Do you always always wear a hat?

Why wouldn't you. No matter how good a rider or how good the horse is. It only takes a split second to fall off. No ones too good not to wear a riding hat.
Those that give it the big I AM, look at me, are just asking for brain damage. You'd need to be extremely lucky never to fall off a horse in your whole life. So good luck to those who think it will never happen to them.
 
Always, and same for my sister. Proper skull cap, in date and replaced after a fall. Expensive but necessary!

In the next few years Al will be hopefully competing at a level where topper and tails is the dress code. And that makes me feel uneasy!
 
Yep! Only ridden without a hat if I've had to get on for 2 seconds or something (few months ago a quick trot to show saddle to saddle fitter for example) but even though I trust my horse a million percent and he's super safe, I've still fallen off a handful of times (due to my own stupidity mostly) but one time he randomly decided he wanted me off and bronced like hell and sent me flying into the arena fence. The only time he has ever done anything of the sort in all the years I've had him so even if you know them they can still be unpredictable.
 
barely ever.
do have a couple i ride for other people that are known problem horses and then i do wear one, but at home,on my own horse, or on horses i ride week in week out for other people, rarely.

one sponsor requires all pics submitted to her show me wearing a hat, and thats fine but aside from that, tuck ears in to fleece headband and away we go.
 
Lolo said:
Always, and same for my sister. Proper skull cap, in date and replaced after a fall. Expensive but necessary!

In the next few years Al will be hopefully competing at a level where topper and tails is the dress code. And that makes me feel uneasy!
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Topper no longer de rigueur though :)
 
I've been riding my horse for ten years and I have only twice gone for a short hack without my hat. It just didn't feel right and I felt quite vulnerable, think I did canter but only for a few strides.

Apart from those occasions I ALWAYS wear a hat, why wouldn't I want to protect the most important part of me i.e. my brain?? Without it I wouldn't be much of a person!
 
Always, and I'm quite funny about footwear as well. It just feels wrong to be wearing boots that aren't quite right for riding. My horse is quite spooky though and even though we have a lovely soft rubber surface in the school, she's had me off at walk when she's jinked, dropped a shoulder and b*ggered off! In a school you also have fencing which can be a hazard if you come off. A friend came off at the fence and was dragged along it, breaking her back. Not nice at all as her head was bouncing off the rails.
 
Yes, I fell off for the first time in over 12 years while schooling on the flat in a sand school. I had concussion and a bruised brain, but the doctors said it would have prevented a coma/far more serious injuries. Accidents happen when you least expect them (hence the term accident!), I wouldn't get on without one.
 
Always always always. I don't think there's ever a legitimate reason not to. What really gets me though is when people say "I trust my horse with my life". It's got absolutely nothing to do with trust, trust won't stop your horse tripping!
 
I would be all straight and say always of course, but that's not true. I sat on my horse for half an hour with no hat, no shoes, in a huge wedding dress in a crowd full of people. That was an exceptional day though IMHO, I do mostly hacking and you'd be a fool not to IMHO
 
Yes - know about a girl that always wore a hat, rode her horse (aged and bombproof) back to the paddok with hat, it stumbled and fell, she hit her head and died. She was a really good rider, it was a freak accident, but with a hat she would not have died.
 
Yes always!

I certainly would not be here like others have said typing this without wearing one!

I only wear the champion skull caps and I have got through a few these last few years and used a lot of air miles for the helimed!!!!

I am so anti non hat wearers I go bananas and tell the hatless brigade that when they come off and spill their brains they had better find someone else to sweep up the mess as it won't be me! (It will be me as first aider but seriously I have to threaten something!!!)

I have sent my hats back to champion for testing and the results are shocking!!! Sometimes they have been squished from 23mm to like 11mm!!!! Well that would have been my brain gone should I be hatless!

Champion also said hats should need replacing annually if you ride daily! And as I do I have always replaced them whether I have fallen or not! The latest hat I have only worn for 3 months when I nearly got killed again!
 
Proud to say, in 15 years around horses, I've never sat on a horse without a hat!
If I were too I'm sure it would be my luck I'd get bucked off and end up with a head injury!
 
Always.

I have had a serious head injury, which changed my life and damaged my health immensely. It was extremely distressing for my family. I owe it to them to take all precautions to look after my head. I think do to otherwise would be stupid and selfish.
 
jemima*askin said:
It's all well and good saying you generally wear a hat but wearing one not done up, like in the picture in the post below, gives you just as much protection as not wearing one at all. If you happened to come off it would probably hit the ground first.

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/foru...pics-of-my-cool-pony!&p=12261582#post12261582
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Last year I was on my way back from a good gallop, I had been miles and way just coming back up the driveway with OH's pointer. My phone rang and I unclipped my skull cap to wedge my phone between my hat and my ear. Pheasant got out of the hedge, horse went left, hat went left, I went right, and I have a cracking scar to prove it. But we're all guilty of getting complacent at times.
 
After a horrible accident, I probably wouldn't be here if it wasn't for my hat. So yes I always wear a hat.

Did I before? Not always no, as a teenager I used to hop on my superstar pony bareback and without a hat for spur of the moment hacks around the farm tracks.
 
Twice every summer I will school one if my horses on thr flat in the school without a hat .
My old groom used to call it my looking German day.
I choose the day warm sunny still day the feeling is fantastic but apart from that I am very very good .
 
twice hacked out in my cap but it was a mistake, I was aware I had a hat on but forgot it was not the scull cap. Felt vulnerable without it.

My late mare I did not often school her with but hacked out, my mares son always wear a hat, if I had not been wearing my hat 7 weeks ago it would have been more than a humerus I broke as I was coming down head first, so I would not be here now.

A hat can save your life from turned upside down so I wont ride without one.
 
Always. Why wouldn't I take such a simple precaution to protect my own life, I owe that much to my family. I honestly think that there is no reason to not wear one except stupidity, ignorance or vanity. In this day and age of modern, lightweight comfortable hats there really is no excuse re comfort/hot head except maybe hat hair and I personally value my head more than my hair looking perfect... So far *touch wood* I haven't fallen off my sensible pony, but accidents can and do happen to the best of riders with the safest ponies.
 
Absolutely always!! No question about it and I dont get it when people decide not to!! You only have one head!! I absolutely hate seeing the adverts selling horses and the jockeys aren't wearing hats, do people think they are just too good to wear them?! There was a young girl of about 12 at my yard who was influenced by another older showjumper who doesn't wear a hat, not even jumping 1m 20. This young girl's Dad of all people posted photos on Facebook of her riding without a hat!!!!! Was speechless!! It sets a bad example for younger riders too.
 
I've ridden without a hat in the past. Not something I especially like to do, but I have done it, though never on the road. Only time on my horse would be riding her back from the field - she used to be turned out near my house, so I'd keep the headcollar at home, catch her, then ride her up through the fields to the farm. Don't ask why I didn't keep my hat at home too, I couldn't tell you. I was younger and wilder in those days! I also used to have lessons in Portugal and never wore a hat - didn't have one, couldn't borrow one, and never got around to buying a new one. Probably not the most sensible thing I've ever done in my life, but there you go, I survived! Now, I don't think I would, although I might occasionally hop on my horse without one, just for photos or riding her back from the field.
 
Lolo said:
Always, and same for my sister. Proper skull cap, in date and replaced after a fall. Expensive but necessary!

In the next few years Al will be hopefully competing at a level where topper and tails is the dress code. And that makes me feel uneasy!
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She doesn't have to wear a top hat. In fact I think there is a real move away from the 'undertaker' look to a fresher, more modern look with the new style hats. When I finally wear tails I have every intention of wearing a safe hat with them :)

I always wear a hat. Always. I once got on, rode all the way to my schooling field & realised I was just wearing my headband. I got off & lead all the way back to get it (I daren't invoke the law of sod of riding back to get my hat :D )
 
I hope she will. But she's a teenager and there's the overriding need to fit in- the fact it'll be probably be with Smokes though will provide a strong incentive... He's not the sanest pony!
 
I used school without one when younger as I thought it was cool (sigh) and *hangs head in shame* when on foreign holidays when i didn't know the horse and the tack was unsafe and the whole hack was just a gallop *clearly I had nothing worth protecting in my head anyway - like a brain* Anyway, now older and wiser I will not get on anything without a hat.

Have a smashed hat hanging in my tack room from a freak accident (horse was only trotting but managed a somersault and my head hit the only rock in Surrey).
 
I fell off..getting on my horse the other day! (he spooked and span) So I wouldn't risk it, if I even manage to fall off before I'm even on! :p
 
Always. I have ridden twice when I was younger in the US and SA without but that was because they didn't have any hats as it wasn't the "done" thing. I would never ride at home without one on. Fell off last year, landed right on my head and got knocked out - would hate to think if I hadnt had a hat on. Ouch!

Oddly I dont wear a helmet when riding my bicycle though, I guess because I never go fast on it and its a much lesser height (and very little traffic as country road). My bike isn't nearly as unpredictable as a horse!
 
Starbucks said:
I do generally, but yesterday I needed to ride my horse and couldn't find the bloody thing.

Was only in the school (not jumping), and I've never fallen off said horse in school in nearly 10 years.

I think I put myself at more risk crossing the road (also without a hat!)?

Thoughts?
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Oh yes! After falling off and landing on sand with a hat on and having a head injury which made me fit, tell the consultant to ****** off (due to my head injury) and my eyes to roll into the back of my head and me travel with an anaethetist blue light job to another hospital for a CT scan I wouldn't dream of riding without one!

And I think people that do are plain stupid.

The other week I was appalled to find a friend telling me taht I had not done up my hat and was riding! I hadn't realised as I had one of those snug snood things that you put round your neck and had mistaken the feel of it under my chin for the chin strap and thought I had done it up. I was appalled, esepecially as my horse is a very spooky chap!
 
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