I believe that you should never get on a horse without a helmet. The reason I believe this is because I've experienced what happens when you make an 'unscheduled dismount' on your head. I can tell you concussions are not fun. I was lucky. Here is the experience of another About Horse Reader: "The broken ribs healed but I'm still dealing with the brain injury. I lost my short term memory and my long term memory. I have gotten back alot of my long term memory but not a lot of my short term. It's been a real struggle for me in my day to day life. I wouldn't want ANYONE to go through this so do the smart thing and wear a helmet when you ride".
Yes, you may think, "it's my head". But if your really think you don't need a helmet then you should look your son, daughter, spouse, or friend in the eye and tell them: I don't need a helmet, but if I am wrong it will be your job to care for me. Please, each time you ride, wear a helmet. And for those of you that do: good job! (I'll get off my soap box now.)
Now, what other equipment have you used? If the equipment is not listed on the poll, please leave a comment below and tell us about it.
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Comments
The mouth guard is an excellent idea. I plan to have one made for myself. I volunteer at a therapeutic riding facility. They make us stand in front of the horse holding the lead rope when the kids mount to keep the horse from lurching forward. Well one day that did not work and the horse I was standing in front of decided to toss his head into my mouth so that he could get me out of the way and go forward on his own. The impact killed the nerve in one of my teeth which has since turned yellowish and I probably will have to get a veneer placed on it so that it will look the same as my other teeth. I don’t want this to happen again and I definitely want to protect this tooth and all the rest of my teeth. I learned a hard lesson but it could have been much worse!
I wonder if the reason for the mouthguard is to prevent a concussion. I understand that this is why young hockey players are required to wear them, rather than protection of the teeth. It apparently protects against jaw action with a fall that worsens a concussion. Does anyone know?
It is essential that new riders learn these safety practices: wear a helmet, don’t wrap ropes/reins around your hand, stand at the horses shoulder and feed treats in a bucket. What is even more important is that trainers and instructors lead the way by setting a good example. I have gone to way too many clinics where the brave clinician doesn’t even HAVE a helmet and as the take home message is, when you are good enough, you don’t need a helmet. Come on leaders in our industry, LEAD the way.