[poppy1356]

I was referring to his logic about why people wear helmets. He said he has fallen and hit his head.

 

[Speed Racer]

For me i dont wear a seat belt. I dont believe i should be forced to wear on by big bother eather.

Doesn't matter what you believe, it's still the law. It's a primary enforcement in MN where you live, so you'll get stopped and fined eventually because you don't think you should have to listen to 'The Man'. Almost 93% of all Minnesotans wear them, so you're in the minority.

Seat belt usage and air bags have reduced injury and death by quite significant numbers since they were instituted. That's fact, not conjecture.

Wearing advanced safety equipment has reduced injuries and deaths in ALL sports, not just equine activities. But sure, all that safety equipment in use nowadays must just be because people are wimpy little dinks, not because they're trying to minimize traumatic injuries.

 

[COWCHICK77]

I feel the same way about people who judge my riding ability and the training of my horses based solely on my choice to wear a helmet. :?

I am not arguing about that...understandable, just as I wouldn't judge rider or horse because of the use of a helmet.

As far as seat belt wear, you're not allowed a choice in that particular matter. It's either a primary or secondary offense in all 50 US states if you don't wear one. I wore one long before it became law. Why wouldn't I want to minimize physical injury?

I know that it is law, but I think it should be a personal choice for people of age. And in a way it still is choice, if you don't wear one then you choose to pay a fine if caught. I know this for a fact.

 

[Speed Racer]

You can think wearing seat belts should be a personal choice, but it's not and not likely to change anytime soon. I find it to be a non-issue, and don't know why people get their panties bunched about it and start woofing about individual rights. If people were smart enough to govern themselves and be responsible for their own actions and not expect someone else to pay for their stupid mistakes, maybe 'The Man' wouldn't have to make so many laws.

The amusing thing is that you live in NV and Cowboy lives in MN, where seat belt usage is in the mid-90% range for both states. I live in VA and it's only about 81%, so we definitely have more scofflaws than either of your states.

 

[BaileyJo]

No its not that. I just have my feeling and stick to them. And im not scared to be yelled at for them. I have taken many baseballs to the helmet and that sucks as bad as getting hit with the ball. It hurts getting hit anyway with or without a helmet.

Because you wear a baseball helmet I bet you strike out alot. You're probably scared of getting hit with a baseball. Can't you play baseball?

That's a joke and silly observation but hey, yours is kind of the same.

BTW, feelings are feelings but common sense is usually more practical.

Honestly, I don't care what you really think when you look at a picture but your judgements are way off.

 

[tinyliny]

Maybe the difference between the government requiring people to wear seatbelts in cars and not requiring helmets for riders is that one activity is really not a hobby or recreation activity, but something most modern Americans do as part of their daily life. While riding, for most people, is a hobby or recreational activity.
And, the impact on the rest of the population is much less for injured horse riders as compared to those injured or killed in auto accidents.

You can say, "it's my choice whether to wear a seat belt or not, afterall, it's me who will be killed" . but, in actuality, the consequences travel outward to the general public; things like caring for you in hospital if you become a vegetable, paying for major surgery vs a minor injury if you had been wearing a seatbelt. Not to mention the psychic toll on the other driver if an accident results in your death.

(my SIL was in an accident with a man. Totally his fault, but it resulted in his death. What a hard thing it was to bear for her, knowing that her car had killed this man, a young man who had been drinking and was not wearing a seatbelt.)

 

[cowboy bowhunter]

Wearing advanced safety equipment has reduced injuries and deaths in ALL sports, not just equine activities. But sure, all that safety equipment in use nowadays must just be because people are wimpy little dinks, not because they're trying to minimize traumatic injuries.

You hit that one right on the head. Back before i was even born there werent these big brother laws and people were just fine. So has everyone became dumber or just wimps to have to have all these laws. We are to dumb to make up our own minds?

 

[COWCHICK77]

You can think wearing seat belts should be a personal choice, but it's not and not likely to change anytime soon. I find it to be a non-issue, and don't know why people get their panties bunched about it and start woofing about individual rights. If people were smart enough to govern themselves and be responsible, maybe 'The Man' wouldn't have to make so many laws.

The amusing thing is that you live in NV and Cowboy lives in MN, where seat belt usage is in the mid-90% range for both states. I live in VA and it's only about 81%, so we definitely have more scofflaws than either of your states.

Oh I know seat belt laws are not going to change, and I don't expect it to.
The comment about "if people were smart enough to govern themselves...."
IMO, that's the whole problem, people expect the govt. to take care of them.

And I may live in a state where 90%+ wear a seat belt, but where I live and the majority(who live in Las Vegas and the Reno/Tahoe area)has nothing to do with how I feel about it.

I have a hard time understanding why it would matter to you or anyone else if I chose to wear a seat belt. How does that effect you?

 

[oh vair oh]

My mom wore her helmet for 30 years of show jumping. Broke her neck instead and had to have her discs rebuilt. Ironic, neh?

I think I have to agree with the OP on some level. Simply because in western style riding it is very rare to see someone in a helmet. I too get that gut reaction and think "Okay, western riding in a helmet, they are either novices or not very confident in the horse..." It's just not "in the culture" as it were. Nothing against riding in helmets, but when you work with western-style people who go to western-style shows, it's not en vogue.

 

[Speed Racer]

Tiny, I was recently in an accident where both vehicles were totaled. Neither myself nor the other driver were seriously hurt because we were both wearing our seat belts. She got a little more bruised up than I did because her vehicle was older and didn't have air bags, whereas mine did.

The way we hit each other, had both of us not been wearing out seat belts, someone would have been seriously injured. The fact that we both walked away from that accident just solidified my belief that seat belts and air bags, which are now mandatory installations in every vehicle since 2000, definitely save lives.

I'm sorry your sister has to carry that burden. It isn't hers to own, but unfortunately she feels responsible even though the other driver caused his own death.

Cowchick, I don't care one way or the other whether or not you wear your seat belt or a riding helmet. If you get killed, seriously maimed, or incur a TBI because of personal choices, I won't be the one who has to pick up the pieces; your family will.

 

[BooBear]

I guess I kind of get what Oh Vair Oh is saying about helmets not being en vogue in western culture. "I would think it would be a lot less fashionable to have a head injury leaking on the ground while waiting for the paramedics to arrive." - My old barn owner.

 

[Speed Racer]

You hit that one right on the head. Back before i was even born there werent these big brother laws and people were just fine. So has everyone became dumber or just wimps to have to have all these laws. We are to dumb to make up our own minds?

So I suppose you think lead based paint is fine and dandy to still use in houses? Kids shouldn't be stupid enough to eat paint chips. Serves 'em right if they get brain damage!

Oh, and all those pesky medical advances that have been made over the years should just be thrown out. People are gonna die anyway, so why try and give them some quantity as well as quality of life, right? :-x

What about advances in veterinary medicine? Why bother with all that crap? Horses used to die at 15, and what was good enough for grand-daddy should be good enough for the rest of us. Pshaw on horses living better and longer lives!

 

[oh vair oh]

I guess I kind of get what Oh Vair Oh is saying about helmets not being en vogue in western culture. "I would think it would be a lot less fashionable to have a head injury leaking on the ground while waiting for the paramedics to arrive." - My old barn owner.

Yes, but the idea behind the cowboy hat is also to protect the rider too. When you wear a light colored large hat, the horse has no idea where your face is. So if it happens to kick at you, it will more likely hit the brim of the hat than your face.

We also tend to think that western horses are bred to be more docile than hotbreds, who have to work on the ranch for hours a day. In those situations, it can be very uncomfortable to wear a helmet instead of a cowboy hat. The horses are not being asked to jump over dangerous heights either. The western saddle is also an aid because the western saddle is easier to sit and stay on in than an english saddle.

Now I do believe that accidents happen, and I had to wear a helmet until I was a teenager, but a whole slew of things could go wrong and not just hit your head. Your neck could break, your foot could get caught, you could get stepped on, dragged, etc. We simply cannot be prepared for everything, and only prepare our horse the best that we can.

 

[AlexS]

I wear a helmet because my barn owner requires it, I am riding on her land.

Does that mean in the slightest that I am afraid or big brother is out to get me?
As there are no helmet laws for horse riders anyway, I don't really see how the big brother issue comes into it.

 

[bsms]

I don't understand why folks need to lecture others on either side. I normally wear a helmet, but I don't refuse to get on a horse if I don't have one on hand. Riding in our little arena, Mia is the only horse I ALWAYS wear a helmet with. Off property, I'm riding on asphalt, or very rocky trails surrounded by cactus. If I come off, I will be hurt - but I'd rather take a broken arm than a busted skull. So helmet on, always.

Helmets entered English riding via jumping. Western riding has less risk of landing on one's head, and fewer people believe the reward is worth the cost. Either way, helmets are a PART of risk-reduction. Horse, saddle, style of riding, activities, weather, location - they all play a role. Why not let folks makeup their own minds...and leave them be, either way?

 

[Speed Racer]

I dunno about that riding outfit, bsms. Looks kind of restrictive.

 

[BaileyJo]

I guess I kind of get what Oh Vair Oh is saying about helmets not being en vogue in western culture. "I would think it would be a lot less fashionable to have a head injury leaking on the ground while waiting for the paramedics to arrive." - My old barn owner.

Western has a different style. I agree most people who ride Western don't wear helmets. I think it is more of a style/cool thing, (what's in, what's out) rather than a safety. You kind of stand out in the crowd of western riders if you wear one. And really, who wants to be an odd man out.

 

[bsms]

I dunno about that riding outfit, bsms. Looks kind of restrictive.

If you rode like I do, it might look like "Good Sense"! :lol:

 

[Speed Racer]

If you rode like I do, it might look like "Good Sense"! :lol:

:rofl::rofl::rofl:

Just make sure you get a mounting block high enough to step over onto the horse, since mounting from the ground doesn't really look possible.

Cowboy hat or helmet with that outfit? Either would complete the look stunningly. :wink:

 

[farmpony84]

If the rider is under 18 then a parent or a gaurdian will have control over enforcing a helmet rule with the rider. If the rider is on someone elses property or a public facility then they must follow whatever rules are set forth. There are people in this world who choose to use safety devices no matter the skill level of the rider or the training level of the horse.

I find it interesting that a buyer might decide to skip an ad merely for that fact that an individual opted to air on the side caution.