Nasty fall today, PLEASE all ensure your chinstraps are TIGHT!

Dotilas

Dotilas

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Was jumping my youngster today when she tripped whilst cantering away from a fence, unseating me slightly. She was slightly shocked so cantered more quickly, unfortunately we were heading towards the menage fence and before I could regain my balance, she turned quickly and lost her back end underneath her, flinging me into the arena fence, my head smacking the kickboard and cracking the extra strength 4x2. There was a huge bang which was heard by people a few hundred metres away. Pile of planks lined up against the kickboards on the other side went skidding into the carpark from the force of me hitting the boards. I had also bent my sterling silver earring in my ear, and my ear was bleeding from the outside and inside.

I immediately went to get up, called out 'i'm fine!' before I dropped back onto the floor, unable to breathe, very dizzy and totally in shock, I couldn't stop laughing. My RI managed to get me into some sort of recovery position and persuaded me to breath whilst the on-site nurse was on her way over. After seeing the cracked kickboard, she couldn't do anything but call an ambulance as the force was from my head and she couldn't rule out a spinal injury.

Very quickly, a car ambulance arrived, and it was explained to me that I was probably going to go in a helicopter, once they had got me on a spinal board. Another 'proper' ambulance was less than five minutes behind, so he waited for them. After much prodding and poking, joking that they were going to cut my boots off, and concern that my left arm was going purple, they were still worried that I had a spinal injury. They then realised I was laying awkwardly on the arm, and the fact that they hadn't let me move from the position I was in on floor of the outdoor menage for an hour so I had cut off the blood supply. They rolled me onto my back, and when I showed them I could move all limbs etc it was all much calmer.

They then took me into the ambulance, where I was told off for not wearing a body protector, and everything checked. They even printed me off an ECG that I could keep! All (yes all two :P) of my eyes were behaving correctly, as was my blood sugar/oxygen levels etc. As the nurse is on site and apart from my very sore bum, extra cheek bone and cauliflower ear, I seemed to have been very lucky, they discharged me there. I did get to ride in the ambulance from the outdoor school to the office though!

I was wearing my Gatehouse HS1 at the time, which although on the surface looks immaculate, is now significantly floppy - especially when compared to my brand new one, which I have bought already. I can't help but wonder if I had been wearing another hat, which was not tested to such a high standard, whether the outcome of this would have been entirely different. Maybe I would have been knocked unconscious, or the impact caused more serious damage. I am counting my lucky stars that I recently tightened my chin strap, as had it been looser my hat would have probably dislodged and the main part of the impact on my skull rather than my hat. I am convinced my hat has saved me from concussion, and probably my life.

Please please please ensure your chin straps are tight enough that they are actually effective, and please please please consider wearing a hat at all times if you don't already. This accident could have very easily happened in the same way whilst flatwork schooling.

My 'cauliflower ear', and fence mark starting to appear...
http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee500/dolly_doo/IMG_1026.jpg

Ice packs and a bum cushion for anyone who has read this essay. Please adjust your chin straps.
 
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Glad to hear that you are not seriousl injured. Sounds like such a scary moment!

If you can move your chinstrap over your chin towards your mouth when it is done up, it is too loose. From what I've seen at shows, I think about 80% of people have them too loose. You make such a valid point.
 
Ooh, nasty :(.

Glad you came off relatively unscathed.

I fear your pleas of 'tighten your chin strap' will fall on the collective of deaf ears that are 'too cool' to wear a hat.

Hope your ear resumes its' normal shape soon, failing that, you'll have to take up women's rugby :p:D.
 
Good point re chin straps....mine seems to always wriggle loose on my Gatehouse and am quite often tightening it.
 
Glad that your OK, had a decent hat on and hope you and your horses confidence isnt knocked too bad.
This week before I had a lesson I decided to loosed my chin strap because I found it a little annoying. I will be tightening it back up again before I ride!!



Thank you for telling us to tighen those chin straps!
 
Eek that all sounds horrid! Glad to hear you weren't more hurt, you were lucky to get away with a cauliflower ear and brusies, you poor thing!

I don't care what people think 'it's my life' etc etc but I'd rather wear a hat and live with a cauliflower ear than not wear a hat and become an actual vegetable!
 
That sounds like a really nasty fall, hope the bruising and ear get better quickly.

This is the first post that I have felt up to making after falling off 11 days ago, I was also wearing a Gatehouse hat, the F1 and am totally convinced I would probably be in a far worse state/not here without it. I have no recollection of the day I fell until I was put in a CT scanner at 3pm in the afternoon. There were people on the yard, but no witnesses to my fall so I will never know what happened. I have been amazed how much a bang to the head, even while wearing a hat has had on me, its been scary and frightening at times when simple things that you take so much for granted take all your energy and concentration to carry out.

I dont want to hijack your post, but echo that wearing a hat, with the chin strap correctly fitted is the only sensible option a rider can take.

I have contacted Gatehouse, who were absolutely lovely and have sent my hat back to them to be taken apart and analysed. I used to work on a neuro unit with some consultants who helped develop riding hats, so I hope that something can be learnt from my hat to help future development.

Hope you recover quickly.
 
That sounds very scary, glad you are relatively unscathed, albeit that's quite an impressive ear :eek:

Much as I love my HS1 (it's so comfy and I feel safe wearing it); the chinstrap does seem to be a flaw of them. I never seem to be able to get it tight enough, or if I do it loosens very easily. I seem to remember a thread last year about it :(
 
HS1s - you need to ensure that the elastic band is snug to the adjuster end, not half way across your chin holding the flappy bit of strap in ;)

I nearly died because of my chin strap - I fell off with a fixed peak hat and it was pushed back over my head, leaving me being chocked by the chin strap around my neck - it is so important that they are fitted correctly.
 
Oh wow! I'm glad your ok. Could of been much, much worse. Hope you feel better soon!

Thanks for the warning about chinstraps. Mine is quite loose, so will definately be getting tightened before I next ride!
 
crikey, very glad to hear that you're okay, sounds like a very nasty one... please take it very easy for a while.
must admit, i wonder if there's something wrong with the chinstrap on my HS1s, because they seem to get a bit looser every time i ride, they don't stay at the same tension (but i do have the elaccy band thing shoved over to hold the flappy bit... that's going to be altered, thanks for that Weezy).
we really are going to turn into the Hat Mafia on here, with good reason. ;) ;) that's three of us who prob wouldn't be here if we hadn't been wearing good hats properly fastened...
thanks for the report and timely reminder.
 
Blimey! Glad you're ok, I have to admit that yesterday I rode with a very loose chinstrap, it seemed to have loosened over time, but did tighten it up when I finished. Then I saw this today and was like :eek: !
 
I have had so many problems with my HS1 chinstrap. I LOVE the hat but I can have the chin strap so it feels tight/verging on too tight before I get on and once I get off it has wriggled loose enough that I can get the hat off without undo-ing it. We took it back to the saddlery we bought it from (it's only 5 months old now) and they checked all the new ones they had just got in and they all come loose easily. I have now used insulation tape on the strap of mine so that it can not physically loosen!
 
The dodgy chin strap seems to be a general Gatehouse issue. I have the velvet Gatehouse Hickstead with the flesh coloured harness and the chin strap on that keeps working loose no matter what I do. I only wear it for shows as use a ventair skull at home but even so I should pay more attention to it so thanks for the heads up.
 
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