Helmet?

 

One of the most important things a rider can wear is a helmet.  Helmet safety is essential in every sport.  They provide protection from injury in the event there is an accident or a fall.  Equestrians should follow these guidelines as well.  Wearing a helmet while riding a horse can protect the rider by reducing severity or eliminating the injury completely.  Horseback riding can be a dangerous sport and guidelines should be established to promote safety in horseback riding.  According to the University of Connecticut, “each year approximately 70,000 people are treated in emergency rooms because of equestrian related activities,” (Riding Helmet Safety, n.d.). Every rider knows that it is not a matter of if you will fall off, but when you will fall off.  Horses are not only large and fast, but they are decision-making animals of prey with a heightened flight response.  The decision-making instinct in the horse makes horseback riding a risky sport with the potential of unrecoverable injuries or even death.  While helmets will not always prevent injuries, they have been shown to reduce the severity of injuries.  The American Medical Equestrian Association calculates that ASTM/SEI approved helmets have reduced all riding-related head injuries by 30% and severe head injuries by 50%.  Repeated trauma to the head, even when minimal, can cause cumulative damage to the brain. Each new accident expands the original damage and the brain cannot recover 100% from injury.  In a study of forty patients; thirty-four females and 6 males.  Seven participants experienced skull fractures.  Of those seven six were not wearing a helmet and one was wearing a helmet.  The patients who were not wearing helmets had more complex injuries than the one who was wearing the helmet.  The risk for internal bleeding was reduced by 96% when helmets were worn.  Under consideration of comparable trauma mechanisms, horseback riders that do not wear a safety helmet are at risk to suffer significantly more severe brain injury than helmeted riders.  While wearing a helmet offers protection from injury, the helmet must meet safety standards to provide the protection needed when riding.  Wearing helmets that are certified by the ASTM and SEI can help prevent horse related injuries. The ASTM sets standards and the SEI ensures that helmets adhere to those standards. Tests are conducted by dropping helmets from heights and onto sharp objects to check durability and how well they perform under stress. Helmets are put through several types of tests before they receive the ASTM/SEI certification.  Wearing a helmet that is certified to meet safety standards can prevent horse related injuries but only if the helmet is fit to the rider properly.

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