The bottom line here is that helmuts save brains when someone lands on one's head, the brains need to be saved. Brain injuries can't be repaired like broken bones and ruptured spleens and livers. Riders can rationalize all they want but it only takes ONE bad hit and the brain is bounced around too much. Every head injury contributes to brain problems in the late yrs of life--according to medical studies. I have been wearing a helmut for over 25 yrs. Better to have a bad hair day then messing up the gray matter. But then those cowboy hats also mess up one's hair, as did all those dang Army hats I had to wear. At least the safety helmut has more purpose than appearances. I broke a helmut for the first time in 2002 during a fifty mile ride at the end of the first loop when the horse spooked while at a full gallop. Head was ok but the back spasms lasted all day. I did complete the fifty miles though!!! Since then have broken one more helmut in horse fall. Better the helmut than the head and it's contents. I was wearing a helmut WAY before anyone else in TX was... and was usually the ONLY one at the endurance ride with one on. I have NEVER found it to interfere with vision. I have found it handy going under tree limbs as it would hit the top of my helmut while I hugged my horses neck and kept going. Nowadays there are many to choose from. Find one that suits you and wear it hoping you NEVER really need it. You can get an approved one for under $50!!! Safe and happy trails to all!!

(continued...) Now, everyone has a story about helmets working and not working, helmets being good or bad, the cause of the injury or the prevention of an injury. But that I think is based on expectations about what a helmet can and can not do, and of course, preference. Remember this: if you're traveling at a 100 miles an hour and run head first into a wall -- nothing is going to save you. Do not blame the helmet if the demands on it exceeds its physical capability or prevention specifications. Do helmets work to lessen brain injuries? Yes. Absolutely. Absolutely yes! Not only do the laws of physics prove it, so do the laws of mathematics. And more important, the statistical data proves it without a doubt. Consistently for the past 20 or so years. And as technologies and new materials come to light, coupled with better understanding of the brain -- helmet use safety statistics improve each and every year. Are there exceptions to the rule? Yes. But you shouldn't use the exceptions to dissaude you from the simple truth: when used properly helmets lessen the severity of brain injuries. That doesn't mean you MUST wear one. It doesn't mean you're wrong for NOT wearing one. And, it doesn't mean, in my opinion, helmet use should be mandated (I don't think it should). But what it does mean is you should be armed with the facts and understand the truth of the matter so you can make a decision on your own and be responsible for the choice you make. To wear helmet or not to wear a helmet .... that is a question for you to answer. Whatever you do, happy and safe riding! That ends Helmets 101. There will be a test next Tuesday! Onehorse

(Continued....) From the above example a helmet can do two things: prevent an injury or lessen the severity of an injury. And that is something to keep in mind: the strongest argument for helmet use is not that it can prevent head injuries, but it can reduce the severity of a head injury, i.e., the difference between blanking out and waking up paralyzed or blanking out and waking up with Excedrin headache #82. So here is how helmets work: In general, helmets are made up of two distinct materials: a hard outer shell and a softer inner material (foam, polypropylene, air bag, etc.). The softer material has 'give' and upon impact 'collapses.' The outer (hard) shell gives the helmet integrity, protects from objects 'piercing' through the helmet, and supports the softer inside. The inside material collapses against the outer shell and in that 'collapsing' process slows down your scull's speed before it (the scull) comes to a stop. Remember the law of motion? Your scull comes into contact with the collapsing foam which has an 'influence' on your scull: it resists it when it comes into contact with it, but since it is collapsing as the scull hits it, it is actually slowing down the scull -- so the speed of your scull is de-accelerating as it comes to a stop. (Think of applying your brakes on your car: you slow down before coming to a stop.) Now, as your scull begins to slow down, your brain is bringing up the rear (closing the distance) at its initial speed that both it and your scull was traveling prior to impact. So it hits the inner wall of your scull while your scull is slowing down (collapsing) but still moving away from the brain causing the brain to hit the scull with less impact (everything is collapsing/slowing down -- outer helmet wall, inner helmet wall, scull -- away from the brain) so when everything stops the brain hits the inner scull wall at a slower speed. Thus, based on our formula the 'S' (speed) is reduced (the multiplication factor reduces) so the "F' force of impact is lessened. Now for reducing the "D' distance. Before the impact the brain is a certain distance from the inner scull wall. Let's say an inch. If we were not wearing a helmet when we crashed, the brain would accelerate and travel at full speed for an inch when it would come to an abrupt halt, i.e., smashing into the scull. BAM! But with a helmet on, the brain would reach the scull wall and touch it as the scull is moving away (remember its collapsing away from the brain and slowing down with the soft inner foam) so when the scull actually stops the brain is actually touching it and has NO (or very little) distance to travel before impact. And at impact, the brain has slowed down and becomes 'cushioned by the soft material. Voila: we have lessened the "D" distance at impact. In fact, we have reduced D and we have reduced S, thereby reducing significantly the impact of the concussion. We can further reduce the D by wearing a properly fitted helmet by decreasing the distance between your scull and the helmet so your scull travels less distance to meet the helmet. Now all this happens in an incredibly short period of time, but the math doesn't lie and the reduction of 'F' is monumental. When we tested helmets, i.e., dropping a 1500 pound weight accelerating from 6 feet at 32 ft per second squared onto a helmet, the impact on the head form was measured at 180 g's. That in simple terms is the difference between life or death, paralysis or amnesia, or seeing stars for a while. (Continued ...)

onehorseperson..... I am waiting for the second post, giddyup! Smile, Kathy

This topic is very dear to me having suffered several concussions and, as some of you know, I have been involved in the development and design of helmets. So I do have a bias. For the record, I choose to wear a helmet when I ride. Further, I believe it's a personal choice to wear a helmet or not. To make an appropriate choice, it's important to understand what a helmet does, what it is supposed to do and how it works. And, what it does not do. The single purpose of a helmet is to prevent or lessen the impact of a concussion to the brain. So first, it's necessary to understand what causes a concussion. Most people think it is 'banging your head against something (a wall, the ground, a baseball bat, etc.) with force or speed.' Close, but no cigar. 'Banging your head against something with force or speed' abruptly stops your head (scull) from moving and nothing more. The initial impact of 'stopping your head' may cause abrasions, punctures, shattering of the scull, etc., and, more than likely the first step to causing a concussion -- but that, in and by itself, does not create a concussion. The 'concussion' occurs a split moment (a second, a half second, a millisecond) later when your brain (which floats within your scull) smashes against the inside of your scull. I repeat: a concussion occurs when your brain smashes against the inside of your scull, not when the outside of your scull hits a foreign object and is abruptly stopped. It is between the time those two events (scull being abruptly stopped and the brain smashing into the scull) that a helmet has its effect and opportunity to work and lessen the force of the impact of the brain and skull meeting. Here's how: First, some laws of science: two objects moving at the same rate of speed (scull and brain) will continue to move at the same rate unless influenced by a foreign object (a wall, the ground, a bus). And, 'force or impact' is a measurement of speed (how fast the scull & brain are moving in tandum) X mass (size or weight) X distance (the 'float' area between the scull & brain). The greater the speed, the greater the mass (those of us with big egos are in a lot of trouble!), the greater the distance ... the greater the impact or severity of a concussion. A helmet can influence/reduce the 'speed' and the 'distance' in the above equation to lessen the force or impact when the brain hits the inside of the scull(reducing it) and thereby assisting in preventing serious internal injury to the brain. (It can't reduce mass or our egos, unless the simple act of donning a helmet does that, lol!) By example: Our equation F (force/impact)= D (distance scull/brain travel) x M (mass/head size, ego ... take your pick) x S (speed/how fast scull/brain are traveling). If D = 1 inch, M= 5lbs, and S = 15MPH, then the force of the impact is 75 (usually measured in 'g's). So in this example, the impact of your brain and scull colliding is 75g's. Now if the speed of he impact can be reduced by a third (to 10MPH)then the new measurement for the impact is 50g's. And if the distance traveled before impact can be reduced by 25%, or 3/4 of inch, then the measurement of the impact is reduced to 25 g's. Can a helmet do that? Yes, it can. But before I explain how, let's examine what the above math means. Let's say the brain can sustain an impact of 40 g's without any injury whatsoever. Anything over 40 g's causes some degree of concussion -- a fleeting headache, seeing 'stars,' a blackout, amnesia, paralysis, death. The higher the impact, the more severe the brain injury. In our above example, without a helmet 75 g's might be a blackout. At 50 g's, a headache. And at 25 g's no injury. From the above example we see that a helmet can do two things: prevent an injury or lessen the severity of an injury. I'll continue in my next post .....

this past week a young girl was killed at the 3 day eventing in Ocala, She was a professional but was galloping for time and the horse bumped into the wall and flipped over and broke its neck and killed her as well. she had a helmut on. Christopher Reeve had a helmut on. Riding jumpers I wear a helmut but when I do ground work or dressage I do not..I should ..accidents happen all the time.. ive had them flip, buck, run into the mirrors and almost land on me. we get yearlings to train we use helmuts.. always.. we get sale horses in and never know how they will be. its a risk. riding is a risk you take.. My friend was ran down the aisleway of barn with him hanging and hitting the wall. he had a helmut on . that day.I think if not he would not be here. Use common sense.. there is no right answer but be safe in whatever you do.. accidents happen..whether you are a professional or a novice.. in any sport.

Breaka, I sure am glad you survived. As a kid I had a riding accident with a helmet on where the doctor said I would have been killed if I hadn't had one on. It could be this issue may be similar to the seat belt one where seat belts save lives except in certain circumstances where the person was burned alive or was crushed because they weren't thrown out of the car. And don't worry you aren't bugging me. This is an open forum and we live in America so debate away. I'm just thankful I live in a country where we can debate/disagree/rethink freely. We have a statute in Arkansas too but there is a reasonable precaution clause that opens one up to liability claims based on data showing helmets help or potentially would have helped in most circumstances. According to the Ark Horse Council the Arkansas horse liability law we have has never really been tested but once to learn how far a judge will uphold it.

In 2004 I had a bad horse wreck and one of the injuries was I had broke my neck in three places. I had broke the C4, C5 and chipped the C6. I also partially severed the nerve in my neck as a result of this injury. The Dr said that even though I am lucky to be alive that NOT having a helmet on my head saved it. He said if I had of had a helmet on I would not be here today given the nature if the injury. It is life and I believe when our work is done on this earth we are called "Home". I guess I still have a few more people to bug......:) Lisa

Rain here in Idaho we have a State Statute that covers anyone participating in equine activities and those that have facilities that are equiine based. IDAHO CODE CODE OF CIVIL PROCEDURE TITLE 6. ACTIONS IN PARTICULAR CASES CHAPTER 18. EQUINE ACTIVITIES IMMUNITY ACT

Hi, Just bringing this back up to the top. I have to wear a helmet when I ride now due to insurance reasons after my surgery. Also because of liability laws when I let people ride my horses from now on I also need to require them to wear a helmet or I could be charged with negligence. Personally,I would rather not have to wear a helmet. I sure like the way Stetson's look a whole lot better. At least now one can get colors rather than black or can get pretty helmet covers. I have a friend this past July was kicked in the face when working with a colt and she lost her left eye and the left side of her face was crushed in. Of course a helmet wouldn't have protected her from this accident but it seems a lot of people I know have been injured in the head lately. My friend's dilemma was recently featured in Thoroughbred Times. I am hoping she continues to heal. She is still in a lot of pain and the surgery has been very expensive. She was a trainer for 20 yrs before this accident occurred. Here is a link to the article: http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/national-news/2007/November/17/Trainer-severely-injured-in-accident-seeks-assistance.aspx I am very careful now when I feed. I know another person who was kicked in the head when they bent to pick up a feed bucket. Now I just kick the bucket or etc with my foot if article is anywhere near hooves. Rain