top hats

[*rickie*]

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Rickie... you arnt much older than me, if at all?? If your barn owners daughter is not older then 18 then she is making her wear her helmet because its a law. 

#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#FONT face=Tahoma color=#c080ff size=4#ed_cl#Xena, I do believe that I am a bit older than you are, could be wrong, but I just received this outlook on life a couple years ago after my fall (trust me it was a BAD one).#ed_op#/FONT#ed_cl##ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#FONT face=Tahoma color=#c080ff size=4#ed_cl##ed_op#/FONT#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#FONT face=Tahoma color=#c080ff size=4#ed_cl#And I really doubt it's the law that junior must wear helmets....there are a TONE of junior western riders who sure as #ed_op#/FONT#ed_cl##ed_op#A href="mailto:H@LL"#ed_cl##ed_op#FONT face=Tahoma color=#c080ff size=4#ed_cl#H@LL#ed_op#/FONT#ed_cl##ed_op#/A#ed_cl##ed_op#FONT face=Tahoma color=#c080ff size=4#ed_cl# don't wear helmets. And that's not the reason why the BO is making her daughter wear one. It's a VERY private barn, and no one would know if she ever wore one at all!#ed_op#/FONT#ed_cl##ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#FONT face=Tahoma color=#c080ff size=4#ed_cl##ed_op#/FONT#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#FONT face=Tahoma color=#c080ff size=4#ed_cl#No worries Xena, I due beleive that one say you will change your mind about the whole helmet deal, of caorse I could totally be wrong, but that is my quesstimate!#ed_op#/FONT#ed_cl##ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#

[Chisholm]

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#JJ wears her helmet at PSG because she had a terrible fall years ago and vow to wear a helmet  from then on.  #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#

[xena_n_joss]

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Oh dont worry Rickie, I have had more then enough horrible falls and accidents around horses myself. I fell off Xena when she was first broke and twisted my back. I could not ride for months after that. And I could barely walk after I fell off. Luckily I had people with me who walked Xena back to the barn for me. And yes, I had a helmet on that time. #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#I've had plenty of other horrible falls in my time as well. So this isn't an issue of having to fall off enough to start wearing my helmet. The only time I do not wear it is on Xena when we're doing dressage. And she has bucked a time or 2 when Ive been riding her too. But I just know her well and shes very predictable. #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#I was pretty sure it was an EC or OEF law that juniors must wear there helmet with a harness that is approved. I dont know anything about western so I dont know what the western kids are doing. I know that they can buy cowboy hats with the helmet built into it though. #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#

[zooka]

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#JJ wears her helmet at PSG because she had a terrible fall years ago and vow to wear a helmet  from then on.  #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#and when she talks to you you realize how smart it is to wear a helmet all the time.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#

[Ruth]

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#I believe it is now Ontario law (not just EC or OEF regulations)that all minors must wear a helmet while riding. The incident when that young girl fell off, was dragged and died on her birthday, I think near Aurora, precipitated this law. Of course if you're riding at home I doubt that it would necessarily be enforced, but anyone running a riding establishment must ensure all minors wear approved helmets.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#

[pony crazy]

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#I believe it's a personal preference to wear a helmet or not.When you really think about it depending on how you fall a helmet can do more damage than good.If you have a helmet with a stiff brim on it and you fall on you face you run the risk of breaking your nose or having that bone pierce your brain.It sounds weird but I've heard of it happening.It's the same thing with wearing a seat belt,depending on how severe the accident is you could end up paralysed,or have massive internal injuries.That I know can happen because I lost a friend that way,the paramedics said if he wasn't wearing a seat belt he would have had a better chance of living.I agree with the rule that minors must wear a helmet,but still it is your choice to wear a helmet or a top hat.I school at home without one.The only time I wear one is at shows and because I think it would look out of place at the lower levels.Once you get to the higher levels it becomes almost like a privilege to wear a top hat.I admire the fact that JJ is trying to make a point that safety is a priority,but it's still the rider's right to choose until it becomes a rule.Which,no offence to anyone,I think will never happen because it has become to much of a tradition or the norm if you will.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#

[Ruth]

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#I do agree that it is personal choice, and I have had one fall when the fact I wasn't wearing a helmet (unusual for me) resulted in less injury to my face than if I had been wearing it. I think collapsible brims are the answer. Even with that experience I couldn't tell you the last time I didn't wear my helmet.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#However, ponycrazy, when you play the odds, a seatbelt or a helmet is far more likely to save your life than cause injury. I too have an uncle who would have been paralysed if he had been wearing a seatbelt, but because he was not, survived without serious injury, but #ed_op#STRONG#ed_cl#far#ed_op#/STRONG#ed_cl# more people die because they were not wearing a seatbelt. I can think of two incidents this summer off the top of my head where people were ejected from their vehicles in  accidents and died because of it. #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#

[Judy F]

It IS an Ontario law, passed 2 years ago, that all minors (under 18)
must wear an approved helmet and boots with a proper heel when riding. 
Parents and coaches who allow minors to ride without proper equipment
can be hit by major fines.#ed_op#br#ed_cl#

So much for the carefree days of galloping your horse barebact, bareheaded, through the woods and fields!  #ed_op#br#ed_cl#

And yes, JJ is a serious campaigner for helmets, every time, every ride. 

[pony crazy]

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#I do realize it is a gamble every time you ride,whether you are wearing a helmet or not.I heard one person say he doesn't wear a helmet cause it throws off his balance....I tried hard not to laugh in his face when he said it.I ride without a helmet simply because I know my horse,she rarely and I do mean rarely spooks and when she does I know it's coming,she makes it very obvious.I've had her for 17 years I know her all to well.If I ride a new horse I wear a helmet.My new mare is much like the old girl I can tell when she's going to spook.She normaly slows right down and then stops,not hard but just stops.I ride without a helmet at my own risk,if I fall off and hurt my head well I have no one to blame but myself.But like I said before I always wear one at shows.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#

[Ruth]

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#pony crazy - it's your choice, and I know I've certainly had my mare for 17 years and can count on one hand the number of times I've come off her, but the problem is that the unexpected can happen, horses can fall, etc., you just never know! Just because I haven't fallen off in 4 years doesn't mean it won't happen tomorrow. #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#

[pony crazy]

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#No doubt that a fall can happen at any time,off of any horse.I guess I have been lucky for the handful of times that I have fallen off in twenty years of riding,I've only hurt my head once.Actually it was more a cut lip than anything else,so the helmet played no part in it.When I have fallen off it has always been my upper body.When I first learned to ride we were taught those emergency dismounts.I always roll away,if I think I'm going to land on my head my first reaction is to put my hands down.Not always good to do,but i'd rather have a broken wrist than a head injury.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#

[invinceable]

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#I have always had my worst falls off an "old pro", who has been there,done that.  The one guy was 18, and we both fell, both needed stitches, and my helmet cracked in two.(I never ever wore a helmet, I don't know why I put one on that day)  Ever since then, I always have it on.  I start horses for a living now, and I wouldn't even think about getting on without it.  And, I learned the hard way, if you have long hair, always put it up, it can get caught up in anything, even if it is in a pony tail!#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#

[pony crazy]

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#I've never had a problem with my long hair.Never fallen off and old pro,the only time I did was jumping and my mare's shoulder locked and she stumbled with me.I trust my horse and my riding that much that I choose to go without a helmet.I know a fall can happen anytime anywhere with any horse.When I break horses I always wear one,but if I've had them forever I never wear one.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#

[J Johnston]

I am really happy that the consensus seems to be that the smart choice is to wear a helmet all the time. Some people decide not to at times on a trusted horse, but most acknowledge that even the safest of mounts can stumble, or be stung, or spook when the rider least expects it.

What I find so interesing from a pyschological point of view, is the association of the top hat with a professional or top level rider in dressage. Some lower level riders can't wait to get in the ring and wear a top hat, presumably to demonstrate how good they are. Better, I think, to show how good you are by just riding well.

The resistance to wearing helmets at FEI levels is strong, for sure. Some people say they don't like the look, or they don't want to buck tradition. Some people fear they will look like amateurs, or that others will think the horse is a nut case, or that the rider is afraid, or that the judges will hold it against them. All the riders I speak to about it, in the final analysis, will admit they aren't brave enough to wear a helmet even if they want to, even if their top hat gives them a migraine, even if they have previously been hospitalized with serious brain injury ... and this includes some of Canada's top, top, top riders.

I have great admiration for the poster above who states that she isn't brave enough to wear a helmet at FEI competition, but thinks she should. That is the honest truth. I wish her courage and hope she will join me in her tails and her helmet. The more people find the courage to do it, the less of an issue it will be and some day the smart choice will also be the fashionable choice.

[pony crazy]

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#JJ I admire the fact that you want to make the sport safer.I think however that if you choose to wear a helmet it should not be with tails.It just doesn't look right,just my opinion.In that case juniors should not be allowed to wear them in young riders.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#

[Chisholm]

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#I see nothing wrong with the look tails and hard hat, I think they look fine.  JJ looks great when she rides in her helmet and tails.#ed_op#IMG src="http://forums.equestrianconnection.com/richedit/smileys/Happy/21.gif"#ed_cl#  We just have to get use to a different look.  #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#But saying that I have a top hat I am dying to wear, no pun intended LOL.  But I won't wear it unless my horse and I are doing well.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#

[Ruth]

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#JJ - I will be going out at 3rd next year in my helmet. The judge isn't judging my headgear.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#

[xena_n_joss]

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#I like dressage the way it is. Sorry. But it is tradition.  I also admire people for choosing to wear their helmet.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#As for migraines with a top hat.... I get migraines from any kind of headgear, even a baseball hat. It gives me a sick thow-up migraine. Which is one of the reasons I avoid wearing a helmet. Going to any show is horrible because I always end up with a migraine from wearing the stupid thing all day. And I refuse to wear the plastic bicycle type helmets. I dont like them. #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#

[pony crazy]

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#I too get headaches when wearing a helmet which is another reason why iI only wear it when I have too.If I didn't think it looks wrong to wear a top hat in training I would simply cause it doesn't give me a headache.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#

[Piaffing]

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#With me sometimes I wear my top hat and then others I'll wear the helmet. So much depends on the horse I'm ridingand how he feels. If entering any Para-Equestrian competitions you have to wear a helmet.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#