The British Horse Society has released a social media campaign, called #HatHairDon'tCare in order to highlight the importance of wearing a helmet when riding your horse. BHS: Hat Hair? Don't Care!
I have owned my horse for 6 years and trust her with my life, we don't do anything too dangerous and have, so far, never had any serious accidents. However, I will not ride her without a helmet. No matter how much you trust your horse, they are an animal, they are unpredictable. They can also stumble and trip (or even fall over in Sadie's case!) or be in an accident involving another person/horse/vehicle.
I have to admit that I've got on my horse before with no helmet for the odd photo, once I was sitting bareback out side my field on her for a photography project, now she is one of the safest and sanest horses you could find but for some reason a particular cyclist spooked her and we ended up cantering down the lane. I was lucky that I managed to sit it and eventually get her under control but I could have easily slid off and caused myself some serious damage.
As someone who is very anxious about the way they look, and has self confidence issues, I understand that people want to avoid things that make them look 'bad'. But honestly, a bit of a sweaty head is better than being dead! I'm also guilty of not wearing a helmet when handling a horse on the ground, unless I'm expecting something to go wrong (i.e. when I was lunging my youngster and he was being a complete tool!), I also don't wear a body protector, often handle my horse in inappropriate footwear and rarely wear gloves- safety equipment seems to be more of a second thought that anything else.
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| #HatHairDontCare |
At the end of the day, it's your choice whether you decide to wear a helmet or not when riding your horse. When you're making that decision just think about the people who you may be influencing, or who may have to pick up the pieces (literally and metaphorically) if something goes wrong!
