Hat or no hat? That is the question.....

guido16 said:
I never wear a hat, I am far to good a rider to ever fall off. My horses are perfectly schooled and understand that they can not ever buck, rear, nap etc

I think I look pretty darn cool without a hat on, its a fashion statement and means I can wear baseball hats to match the colour of my jodhs.

My head is not as heavy as my hips so if god forbid, I ever did fall off, the laws of gravity would make my hips overtake my head and land me in an upright position.

Oh, hang on.....no, thats not right. In actual fact, I am not a complete TWONK

I do wear a hat. Always.
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Does that mean your hips are still heavier than you head ? lol
 
KarynK said:
Well wearing hats and body protectors are creeping into that outpost of the tough and IMO loony world of the Pro Bull Rider Circuit. I love this and have been watching it for a few years (though I can't really see why you would do this rather than eat the steak) BUT the helmet brigade are growing thankfully! In this particular case I think Stormy owes his life to his helmet!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMsBDb6N8UY

Though to some the safety Vs cool tradition message is has not penetrated the extra thick skull evolution has given the dumber cowboy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0948_B6r1kA
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I was watching this the other night and commented to my OH that they were now wearing what appeared to be football helmets like they wear in American Footie (or rugby for wimps as my dad used to call it :D)
 
Always for me but theres a mum with a 10 month old baby at the yard who doesn't, I've told her I think she's mad but it's up to her. Just hope I'm not there when it goes tits up as it nearly has a few times, I don't want to clear up the mess. I believe the law is that under the age of 14 you must wear a hat on the roads.
 
Hevs said:
I was watching this the other night and commented to my OH that they were now wearing what appeared to be football helmets like they wear in American Footie (or rugby for wimps as my dad used to call it :D)
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Just makes me go cold when the wrangler hands him back the cowboy hat at the end, your head is never going to stand much of an animal several times your size standing on it! In fact it's frightening how little your head can stand and anything up to standard you put on it cool or not is going to help your chances of surviving.

It scares me what I used to ride in as a kid, there were no regulations and no safety standards and my hat was appalling, but no one minded and it was comfortable! A bit like top level dressage and especially eventing, that top hat looks so good but it is likely not to be with you when you hit the deck from your often tall, highly charged mount!

But here's a question for you all how many of you change your hat after a fall or more to the point dropping it on the concrete ?
 
Prince33Sp4rkle said:
you push the speed limit a little, i ride well schooled,well balanced, none spooky horses on a rubber surface......risk is probably less to me, far more people die in RTA each year than falling off horses.
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Im sorry but i have to say that after working in a hospital and seeing what happens to people and their families when they have a head injury from falling off a horse because they do not think its cool to wear a hat or think they are invinsible i'd say speeding a bit with a seat belt on is much less risk. I really dont understand why people dont wear hats, takes 2 seconds to put one on...
 
Ok, I am only here really as a bit of a Devil’s Advocate.

I always wear my hat but I do appreciate that this is the result of indoctrination and pressure from my Mother etc ( but my Father was a tunnelling engineer who handled explosives and worked underground all his life and died of………..stomach ulcers……at 49).

My OH is a military man who has seen some pretty horrible things in life. He never wears a hat unless he is in competition. He is also 16 yrs older than me and has a lot more experience of horses. I don’t argue with him, horses are his hobby and his pleasure. He could easily have died in different circumstances before in his life. I do not dictate to him the risks. For me, it would make ME stupid to do that.

All I can say is this, wear your hat. It’s better that dribbling food down your dress in 5 years.

However, do not judge other people so harshly who don’t have the same generation/nationality/ money/ horses/ disciplines etc etc
 
Never ever ride without a hat!

OH ended up in hospital for 10 days with a fractured skull and bleeding on the brain last year after an incident when bringing some yearlings in from the field. He was never unconscious but still can't remember the first 5 days in hospital even though I could have a conversation with him, as head injuries go his wasn't that bad but it still took him 6 months to fully recover and he has been left with a wierd sense of smell!! Thank god it was the youngsters with no shoes on, if they had been shod he might not be here today!!

Anyway we now always wear hats when bringing the horses in from the field. Our hats are by the door of the stables and it is now just second nature to grab a headcollar and a hat! Its just not worth the risk IMO!!
 
I would never consider riding without a hat and anyone that does is either plain stupid or just showing off! you could be the world's best rider and can still fall off.

I was watching one of my friends ride her horse the other day wearing trainers and not wearing her hat, in her words she never rides in a hat anymore! Her horse hasn't been ridden for a while so was full of energy and leaping around and I honestly felt scared for her whilst watching her!
 
To be honest it ever occured to me NOT to wear a hat! its akin to not puting a seat belt on or using a child seat for your baby. its all about reducing the risk....you could be the best rider in the world, think your horse is totally bombproof etc, but at the end of the day...horses are not machines. they are animals. they dont have gears and brakes that always do as you say. they have minds of their own sometimes and it only takes one slip up and your dead. having worked in A and E for many years, it just makes me want to walk away from the next head injury that says.." oh but it messes my hair up" or its cool to go hatless! too late after your a vegetable to say oh I wish had worn a hat. I really dont get what the big deal is...never ever heard anyone say oh look at her, no hat...shes soooooo cool! just makes me think that no hat = no common sense.
 
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