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Hey Shaneperch, there is something to protect your spine. You've probably seen NFL linemen wearing them. You will see, on some linemen, a pad sticking out of their jersey in the middle of their back. I think they now have them for bull riders. It prevents the head from snaping so far back that the neck breaks. That is the situation in which the neck is very vulnerable. So, if you get pitched forward, and land on your forehead, it is very dangerous. I believe that is what happened to Christopher Reeves. By the way, a helmet is probably not any protection at all in that kind of situation.

Well said freeespirit! Thank you for a coupla salient points. Way back when, before my life with horses, my fiance at that time insisted I wear a bike helmet! He desperatedly needed for me to wear the danged thing! To make a long story short, the first time I rode with it, I nearly got run over by a car because it was such a distraction and it obscured my peripheral vision. A basic rule that so many folks don't follow is: Don't get on your horse unless he is under control emotionally. If your horse is acting spooky, get him under control on the ground before you get on! If you can't control him from his back, don't ride until you get him under control! If you get down the trail and he sees a hobgoblin & starts to freak, if you can't get him back under control on top...get off! & take care of it from the ground. This certainly reduces your chances of finding yourself in a situation wishing you had worn a helmet. Don't let your ego compromise your safety.

Helmets may prevent some brain injuries, but they can also cause injuries when someone is distracted or annoyed by the helmet; catches the helmet on a branch by accident and the horse doesn't halt; has one's vision hindered by the helmet; feels uncomfortable as a result of the helmet, etc. It's not just the "cowboys/cowgirls"---as someone said, who don't like helmets. I ride English/dressage and if there's anything on my head, it's either a wool cap in the winter or a straw hat in the summer; there's no way someone's going to make me put something on my head other than those. Helmets are like those danged seat-belts in cars; they save some people's lives and cause the lives of others to be taken away. Life itself is a risk. Being around horses is potentially dangerous, as is riding, with or without helmets. Aye, what's next, someone trying to sell us, or legislate that we wear, inflatable rubber suits that cause us to bounce away when we're kicked by a horse, fall off of a horse, etc., which include back-up beepers, built in back-braces and attached safety helmets and crush-proof boots? ...and motion detectors that let us know, via incessant beeping, when a horse or tree is approaching?

Well I agree wearing a helmet is the only way to protect your brain. But I would love to invent a spine protector so that no one gets paralized (sp????) I know a guy who's father broke his neck tripping over a rug and falling in a hallway. Motorcycles are as if not more so dangerious than horses. I always say if Christopher Reeves rode Dressage he would still be walking. But lack of experiance is also a problem couple with male ego. I never had a concusion (sp") thankfully. I support helmets.

I grew up riding at english barns on the east coast that required even adults to wear a helmet. if you wouldn't wear a helmet, you were told to board somewhere else. so it's very ingrained in me to always wear a helmet. since i've moved to texas i've slacked off a *little* bit. a year and a half ago i was just going to go for a quick, casual ride and decided i didn't need my hat. but somehow, when i got to the mounting block, it was already on my head - it's that automatic for me to put it on, i didn't even remember doing it. well, i was cantering mack, he tripped (my fault - a combo of bad light, bad footing, bad shoes and bad decision on my part), cartwheeled over me, landed on top of me. i hit my head. he kicked me in the head/face multiple times. i blacked out a couple times. had internal injury, hip injury, bleeding face, etc. boy am i glad it's automatic for me to put my helmet on. yes, it's ugly. yes, i feel like a dork (funny, i didn't feel that way back when i lived somewhere where everyone else wore a helmet). yes, it's hot in the summer. but i'm going to try not to let my ego get the best of me and keep that hat on. - kate

To further expand on Rainsong's post ... It is a medical fact that concussions have an accumulative effect on the brain, i.e., if you've had a concussion -- a second concussion/blow to the head could have a more dibilitating effect. Not only can the result of a second concussion be more devastating, but it can be more acute even though the second impact is of a much, much lesser impact. This is exemplified by professional athletes -- football players, boxers, etc. -- when you read they are retiring because they have been warned by doctors that they cannot 'afford' another blow to the head and risk further injury. There are now studies that show, especially with the rise and popularity of soccer in American elementary and high schools -- that his accumulative effect of concussions can be triggered by simply 'heading' the ball repeatedly, causing 'accumulating' impact and jostling of the brain in a not yet fully developed, matured skull. Whatever your choice on this subject ... be safe, ride long.

Meg,,, ROFLMAO,,,, that chair was a lil broncy that nite but it was broke to ride before the nite was over

Hey ole... ya better wear a helmet when you're tryin to sit in one of those buckin chairs, too!! Ya never know when they're gonna throw ya off! ROFLMAO ~Meg

I would have to say that I'm all for someone wearing a helmet when they ride,,, I know my daughter cracked 4 helmet when she was riding jumping horses and thank the good lord she was wearing them. They saved us many medical bills and have kept her around to continue to enjoy horses for many years to come. I dont wear one myself probably due more to my egotistical male pride then common sense. I would always encourage all young riders to wear one and its up to us so called adults to do as we wish.