What is everyone's views/opinions on riding without a helmet?
I personally see no wrong with it as long as the person is the legal age. In NY the legal age to ride a horse without a helmet. Now I know there are some kids that are skilled enough to be able to...like mlkarel for example (just chose her because I just finished looking at pictures of her and duke).
But I have to admit that there are some girls that I know (not on here...in real life) that just horse around WAY too much in the saddle to not wear a helmet...so that's my main reason why I say kids under the legal age should wear helmets.
I've ridden without a helmet, but I trust Sonny completely and I can tell what he'll do before he does it...but I always wear my helmet if I am on another horse just because I don't know that horse as well and I'd rather not risk it.
Why did I bring this up? Well the girls that I ride with wanted to ride without helmets and said they'd just do walk/trot...no canter or jumping.....and I told the BO that I thought it was a bad idea so she said they couldn't do it. And then the girls (well mainly just the one) got all 'POed" at at me and kept doing STUPID things to prove that her horse wasn't going to do anything...and she dind't understand that horses are stil animals and CAN do things without reason or thinking.
I'll never ride without a helmet. I had a nasty fall the other day and a chunk of my helmet is about ready to come off. Just think, that could've been a piece of my skull. :shock:
Yeah, I obviously don't wear a helmet. I know that there are a ton of risks, but I think that there are a lot of other crucial body parts you can hurt too. I know there are a TON of stories about people dying because the didn't wear a helmet or when a helmet saved their life.
I have to admit I've fallen off a horse or two and I have gotten hurt. I fell off of a horse like 8 years ago and got a concusion. A pretty bad one, but I wouldn't have had that problem if I wore a helmet.
I know I have a huge risk by not wearing a helmet, but that's the risk I am willing to take, so please don't try to convince me to wear a helmet. I will occasionally wear my helmet when I really don't trust a horse, or I just won't get on the horse. Yes, I own a helmet. I got it when I was 7, so as you can imagine it's EXTREMELY uncomforatable to wear.
So I don't wear a helmet because I take the risk myself, and in a way it gives me more desire to stay on the horse no matter what. I figure that if God wants me to die on a horse than I will, and what's better than dying doing what I love?
I'm not bashing helmets at all. If you wear them I respect that and your care about yourself. I just am not a huge fan of having them on.
I never used to wear a helmet whilst riding until i was riding at a friends farm. he had very strict rules.
i was out working a youngster of his one day and she freaked out, she saw a snake and panicked. anyway, i was thrown and went head first into a railway sleeper. my helmet was split into 3, i was knocked unconscious and got a severe concussion. had it not been for the helmet, i would have been sitting here dead.
now i always wear one, even if i do look ditsy in it.
So I don't wear a helmet because I take the risk myself, and in a way it gives me more desire to stay on the horse no matter what. I figure that if God wants me to die on a horse than I will, and what's better than dying doing what I love?
I'm not bashing helmets at all. If you wear them I respect that and your care about yourself. I just am not a huge fan of having them on.
My veiw exactly (if it is my time to go then it is my time)... If I go somewhere that requires me to wear one I respect the rules and wear one but on my own tend to not too often. If I am going to be doing something like jumping I will wear one. I have hurt my neck before when wearing a helmet and i have given myself a concusion while doing nothing related to horses (too much fun juice and fireplaces dont mix...lol)
In MN 4-H last year they made it mandatory for all mounted riders to be wearing properly fitted safety helmets... while I feel this is a good idea I also feel that it should be up to the kids parents if his/her child wears a helmet, but do to high price insurace they had to make it mandatory.
This is only my veiw of things... Im not here to argue with ANYONE, i think a lot of it has to do with how you were brought up with riding and the style you rode. When i was young practically no one wore helmets in my area.
my thoughts exactly! Even when I was showing saddlebred hunters, i wear a hunt cap - - no helmet. Personal preference, I suppose.
I also firmly believe that it is a person's choice to wear one, and non-helmet wearers should not be hackled for their choice (and the other way around)
I never wore a helmet when I was kid,guess I just learned how to take a fall. I still don't wear one, I'll ride at my own risk. Besides, I think helmets can offer a false sense of security. You can still snap your neck easily with/without helmets.
I am in the camp of "the good Lord will take me when/how He chooses" .
It's kinda like me and seat belts. I NEVER EVER wore my seatbelt... .... But that was before I rolled my truck 5 times, now I wear it all the time.
I first started out not wearing a helmet while riding, but since I fell off, I started wearing one.
I agree that if God is going to take me, he'll take me when he see's fit, but why should I ASK for an accident? If God didn't take me while I was rolling around in my truck, he's got bigger plans for me, so it's my responsibility to take the proper measures to keep myself safe.
I always wear my helmet when I ride, & most likely all the time when I'm around horses.
ESPECIALLY horses I don't know. Just to be safe. I've fallen off & was so relieved I had my helmet on.
I'm in the "don't wear a helmet group". I have a question for those of you who do or who might know...What is the difference between a riding helmet and a bike helmet? Sorry if this is seen as a hijack...I just thought it would be a good place to ask.
i worn you that if you have a weak stomach DO NOT read this.
funny you should mention this Moxie. my dad never wore a seatbelt after his friend got into an accident. the seatbelt (no joke) literally cut him into 2. and when the emergency people removed the belt all his insides came out :shock: his friend died and it was devastating. so after then my dad never wore a seat belt. but after awhile he started wearing it again.
I agree that if God is going to take me, he'll take me when he see's fit, but why should I ASK for an accident? If God didn't take me while I was rolling around in my truck, he's got bigger plans for me, so it's my responsibility to take the proper measures to keep myself safe.
i agree 100% moxie. thats like say you get into an accident by falling off a horse and your paralyzed. god obviously didn't see it as your time to go but it was your own fault for not wearing the helmet because now you of course are paralyzed which in my opinion is asking for trouble. but i respect other people who don't ride with a helmet, i was raised riding with a helmet so i always wear one no matter what.
I'm in the "don't wear a helmet group". I have a question for those of you who do or who might know...What is the difference between a riding helmet and a bike helmet? Sorry if this is seen as a hijack...I just thought it would be a good place to ask.
i don´t really know the difference, but i know there is a difference :lol:
it has something to do with the fact that you fall differently off a horse then a bike..
but i always wear a helmet ! even if i would trust the horse then heck, i trust my self but still i flinch/jump every now and then if someone/something surprises me. I dont expect any less of the horse !
and i dont really belive that theres a special time for me to go. Even if there was, im gonna try to avoid pain in the mean time ! :wink:
but with that all said, i´m not gonna jump on anyone that doesn´t wear a helmet ! its that persons choice,like wearing one is mine
Personally, I think it's really, really stupid to ride without a helmet. You might be really secure in the saddle, your horse might be bombproof, if you do fall off you could have any number of accidents that the hat won't protect you from - but horses are unpredictable, and riding is dangerous. I think that you should always wear a helmet when riding a horse.
I don't know if this is a UK thing or not, but I don't think I've ever seen people riding without a helmet! At every stables I've ever seen, everyone wears a helmet. It's not a case of 'barn rules' - it's more of a mindset that if you don't wear a helmet, you don't ride.
I would think pretty poorly of someone I saw at my stables riding without a helmet, even if they were one of the really good riders there, because they'd be setting a really bad example. I saw someone getting on her horse with a friend holding the horse and her helmet - and another girl walking past told her off for not putting the helmet on before she mounted.
I just think that it's completely not worth the risk. Okay, so your helmet might cramp your hairstyle or you might not like the feeling of wearing one, but it could also save your life. And I don't know about the rest of you, but within five minutes of getting on a horse I've completely stopped thinking about things like what's on my head!
As one of my friends said - she's had bad falls, and fell on her head once. She can't remember anything for five minutes on either side of the accident. But that helmet changed brain damage into a mild concussion.
I grew up not wearing one, except at 4-h events were it was required. Now i wear one all the time. We go fast down the trail and the branches that I duck bounce off the helemt better than my head!! :lol: ! I think it is a personal preferance and to each there own! Wear one great, don't that is great too!
Can I ask what reasons make people decide to not wear a helmet, other than perhaps not thinking it's necessary? I'm just curious. The friend who had the concussion said she's never seen a rider without a helmet in the UK (she has in Portugal) and she's spent a LOT more time around horses than I have.
I will never get on any horse without one! I don't care whether it's my horse (who I trust completely) or someone elses horse, I am not prepared to take that risk of serious injury to one of the most important parts of my body. Ok, if you may trust your horse with your life, but what if that horse tripped? You can never be too careful around horses, after all, they are still unpredictable prey animals! I'm not going to bash anyone for not wearing one, but as I see it, you only get one head, and I am going to protect mine!
I always wear a helmet, just as I always wear a seatbelt when I get in a car. I can think of two instances when my helmet saved me from worse injuries than I got, so I think its well worthwhile. Frankly, I think its foolish not to, but I don't judge people who don't. Its their head to risk, not mine.
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