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Looking for participants in study about riders' opinions about helmets

3K views 36 replies 24 participants last post by  Speed Racer 
#1 ·
Hello,

My name is Dr. Sandra Hoyt and I am a professor at the Psychology Department at Ohio University. After receiving permission from your Administrators and Moderators, I would like to invite you to participate in a survey of your opinions about riding helmets. This study is designed to investigate factors influencing riders’ decisions to wear or not to wear helmets. I am very interested in hearing from riders in all disciplines. Your participation in this study will help to achieve a better understanding of the factors that go into this decision making process.

You must be 18 years of age or older to participate in this study. The survey should take about 15 minutes to complete. Your responses will be gathered with those of many other participants and a variety of group statistics will be generated. You will not be identified individually and your responses will be kept confidential.

Here is the link to the online questionnaire:

https://ohiopsych.us2.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_54q0zta1Y7wZIr2

Please click it and help us to achieve a better understanding of how riders feel about helmets.

Thank you very much for your consideration,


Dr. Sandra Hoyt
Assistant Professor
217 Porter Hall
Psychology Department
Ohio University
Athens, OH 45701
(740) 593-1073
hoyts@ohio.edu
 
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#4 ·
I got on the other day and was so distracted by the girth issues I was having that I completely forgot it. When I realized it I felt like I needed to do everything incredibly slowly....lol. Its a mental game, I wear mine ALL the time, usually when im tacking up and grooming before and after as well. Helps me feel more secure.
 
#10 ·
In my case, I always wear one with the young horses, but seldom wear one with my trusted trail horse....unless we're on a trail ride with other horses. The questions didn't cover that type of behavior (sometimes yes, sometimes no) but there was an open-ended comment at the end that I used to explain.

Regardless, filling out the survey made me realize that I have no good reason NOT to wear one. I know how easy it is to get a concussion (and have had one), and I believe helmets save brains, and I believe that horses are unpredictable, and I don't find my helmet uncomfortable -- yet I still don't wear one 100%.

Maybe that concussion did more brain damage than I thought! :)
 
#12 ·
To the original poster. Did you intend this to be completed by riders in North America only? The questions don't really make sense to a rider in the UK where the massive majority of riders wear riding hats always.
 
#13 ·
I took the survey and found it a bit repetitive but pretty good. I like that they gave you an essay question at the end. Many surveys don't give the taker a chance to clarify their answers, and I used the essay to explain why I started using a helmet regularly and why I came to be a regular helmet user when I wasn't just a few years ago.

For anyone who is curious, I started using a helmet regularly when I found myself ponying my weanling out on the trails. I just felt taking the youngster along and trying to control two horses (one of which is fractious with little training) would put me at an increased chance of a wreck. So that's how I started. And then I decided I actually LIKED my helmet better than my hat! It was much cooler than my Aussie hat I always wore riding. So now I wear a helmet all the time. Cooler to wear than my hat AND protects my head in a wreck, what's not to love? :lol:

I also tried to mention the fact that I trail ride has a lot to do with my helmet use. No one is casting judgments upon my helmet use on the trail- and if they are that is their problem not mine. BUT, if I showed in western events for example, I would probably be reluctant to wear a helmet because it's just not done in the western show ring (that I have seen anyway). So I think helmet use is dependent a lot on what discipline you ride. English riders would consider it normal. Western riders would stick out like a sore thumb. Trail riders, anything goes. :)
 
#14 ·
I took the survey and added a nice story about why I don't wear a helmet at the end.
I'll eventually have to get over being claustrophobic and basically panicking while wearing one, but that's not my priority right now. I'm safer riding without a helmet and all my attention focused on the horse and what we're doing as opposed to worrying about a helmet and paying little to no attention to the horse's signals to me (which has happened before); I could've prevented a dangerous rear, but I was too focused on the helmet and freaking out than the horse getting really lifty with his front end.
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#17 ·
I'm safer riding without a helmet and all my attention focused on the horse and what we're doing as opposed to worrying about a helmet and paying little to no attention to the horse's signals to me
Now that's creative......

Helmets are passive devices. There is nothing to pay attention to. You put it on and get on with your day. Just the same as a pair of shoes.
 
#15 ·
I did the survey and at the end if you read the percentage of injury's why would you not want to wear one. I have been guilty of not wearing one most of my riding years but now i am older and wiser there is no good reason for not wearing one. I answered one question wrong about knowing someone who got a cuncussion..my best friend ended up in the hospital twice for horse accident and once for sure her head was injured. She is fine now..anyways thanks for the survey!
 
#19 ·
I took the survey..

I found the percentage questions weird.. so I just put 100% for both of them as I cannot predict the likelihood of a brain injury accident.. they can happen at anytime to anyone on any horse.

There were also quite a few assumptions being made such as what if the survey taker did not ride horses as a child? Assumptions in a survey are never good...

Also too many questions.. I started pooping out and getting distracted I think after about 20 of them.
 
#21 ·
I quit the survey when the questions got really ignorant. Was this written by a doctor or a Jr highschool student ?

You are asking for factual responses on items that people have no idea about.
Like, I am "X" percent likely to get hurt. 0-100, and more foolishness like, "If I get brain damage will it effect my family ?
 
#23 ·
I quit the survey when the questions got really ignorant. Was this written by a doctor or a Jr highschool student ?

You are asking for factual responses on items that people have no idea about.
Like, I am "X" percent likely to get hurt. 0-100, and more foolishness like, "If I get brain damage will it effect my family ?
I can't remember all the parameters, but I think part of the survey was looking at people's "perceptions" regarding helmet use, hence the % questions.
 
#22 ·
So, I am a new rider and I do not own a helmet. I rode a lot when I was a child but all our horses were so well behaved that you could pretty much take a nap while riding...

A week ago this coming Wednesday, I took a serious tumble from my horse and struck my head hard off the ground as well as bruising my hip and pinching the psyatich (or however you spell it) nerve. I ended up with a slight concussion that had I been wearing a helmet, could have been prevented.

That Friday, I wore a helmet as it was the first time I got back on and was terribly apprehensive. I didn't mind it at all. In fact, I didn't have to worry about twigs or webs in my hair!
 
#28 ·
there were questions specifically designed to get a certain result. They also didnt ask about opinions in all of them but wanting specific percantages. Some of the questions didnt really have anyway to answer. All in all a poorly written and biased survey. Like I said I quit after the (paraphrased) would it hurt your family if you got brain damage,? That struck me as an odd question, that BTW I am perfectly capable of reading and understanding.
 
#31 ·
I find this survay to be a wast of time. Any time you clime on a horse helmet or not you run the chance of getting injured. It is a horse for COL. Also the quesions are asking me to speculate on things that have not to this point in time happen. So that is all it is is speculation. Also the choices make little sence with some of the questions. They seem to think there is only one outcome when you come unwillingly seperated from your horse while riding.
 
#33 ·
Sure wrap up in bubble wrap. Makes about as much sense. I've seen a lot of horse related accidents & Not 1 have been head injuries. Back shoulder and sevel arms and legs but never a head Injury. If using a helmet makes you feel better I only use 1. Just do not think it will keep you from getting injured. They give a false sense of security.
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#34 ·
Sure wrap up in bubble wrap. Makes about as much sense. I've seen a lot of horse related accidents & Not 1 have been head injuries. Back shoulder and sevel arms and legs but never a head Injury. If using a helmet makes you feel better I only use 1. Just do not think it will keep you from getting injured. They give a false sense of security.
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Is this for real?????? :lol:

You can believe what you want.

However, do not expect to be taken seriously when you say that wearing a helmet does nothing to reduce the severity of fall injuries. They absolutely prevent many head injuries and reduce the severity of the really nasty ones. That is not an opinion. That is a fact.

The same applies to body protectors. Plenty of studies in the US and the UK show their effectiveness in reducing the severity of torso and shoulder injuries in falls. So much so that arguing against them by saying they do nothing just shows one's ignorance.

And no, I'm not going to post links to all that research. There are already threads in this very forum containing that info, as well as they are freely available on the net if you so care.
 
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