Member-only story
I horse back rode regularly from ages 8–16. I wore a helmet regularly up until those last two years because I was young, dumb, and reckless. I also rode Western just about exclusively those last two years, where helmet wearing is much less common than say English riding. “English vs Western” refers to the style of saddle and type of riding activities you do with your horse if you are unfamiliar with equestrian terminology. “English riding” tends to involve sports like dressage (essentially “horse ballet” with the riders), show jumping, and fox hunting. “Western riding” tends to involve sports like barrel racing, roping, and reining. Yes, my helmet saved my life at least once while riding.
The idea that minors should wear helmets is a hot subject for debate within the equestrian communities. A lot of adults will use the argument “Well I turned out just fine and didn’t wear a helmet” while those on the other side of the argument are worried about children’s safety (horse falling on top of the rider, rider falling off, etc.). For me, having worked in the ICU and occasional ER, I strongly recommend all minors (ages 17 and younger) to wear helmets when riding horses.
Horses are large animals, many around 800–1000 pounds. It really is amazing when you think about it how we control them while riding through flimsy reins and kicks. Accidents can happen in the blink of an eye and horses are…
