Deadly impact: Skull - 1, Helmet - 0

The Thoroughbred gelding had been jumping the green and white, two-foot flower jump for days. This was just another routine schooling. As the horse cantered the line, his rider balanced over the balls of her feet in a classic two-point. She shortened the reins for better contact, looked ahead, and prepared herself for liftoff. The horse pricked his ears toward the jump, boldly cantered forward, then skidded to a halt, swerved right, then left, then right and, feeling his rider come unbalanced, scrambled away from the jump. She hauled on the reins, but the gelding continued his mad scramble. The rider slammed to the ground, head first. She didn’t move. Others in the arena ran to help, but seconds later, she stood up on her own. She was shaken and covered in the mud of the puddle her body hit. Except for a bad case of road rash, and later, a stiff neck, she was injury free. Somebody started laughing. Pretty soon everybody in the arena started laughing, partly in fun, partly in relief. As the rider tried to pull muddy strands of hair out of her face, she unstrapped her helmet. She stopped laughing. A six-inch spiraling crack fractured the helmet’s surface. (Click on picture to enlarge.)
Those of you who think you don’t need one, think again. My daughter’s helmet saved her life today.

Check out this life-saving video: Every Time, Every Ride

Comments

[Kim]

Yep - I was riding a very well behaved 10 year old QH mare, just loping along in the arena which had hosted two uneventful walk trot canter lessons earlier in the day. The mare I was on took a bad step, slipped, and fell to the right side. I rode her all the way down. The mare got up, I didn't. I had a traumatic brain injury with damage to the occipital lobe. I don't remember anything until several months after the accident, and now a year and a half later, I still am unable to drive in town, grocery shop, or be in busy environments. I was wearing a helmet. Without it the doctors don't think I would be here to talk about it. It doesn't matter what you are riding, wear your helmet because you only get one melon.