. 


Oh, and on a fun note, bet I can get my sneaker-clad foot out of my stirrup just as quick as you can get your booted one.. Maybe faster cause my knees still work! :wink:


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## thenrie (Sep 10, 2012)

Quote: Oh, and on a fun note, bet I can get my sneaker-clad foot out of my stirrup just as quick as you can get your booted one.. Maybe faster cause my knees still work! 

You may think that's a fun note, but when you get my age it becomes a serious issue! Judging by your statement, I'd venture a guess that you've never had to get off a horse as fast as I have!:lol:

If you're taking a poll, yes, I wear a seatbelt, and I hope I don't live another 45 years! 

Have you thought about a hockey goalie's outfit? Probably overkill for trail riding.:wink:


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## Celeste (Jul 3, 2011)

phantomhorse13 said:


> Oh, and on a fun note, bet I can get my sneaker-clad foot out of my stirrup just as quick as you can get your booted one.. Maybe faster cause my knees still work! :wink:


I use the caged stirrups which eliminates the danger of getting your foot trapped in the stirrup. I think that is even a bigger safety thing than wearing proper riding boots.


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## phantomhorse13 (Feb 18, 2011)

thenrie said:


> Judging by your statement, I'd venture a guess that you've never had to get off a horse as fast as I have!:lol:
> 
> Have you thought about a hockey goalie's outfit? Probably overkill for trail riding.:wink:


I actually am happy to say I have to make quick exits a lot less frequently now than I used to.. don't break youngsters and ride barely-broke racehorses for a living anymore. Nowadays, Dream has me very spoiled and I am more likely to be napping than I am needing an emergency dismount!


Hockey goalie outfit would work if you landed on your front, but I don't think those pads go all the way around, do they? Maybe one of those rental sumo-wrestler costumes would be a better choice?


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## SlideStop (Dec 28, 2011)

The worst part of head injuries are the ones _you can't see_. I know several people with TBIs. If you saw a photo you couldn't tell the difference. I'd respect them for not wearing one, just like you want them to respect you. Sounds like your one of those vegans who bring photos of animals being slaughtered to a dinner party. Don't eat meat, cool by me. Just don't come around shoving photos in my face about why everyone should be vegan too.


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## Celeste (Jul 3, 2011)

I opt to keep some natural padding under my skin to stop the force of falls.


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## diadem (Feb 13, 2013)

actually I would like the pictures to show the reason why I wear a helmet(I know I dont need to give them a reason) we are all 16 years and younger and its very irritating having this guy teasing us all the time but nevermind and thanks for the replys (by the way slidestop I love meat and the only time I would turn it down is if it was raw or human)


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## SlideStop (Dec 28, 2011)

Not saying you ARE a vegan but its the same things vegans do, make you feel bad for what your doing. 

I'd also like to really stress it NOT what you can see its the BRAIN INJURY that occurs with head trauma. You it can be anything from coma to memory loss. Just look up TBI's and you will find dozens of symptoms you can't see in a photo. Bumps and bruises and staples heal and go away. TBIs are FOR LIFE.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## thenrie (Sep 10, 2012)

SlideStop said:


> Not saying you ARE a vegan but its the same things vegans do, make you feel bad for what your doing.
> 
> I'd also like to really stress it NOT what you can see its the BRAIN INJURY that occurs with head trauma. You it can be anything from coma to memory loss. Just look up TBI's and you will find dozens of symptoms you can't see in a photo. Bumps and bruises and staples heal and go away. TBIs are FOR LIFE.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


You're getting vegan and vegetarian mixed up. Vegans don't eat animal products for any number of reasons. I try to eat vegan to keep my cholesterol down, but I still love a good steak once in a while, and a good, cold glass of milk still tastes good on occasion. 

Vegetarians don't eat animal products because of their belief system. I once dated a girl who was vegetarian. She said she couldn't eat something that was once living and running around or swimming in the sea. We only went out once. The vegetarians are the ones who put the guilt-trip on you.:wink:


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## SlideStop (Dec 28, 2011)

I've had plenty of vegans do the same. Vegan as in don't use a single animal product. In my experience I've found then "harsher" on those who don't have the values as them. For vegetarians I find them more less abrasive. If the use animal based products while while lecturing others on how bad eating animals is that would be awfully hippocritcial. 

I'm not saying all are like this, but I always seem to attract people who are a bit fanatical about this. Lol.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## prairiewindlady (Sep 20, 2011)

What about respect for people who DON'T wear helmets? Sometimes I do and sometimes I don't. What I really get sick of is people attacking me for not wearing one...almost as if they wish I WOULD fall and split my head open... :???:
-


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

thenrie said:


> You're getting vegan and vegetarian mixed up. Vegans don't eat animal products for any number of reasons. I try to eat vegan to keep my cholesterol down, but I still love a good steak once in a while, and a good, cold glass of milk still tastes good on occasion.
> 
> Vegetarians don't eat animal products because of their belief system. I once dated a girl who was vegetarian. She said she couldn't eat something that was once living and running around or swimming in the sea. We only went out once. The vegetarians are the ones who put the guilt-trip on you.:wink:


 fftopic:Actually vegans are way stricter than vegetarians - they wont eat anything that has any animal bi product in it either - that includes all dairy products like milk, cheeses, yoghurt & butter, eggs, gelatine etc and wont use anything derived from animals - such as leather whereas vegetarians only abstain from meat and quite often not related to a fondness of animals but simply because they find the idea of putting something 'dead' in their mouths repulsive but have often got no issues with other people who dont have an phobia about it. I personally find the thought of eating oysters, frogs legs, snails and horses gross but it doesnt worry me if someone else does
What has this got to do with helmets by the way?:lol:
Having a low cholesterol diet is very wise but not the same as being vegan as many vegetable oils are also high in cholesterol


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## SlideStop (Dec 28, 2011)

Sorry Jaydee.. I brought it up as an analogy, then someone tried to correct me. Shoving photos in your non-helmet wearing friends is just like a vegan shoving photos in your face of why you shouldn't eat meat (or use other animal products).
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

SlideStop said:


> Sorry Jaydee.. I brought it up as an analogy, then someone tried to correct me. Shoving photos in your non-helmet wearing friends is just like a vegan shoving photos in your face of why you shouldn't eat meat (or use other animal products).
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


 No need to apologise!!!
I do see lots of comparisons in anything like this - we humans are not a very tolerant species when it comes to opinions are we!!!
If we feel strongly about something then we expect others to do the same. My DH & I disagree on something or another on a daily basis I think but we've still managed to stay happily married for 26 years and lived together for 2 years before that so it is possible to have differing opinions and still stay friends!!!


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## oliveoats (Jan 22, 2013)

I don't have photos, but a gnarly story. 

My mom was out riding with some of her friends. They were going about, just a walking gaiting ride. As usual, she wore no helmet. Going down the hill, a group of horses came running up on them from behind, then kept going. All of the horses in the group got very worked up. My mom's horse, Bo, is extremely competitive. There was no holding him back. Her friends watched as he put his nose down to the ground and started running down the hill after them. My mom went quite a distance, trying desperately to rip her horses head up, or do a one rein stop. His neck was locked. Finally, going downhill around a corner, she flew off. Bo had sense enough to stop. 

Her friends finally caught up. My mom had broke her left collarbone, wrist, and leg. The worst injury, her ear was ripped all the way down to her lobe, hanging off just near her earring. Her friends got her into the car, loaded the horses, and took her to the ER. She completely lost her short term memory due to a concussion. Her ear was saved, and her bones healed. From that day on, my mother always wears a helmet. 

It shouldn't take someone going through an ordeal like that to get them to wear a helmet though. While it is a personal choice, I recommend everyone does. Sure, I look silly, and my head gets a little sweaty, but I feel that's worth the protection. 

Wearing a helmet has never caused me to have less fun on my horse, but I'm sure a major brain injury would.


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## Sharond (Mar 1, 2013)

I always wear a helmet, afterall a TBI that could have been prevented is a selfish act, in my opinion. Obviously, you suffer but those that love you suffer worse and may be forced into changing their lives to physically take care of you. Short of suicide, I can think of few more selfish acts.

I had an accident 8 years ago, dead broke, trustworthy QH, a train came rolling down the tracks behind us, he went ballistic, started bucking down a mountain and after about 15 bucks I came off, landed head first. Trip to the ER, Ct scan showed severe concussion. Three months later the blurred vision resolved. Today I have constant ringing in my right ear, vertigo that is sometimes so bad I am bed ridden for weeks. Every day I battle dizziness to some degree, and I was wearing a helmet.

I still ride, cannot jump any more and I know if my horse got crazy I would not have a chance of staying on. Just bought a new Charles Owen helmet!


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## Jolly Badger (Oct 26, 2009)

My first ten or so years of riding was founded in English riding - jumping, dressage, etc. Helmets were a requirement, not an option. I'm used to wearing one, they don't bother me at all, though I really have to say that I prefer the ones Troxel has (like the Sierra) over the traditional black velvet hunt caps. At least for pure comfort. Light, airy. . .I have one of those covers for mine with a fleece wrap that goes around my neck for cold-weather riding, and it's GREAT! 

It's also useful for riding in areas with a lot of overhanging branches or rock. A helmet just makes those branches bounce off. A ball cap or cowboy hat? Not so much.

During my days as an English/arena rider, one incident comes to mind where a friend of mine was jumping a course, and her horse ducked his head and bucked her off, head-first, into the arena wall. 

I could hear the sound of her helmet crack from 50 yards away. It left a mark on the wall.

She got up, walked away, remounted (with a new helmet), and continued riding.

The helmet she'd been wearing was "retired."

Personally, I think that if you ride in a western saddle because you "need something to hold on to" then you need to work on your riding/balance instead of depending on your tack to do that for you. Nothing wrong with western saddles (I have one, too!), but if it's _that_ important to have a "handle" then it's time to brush up on some basic balance exercises. 

I also know of _two_ local incidents in the last year where someone riding in a western saddle had a horse "go up" on them. . .fall over backwards, and the saddle horn landed right _into_ them. 

This was while trail riding - the riders weer not wearing helmets, but the horses were _not_ young or green, the riders were not inexperienced. I don't know exactly what caused the horses to do what they did. . .rumors abound about each incident, but the result is the same. Two dead riders. Two grieving families.

Neither rider survived - not because of head injuries, but because of internal injuries caused by the horn of the saddle being driven into their gut when the horse landed on them. 

I don't think everyone ought to throw out their western saddles and start riding in hornless saddles because of it.

Accidents happen. You can't really stop them, but you can decrease the risk of injury to yourself. I choose to wear a helmet. If other people don't want to, that's fine. 

If other people want to make fun of the fact that someone (me) who has been riding over twenty years _still_ wears a helmet, they can laugh all they want. 

It's not because I'm "afraid." 

It's not because I don't know how to ride. 

It's because I've been around horses long enough, and I know better than to think that I'm "too good to have an accident."


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## Sharond (Mar 1, 2013)

That's so sad about the western riders, guess I will now look at endurance saddles after reading that. 

I and my two friends wore our helmets even in a 3day clinic with Chris Cox. 10 other riders were there that did not. Chris even joked with me about my helmet when he took my horse for demo on groundwork. I'm sure it was part jab and part joke, but I didn't care and I'm very sure half the spectators laughed at us in our tall boots, breeches, matching saddle pads and shirts, bling belts and riding hats! I talked to at least 20 people who commented on our horses clothes (stable and turn out sheets) over the course of the clinic? But, by the end of the clinic, we ran barrels with all the cowboys in our english garb as fast as our horses could run and stayed on! No horn to hold on to...but i did wear full seat britches ever day Lol!


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