Sunday, May 8, 2011

Check Yo' Head!

One really awesome thing that I noticed at Rolex was the prevalence of safety helmets rather than top hats entering the dressage arena on Thursday and Friday. Last year, only 3 riders wore their safety helmets in the first phase, but this year, I will take a chance and say that it was at least 50:50. I was really happy when Kelly said that she was opting to go with her helmet. She said that she never feels quite comfortable with the top hat, and to be honest, everyone who wore their helmets looked just as spiffy as those wearing top hats!


Pony Club has always been viewed as a leader in adopting safety gear. ASTM-SEI approved helmets were rolled out very early in my Pony Club career, and it amazes me how far helmet design and fit have come in comparison to the "mushroom heads" we were wearing in the 1990s. In fact, the sheer hugeness of the original ASTM-SEI helmets was how you could pick out a Pony Club member at a local hunter-jumper show! But, lemme tell ya - I was actually thankful that my parents were so obstinate and cheap to not let me keep a "cute" hunter helmet (you know, the ones with the clear harness) in addition to my "Pony Club" helmet on a fateful September day in 1991 when a pony I was catch-riding decided to smash through the show ring fence, leaving me in a discombobulated pile on the ground. Final verdict - broken left hip, very sore (but not broken!) left elbow, shattered helmet, but no concussion. I'm convinced that that mushroom helmet saved my life.

<--Me posing in my "Mushroom Head" Helmet at my first recognized horse trial with Smokey at the Kentucky Horse Park, 1990. A year later, that same helmet saved my life!


I don't want Pony Club members to have to suffer through an accident like mine to fully appreciate the importance of their helmets, so I am very open about sharing my story and fully support initiatives such as riders4helmets. And the USPC Safety Committee is hard at work gathering information about new items on the market to assess whether or not they should be things that we consider adding to our current list of required safety apparel (right now, you have 3 mandatory items - your footwear, medical armbands, and helmets). And having gone through a rulebook writing process (you know, your favorite, the 2010 Horse Management Handbook and Rules for Competition), we do try to keep the rules down to those that are rooted in safety for you and your horse rather than random acts of obsessive-compulsive behavior...really, we do!

One thing that I would like to stress, however, is that safety equipment is only as good as it fits. Helmets are not items of apparel that you can "grow into." Helmets may also need to be replaced after a significant fall - think of bubble wrap - would you pop all the bubbles and then use it to wrap a crystal vase? It just doesn't work! And if your helmet bounces around on your head rather than sitting firmly in place, how on earth do you expect it to help protect your noggin during a fall?

So please humor me and take the time to evaluate the condition and fit of your helmets before you get to rally. The HM Committee has a couple of great resources to help you out - Appendix G of the 2010 Horse Management Handbook and Rules for Competition - pages 100-102, and videos on fit of helmets and cross country vests. And do seek out assistance when shopping for these items at the tack store - what may look or feel "right" to you may just not work in terms of protecting you during a fall.

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