I’ve heard some good reasons for why people don’t wear helmets when riding horses.

1) Helmets are uncomfortable; they give me a headache and it makes my riding less enjoyable.  My head gets too hot.

2) There are many risks in life.  I’m probably in more danger driving in my car every day.

3) People get injured when handling horses from the ground.  Why don’t we wear helmets whenever we handle horses?  Good point, but would lead to more helmet wearing, not less.

I’ve also heard some reasons that are less logical.

1) I’ve heard sometimes people get hurt worse because they had a helmet on.

That is remotely possible.  There are also some extremely rare occasions where a person was safer without a seat belt on in a car because they were able to duck quickly or lay out flat on the seat.  However, statistically you are much safer with a helmet on and a seat belt on.

2) I never hit my head when I fall off.

Your head weighs ten to eleven pounds.  It is very likely that you will hit your head when falling off a horse, even if you never have before.

3) I’ve never fallen off a horse.

This means you are far more likely to get hurt when you do fall off.

4) I know how to fall so I don’t get hurt.

It’s very important to know how to fall.  However, there are many, many circumstances where falls happen much faster than you can react.  Personally, I’ve had at least four or five falls where I blinked and “Bam!” I was on the ground.  On a couple of those occasions I landed on my feet.  On a couple of those occasions I landed on my head.

5) I’m an excellent rider so I don’t fall off very much.

Some of the best riders; Olympic caliber riders and those who have done stunt riding have fallen off their horses and ended up with head injuries.

6)My horse is very calm and bomb-proof.

Many falls are not related to a horse spooking or getting too excited.  People have had head injuries that happened when a horse fell down while walking in an arena.  My own horses have fallen down with me while trotting slowly on a flat, even surface.  I’ve had a horse trip over a weed that tangled around her front legs and go down when she took the first step from a stand still.

If the horse falls down, you fall down

I feel it is a personal choice to wear a helmet or not wear one when riding.  Freedom of choice is something I believe is very important.  However, I would ask you to examine what your true reasons are for not wearing a helmet.  Although many people will not admit it, I believe that most often people do not wear helmets due to their culture rather than for any other reason.  I understand this, because up until age twenty or so I did not know a single person who wore a safety helmet when riding.  The first few times I put a helmet on, I felt like a moron.  I’ve felt pressure from other riders similar to what teens feel in school when they aren’t “cool.”  We carry in our minds the romantic image of a girl with long hair flowing behind as she canters on a horse down a beach at sunset.  Helmets disturb this ideal and quite honestly, I feel that most people won’t wear a helmet simply due to “image.”  Many riders are likewise attached to their Western rider image, and feel that a helmet disrupts this.

We like to portray that we don’t need a helmet because we are amazing riders and helmets are for little kids on ponies.  We like to feel that someone might approach us on the beach and tell us how gorgeous and romantic we look on our beautiful horse.  We like to feel invincible and strong on our horses rather than “safe.”  Helmets disturb many of the reasons we ride these imposing animals in the first place; to retain the romance of girlhood, to feel strong and powerful, to feel that there is something we are good at, to feel the closeness of a relationship with another living creature.

Your choice is your own.  I have many good reasons for always wearing a helmet when I ride any horse.

1) I’ve found horses to be unpredictable animals that can get stung by a bee and begin bucking, that regularly overestimate their ability to remain upright over varying terrain, and that sometimes take longer to stop than either the horse or I expect.

2) Some of the best riders I know have taken spills and cracked their helmets.  One of my friends doesn’t even remember how an accident happened because her concussion caused her to lose memory of the event.  However, she suffered no permanent damage due to her helmet.

3) I’ve found that helmets are very helpful when riding through the woods.  Several times I’ve underestimated how low a tree branch was hanging until it ran into my helmet with a thud.  Scratchy branches slide easily over the top of a helmet instead of getting stuck in my hair.

4) I personally know riders who have broken their back, broken their neck, broken their arms, wrists, legs and hips.  All of these people are still riding horses.  I do not know anyone personally who has had a traumatic brain injury from a horse accident.  However, I’ve read the stories of some well-known riders that have fallen off horses while not wearing helmets and sustained traumatic brain injuries.  These types of injuries affect the riders severely.  Many of them can never ride again, and many can only ride at a walk with someone on the ground assisting.

A video of Courtney King-Dye three years after her accident shows that she was still severely affected by her brain injury:

I’ve read about other riders with head injuries that caused much less damage due to their helmet.  Earlier this year Silva Martin had a head injury that most likely would have been fatal if not for her helmet.  According to her blog she is now fully recovered.

http://www.chronofhorse.com/article/silva-martin-hospitalized-head-injury

Thankfully, I’ve discovered that there are helmets that look better than the old “bubble-head” ones.  I’ve found a vented helmet that fits my head shape, is easy to put on and does not give me a headache or make my head feel hot.  Some of the old helmets I used gave me headaches.

My favorite and very comfortable helmet