Do you wear a hat hacking?

For the likes of Cortez, and Spring Feather, you mention that it is the 'culture' and the 'done thing' to ride without a hat in your respective countries.

All because they do it, does that mean you should?!

Is it really personal choice if you fall off and your family are left making decisions/caring for you/making arrangements?

Sorry, but it's selfish IMO. Living in a different country is a bit of a naff excuse.
 
MileAMinute said:
For the likes of Cortez, and Spring Feather, you mention that it is the 'culture' and the 'done thing' to ride without a hat in your respective countries.

All because they do it, does that mean you should?!

Is it really personal choice if you fall off and your family are left making decisions/caring for you/making arrangements?

Sorry, but it's selfish IMO. Living in a different country is a bit of a naff excuse.
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THIS!!!!! 110% agree with the above.
 
MileAMinute said:
For the likes of Cortez, and Spring Feather, you mention that it is the 'culture' and the 'done thing' to ride without a hat in your respective countries.

All because they do it, does that mean you should?!

Is it really personal choice if you fall off and your family are left making decisions/caring for you/making arrangements?

Sorry, but it's selfish IMO. Living in a different country is a bit of a naff excuse.
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I make my own choices in life and they've served me well so far. I also allow every single other adult who rides on my property to make their own choices too :)
 
MileAMinute said:
For the likes of Cortez, and Spring Feather, you mention that it is the 'culture' and the 'done thing' to ride without a hat in your respective countries.

All because they do it, does that mean you should?!

Is it really personal choice if you fall off and your family are left making decisions/caring for you/making arrangements?

Sorry, but it's selfish IMO. Living in a different country is a bit of a naff excuse.
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If you think that's selfish, getting on a horse and putting yourself at risk is selfish.

Driving a car without a crash helmet is even more selfish.

I can think of many activities that carry a risk of disability, as an adult, you weight up the risks and make your own decision.
 
horserider said:
If you think that's selfish, getting on a horse and putting yourself at risk is selfish.

Driving a car without a crash helmet is even more selfish.

I can think of many activities that carry a risk of disability, as an adult, you weight up the risks and make your own decision.
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I agree, to an extent. Yes, driving a car is risky, yes riding horses can be dangerous. Bungee jumping is insane.
But we have seatbelts, we have riding hats, we wear rigorously tested harnesses. It's about minimising that risk.
To bypass those safety devices completely is idiotic, IMO.
 
This is one of those very grey areas that will just go round and round in an argument. Where does 'selfish' stop being 'selfish' and become acceptable?

I suppose we could argue that drinking, smoking, eating badly, taking paracetamol frequently for headaches, not taking antibiotics correctly etc etc etc...the list goes on, is selfish to varying degrees.

Personally I would always wear a hat hacking. No question. I even wear a body protector now too. Though I drink, eat fairly badly, and take paracetamol whenever I have a slight headache! :o

So yes, I suppose I am selfish. :eek:
 
I always wear a hat when riding & for groundwork. I nearly always wear proper footwear & gloves too & always wear a body protector when riding.

For me personally, knowing I've done everything I can to reduce the risks with a young, green & fairly sensitive horse gives me so much peace of mind.
 
Flame_ said:
I often wonder about the seat security of riders who are so sanctimonious about helmet wearing. While I'm pro-helmets, I do think more emphasis needs placing on not being easily shifted from horses than on having the right head-wear on so its fine to hit the floor, IYSWIM? Cortez is un-doubtably safer all things considered than plenty of riders with hats on, a helmet won't save your neck!
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But there are plenty of other reasons why someone could come off a horse other than bad riding!! Someone has already said they were knocked off by a low branch (unavoidable). A horse tripping and falling over , A car going into a horse. A horse rearing and going over backwards....etc, etc......

When i was young (many, many, many moons ago) I used to ride out wearing a hat, then get home un-tack put a headcollar on pony, then ride it back to the field bare-back with no hat on!! stupid!!! :(
I always wear a hat hacking now, and always, Nearly always wear one whenever i get on a horse!
 
Would never get on without one myself but I do believe it is up to each individual adult to make that choice.

There is a chap near us who rides along a busy road leading his youngster on the off side and without a hat on.

Foolish in the extreme IMO, but he's an adult and can make his own choices.
 
I always wear a hat no matter what. If people ride without a hat no matter how good think they are they won't get my respect. Been in the horse world long enough to witness some horrendous accidents of those both wearing and not wearing hats.
 
Inthesticks said:
I am wondering, is wearing a hat a dying safety precaution or are the people I see out hacking without one...incredibly dim..??.:confused:
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Haven't bothered to read the whole thread but i just love the use of the word 'dying' here!!

Don't get fussed by them. They are just doing their best to improve the human gene pool.
 
I always wear a hat out hacking, though frequently don't in the school, there are too many unknowns out hacking for me to risk going out without one.

On the subject of different cultures - My Grandmother was Hungarian, and her and my Grandfather lived part of the time in Budapest. When I was a teenager I went to visit them there and when we got into a taxi I put on my seatbelt. My grandmother laughed and said "Oh you're such a good British girl."
So the cultural difference in safety precautions is nothing new, and I certainly don't think the cultural differences exist because people in other countries are ignorant.
 
MileAMinute said:
I agree, to an extent. Yes, driving a car is risky, yes riding horses can be dangerous. Bungee jumping is insane.
But we have seatbelts, we have riding hats, we wear rigorously tested harnesses. It's about minimising that risk.
To bypass those safety devices completely is idiotic, IMO.
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Actually the harnesses aren't rigorously tested :( Learned this as unfortunately my mate went on one and the harnesses snapped and literally ripped him in two, not sure how he's alive but he's paralysed from the waist down :( Anyway found out that H&S only make sure that the instructors know how to fit them, that's as far as it goes, the actual harnesses aren't checked :(



I think it's unfair people saying that people riding without a hat are stupid..people know the risks and it's their own personal choice! I don't see what it has to do with anyone else! Doesn't make them stupid..
 
TuscanBunnyGirl said:
I think it's unfair people saying that people riding without a hat are stupid..people know the risks and it's their own personal choice! I don't see what it has to do with anyone else! Doesn't make them stupid..
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^^^this^^^

If a competent rider chooses to ride hatless, their risk is small and reasonable. Do we run up to donut eating, chain-smoking lardycakes in the street yelling "don't you know you should be on a diet - you could have a heart attack!"? I hope not.

I spent a happy 6 weeks once inputting spinal injuries data onto a database. I know more than most about how people break their neck, and yet most people still climb stairs, and Rugby is legal...
 
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