Professional dressage rider - no hat?!

[Cortez]

I wasn’t having a dig at you, I’m genuinely curious now to know why it is you don’t want to wear one, because as far as I know the drawbacks are massively outweighed by the advantages. I suppose I just posted because I’m interested in finding out why it is that people who don’t wear one, don’t want to wear one. FWIW I don’t wear one because I think I’m going to die every time I’ve got on a horse- my lived experience of my own (8 years and counting without a fall touch wood!) suggests I would be fine without one. But I just feel the benefits of wearing it outweigh any negatives.

Oh don't worry, I'm not feeling any digs: I'm well aware of the sturm and drang on here if anyone breaks away from the pack on the 'ol hat issue. I don't wear a hat because I'm prepared to take the smallish risk of it being not my lucky day, just as I'm prepared to cross the road, drive my car (actually had more accidents/hospital time from car accidents than horses), walk down the street (also dangerous), ski, use power tools, handle large farm animals (that are not horses) and turn on the cooker. I have been a professional rider (still sort of am), so might very well have ridden more horses than some, and dodgy horses at that, am over 60 AND I'M STILL MORE OR LESS INTACT AND ALIVE. I know that horses are big, unpredictable and dangerous. So is life.

 

[Goldenstar]

It’s a choice .
I always wear one now.
riding without a hat is a wonderful feeling but my judgement is it’s not worth it .
People must make their own choices .
The NHS argument is spurious the best thing to would be to prevent people doing sport full stop is cost was the guiding factor .

 

[Charmer91]

Just seen that a well known professional dressage rider went for a lesson with this country's most famous and well respected rider/trainer, and wasn't wearing a riding hat.
The mind boggles. Are you less likely to have an accident if youre a professional rider? (I'm thinking big powerful fit competition horses) What sort of example is this? Did the trainer not insist on this person wearing a hat? Does the insurance not stipulate that hard hats are worn? Why oh why will some people not wear a hat?

I've always been taught that you only have one head. And what's the lose by wearing a hat, hat hair?!

 

[JFTDWS]

I've always been taught that you only have one head.

You've been taught that? As in, it wasn't self-evident?!

 

[Charmer91]

You've been taught that? As in, it wasn't self-evident?!

As in the phrase that you are taught you should always were a hat for that very reason.
Now I thought that was self evident

 

[JFTDWS]

As in the phrase that you are taught you should always were a hat for that very reason.
Now I thought that was self evident

Not what you said though, is it

 

[Charmer91]

Not what you said though, is it

All the best

 

[ester]

Lol mean what you say, say what you mean always works best

 

[JFTDWS]

(I really wanted one of HRH Cortez riding in her headscarf, but I can't find one so I used this instead. But we'd all love it if Cortez could produce one for us )

 

[eggs]

I always wear a hat to ride as that is my decision.

Regarding posting the hatless rider on Facebook however since it isn't the law that you have to wear a hat as an adult I don't really have an issue with it.

 

[Cortez]

Here's me without a helmet - note: not dead!

 

[JFTDWS]

View attachment 41000 Here's me without a helmet - note: not dead!

You are everybody's idol.

(well, every right thinking person's anyway )

 

[tristar]

View attachment 41000 Here's me without a helmet - note: not dead!

yet !

 

[Sprat]

It’s clearly a very emotive subject. For me, I wear a hat because I feel more protected than without it. I’ve previously had nasty falls that most certainly would have been catastrophic if I didn’t have said head protection on. I’m in the same boat as many in as much as I do think those in the spotlight of our sport should be seen to be wearing a hat, it sends out the right message.

As an adult, it is each and everyone’s own gift to make the decision or not to wear a hat. I don’t think a hat will cure all; my best friend recently lost her life xc. She was wearing a hat and body protector, and neither of those things saved her. That said, I would still not get on any horse without one, no matter how well I knew the animal.

What I do think is irresponsible is road riding with no hat. With all of the accidents out on the road, I just can’t see why anyone would want to take that risk, or why the individual would potentially want to put their families and friends through the heartache of potentially losing them should an accident happen.

Essentially, each to their own. I don’t think you will ever find a group of horsey people that will agree on a subject that is so highly emotive.

 

[Cortez]

yet !

None of us are dead yet, but we most definitely will be. I'm 60: it'd be a mercy!

 

[Littlebear]

View attachment 41000 Here's me without a helmet - note: not dead!

This pic does make you think - it is quite peculiar that every film or series i have watched with horses involved - they are generally not wearing protective hats, often flat out at gallop or performing stunts yet nobody seems to mind or kick up that its sending the wrong message out.

 

[minesadouble]

https://www.facebook.com/181466899088343/posts/597778227457206

 

[Cortez]

This pic does make you think - it is quite peculiar that every film or series i have watched with horses involved - they are generally not wearing protective hats, often flat out at gallop or performing stunts yet nobody seems to mind or kick up that its sending the wrong message out.

Well, since the majority of horses seen on screen are in a historical context there isn't any way that a helmet is going to be used (unless it's a jousting one....). How could it be sending "the wrong message"? The message is that people in the past didn't wear riding helmets.

 

[PaddyMonty]

The message is that people in the past didn't wear riding helmets.

Probably all dead now aswell which just proves riding without a hat will kill you.

 

[tallyho!]

To be fair, some did wear hats. You know in the war and that. And they are dead too. Except the bullets and the swords got some of them. These days we only have to worry about sand schools. Unless you have to ride your horse between a brick wall and a bus. It’s all relative. Quite often theres just me and a lead rope while I ride my horse down the lane to the paddock.

I don’t see why there’s such an argument. You either want to wear one or you don’t. I don’t wear any knickers sometimes when I ride but no one says anything about that at all despite the potential mishaps that could befall my buntut.

 

[JFTDWS]

To be fair, some did wear hats. You know in the war and that. And they are dead too. Except the bullets and the swords got some of them.

And, historically speaking, arrows. Quite a lot of those too.

Never trust a bow-wielding horseman. They'll probably aim for your throat. Or your eye. No riding hat will help with that

 

[tallyho!]

And, historically speaking, arrows. Quite a lot of those too.

Never trust a bow-wielding horseman. They'll probably aim for your throat. Or your eye. No riding hat will help with that

Or a jousting thingy! Plenty of stuff killed you back then even if you were wearing a hat of some form. Maybe even the lead?
Did princesses die due to no hat wearing? A pointy thing with a scarf draped over it hardly counts, but it would be interesting to know.

 

[tallyho!]

Unless dragons ate the whole course in one sitting. In which case we shall never know.

 

[JFTDWS]

Did princesses die due to no hat wearing? A pointy thing with a scarf draped over it hardly counts, but it would be interesting to know.

No, princesses died due to misogyny - all that waiting around in towers instead of getting on and learning how to ride and fight for themselves

 

[tallyho!]

Oh what a terrible disease! See no hat can protect you against that!

 

[JFTDWS]

Oh what a terrible disease! See no hat can protect you against that!

A man hat?

 

[tristar]

no most died from food poisoning, no fridges etc or diseases originating in the gut, i thought, so what you put on your head did not help much there.
don`t you watch vikings/ when the princess and her friends fought off all the invaders, i am sure most women are the stronger sex in the end.

riding san sous vetements, sorry cant bring myself to say the k word, is worrying, what if you fall off and bash your head, end up in a and e , how embarassing! you`d have a red face to go nicely with your bashed head

 

[PaddyMonty]

I don’t wear any knickers sometimes when I ride but no one says anything about that at all despite the potential mishaps that could befall my buntut.

Ah but until now that snippet of information was not general knowledge.

 

[JFTDWS]

Ah but until now that snippet of information was not general knowledge.

You are, of course, presuming that TallyHo! wears breeches and conceals the lack of knickers from the public...

 

[Auslander]

what if you fall off and bash your head, end up in a and e , how embarassing! you`d have a red face to go nicely with your bashed head

If I went to A&E with a bashed head, and they discovered that I had no knickers on, I'd be asking for medical staff with a better sense of direction