riding without a hat

I ride with many dressage riders who do not wear hats. I do. I prefer to and would feel naked without one! I also wear a hat for lunging and on occasions turning out too due to some horses being rather "high spirited" and known to rear, kick out. I just do it as a matter of course. Having said that I ride my dressage test in a beagler hat which has no protection if I were to fall. I have ridden in USA where yes all they wear is cowboy hats.. it is for each individual to decide what they do BUT I must admit I think that a hat does protect your head/brains etc... If you fall, you may break a leg/arm/neck therefore the hat has had no use, but at least IF you did fall on your head you would still, hopefully have your brains in tact!!
 
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I have ridden in USA where yes all they wear is cowboy hats

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I am sorry, not trying to be rude, but that is a very broad and generalised statement
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Just wanted to piont out that It greatly depends on where you are in The US.
I do not want that statement to give the world an image of everyone here in the US trotting around in Cowboy hats. That would be very misleading...( if not comical
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)sorry
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Alot of people here also do wear riding hats( other than the cowboy kind
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), it is just a very common site to see people riding down the road with no hat on at all. Not many would think twice about it and for sure not say anything to them.
 
Yes, dangerous, but surely wearing a hat when one is over 18 is a matter of choice, much like smoking, or being in a car without a seatbelt, drinking too much (not even getting p:ssed) or a high-fat diet. Do you have a go at people for smoking, or if you see a very fat person in the supermarket browsing through the sweet/cake/other section?
It is our right to act irresponsibly even if it IS seen as selfish.
I choose to wear a hat, but no other adult at my yard does and I don't tell them off for it.
HappyHorse is right. This has been done to death.
 
I wouldn't say anything to someone I saw riding without a hat, I just don't think its a big deal. I choose to ride in one, its just natural to me, but I certainly wouldn't slate someone that didn't - its their life!
 
Have never ever ridden a horse without a hat, even on pickle in the school who is the safest horse you could EVER ride!

Now horses are animals, animals are unpredictable, and the one time you ride without a hat could be the one time when a horse acts differently to normal! Hats are so comfy now, I really dont see why you wouldnt wear one!
 
Darn it! You have all convinced me now! I will not be venturing down the roads on hot summer days for sure without my new hat....................................................here it is




Smashed in head report to follow promptly! If I am unable to type any longer you will have to just assume what happened
































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I have ridden since I was 10 yrs old and I always wore a hat. Then, in my 20s, having owned my own horse for a number of yrs I decided to ride him a couple of times in the school with no hat.

Since then I have broken my back falling in a rubber menage. Despite being fully recovered, this has made me re-asess the risks. Frankly I think that if I can go through almost sustaining damage to my spinal cord plus some very dangerous surgery and not wear a hat or a body protector then I am laughing in the face of a very serious incident. I am extremely lucky to be walking.

I would not dream of ever riding without a hat or a body protector now....I believe the potential dangers deserve respect.

And I would have said something to the woman out hacking in the original post. It gives a bad message to other riders when people are seen hatless. And also motorists could potentially think that you are not that bothered about safety. We want motorists to give us respect, don't we??

No horse is bombproof totally, esp when there are other road users/people/traffic about.

I am surprised at the number of people on here that don't wear a hat....
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I respect your opinion and I agree that it is a good idea, but to say that you would have said something based on the fact that it sends a bad message to other riders is like saying that because I saw a junkie shooting heroin in the street I would think it an ok idea to do the same. That is just not the case.
Adults around horses know the risks already and are responsible for making their own choices (good or bad). If it were a child out alone I think I may have said something too. An adult, no way
But then again, I am one of those people that gets annoyed when people make comments to me about things I see as my business and not theirs
 
Hi Jade,

I just feel that if I were an impressionable child or even an impressionable adult I might look at someone not wearing a hat and think that it might be a reasonable thing to do. (Without necessarily weighing up the risks).

Similarly, I look at pictures in magazines of riders not wearing a hat and it does make me angry. These riders are people that other riders look up to and it has the potential to make it seem acceptable and even 'cool' not to wear a hat.

I agree most people are mature enough to make up their own minds, but not everyone is so solid.

Personally I would have said something to this lady because I do think she was acting irresponsibly and setting a poor example. If she chose to ignore my comment fair enough but I would feel the urge to react in some way.

At the end of the day everyone has to make their own decisions about how they value their safety. I think my point is that if you have had your health and safety seriously challenged by an accident you may well think differently. It's a shame that it sometimes has to end up that way before things can be seen clearly (I did ride as I have said without a hat on a couple of occasions prior to my fall).
 
You are right, people might trust their horses and ride without a hat, but I don't trust anyone else on the road. The thing that really annoys me the most is the adverts in the mags where people are selling horses and the pictures show them riding without hats.
 
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Hi Jade,

I just feel that if I were an impressionable child I might look at someone not wearing a hat and think that it might be a reasonable thing to do.

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That is a very fair point. I suppose if this person is an adult they could influence a child. I had not thought of it from that perspective.

I would hope their parents would have MORE influence on them in regards to keeping a hat on, but not always the case I suppose
 
I think we owe it to ourselves and our family to always wear a hat. No matter how quiet and sensible our horses are, they can always accidently slip or stumble and then where would we be?
 
Totally agree with you there kids are impressionable.We used to livery on a yard where YO daughter would ride with no hat and trainers.She was well into the showjumping circuit and the kids on yard idolised her and lo and behold you used to see them trying to emulate her no hat and trainers!They were always getting told off by yard staff (parents rarely there)they used to say **** does it!
Friend has also 5 % permenat brain damage due to no hat when leading a horse,after that yard rules were everyone wore hats.And not the freak accident everyone thinks it is after this it came to light there had been more than few similiar accident but luckily enough not so permenant.
Would love to say that if they want to crack their head open thats up to them don't expect me to phone ambulance clean up etc but the fact is I would.So personally always wear hat to lunge,ride etc.
silly not to IMO.
 
Riding, lunging or loading a horse without a hat in my opinion is totally irresponsible. Not only will the tax payer have to pick up the bill but patients with a genuine illness will be denied treatment because a bed has been taken up. The family and friends of the brain damaged rider will also suffer the consequences and end up looking after them.
 
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Riding, lunging or loading a horse without a hat in my opinion is totally irresponsible. Not only will the tax payer have to pick up the bill but patients with a genuine illness will be denied treatment because a bed has been taken up. The family and friends of the brain damaged rider will also suffer the consequences and end up looking after them.

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I totally agree with you. I have only ever lunged once minus a hat and nearly had my head taken off.
 
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Riding, lunging or loading a horse without a hat in my opinion is totally irresponsible. Not only will the tax payer have to pick up the bill but patients with a genuine illness will be denied treatment because a bed has been taken up. The family and friends of the brain damaged rider will also suffer the consequences and end up looking after them.

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Although you are correct that it is irresponsible and can aviod "certain" riding accident injuries, the taxpayer argument is not a good one imo. Horses in general are dangerous animals to be around with or without hats horrible accidents can happen.( look at poor Christopher Reeve
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)I suppose if we are burdening taxpayers when we get hurt we should avoid horses and all other activities related to them altogether? While we are at it we should Ban all fatty foods, make ciggarettes illegal, lock up all automobiles, etc. These will do in the tax budget related to human healthcare and have other ill people neglegted AR faster than a few careless riders. Just not a huge validation to the argument imo. The rest of the points you made about hurting those we love are good points though.
 
Jade is right in pointing out that there are dangers in all walks of life every day. Driving to work 2 days ago I witnessed a collision between a motorcyclist & pedal cyclist. Both lying in the road in front of me.

However, as with riding a bike, a motorbike, or driving a car, there are safety measures available and often mandatory - seatbelt, helmets, protective body wear. Vehicle manufacturers keep improving specifications to increase safety - e.g. airbags.

It is always ultimately the choice of the individual as to whether they utilise the above for their own safety. I would never preach to anyone about what they should be doing as it is their business & you cannot guarantee your well-being if you choose to wear a hat as it depends on the circumstances at the time.

You can, however, reduce the chances of a serious head injury if you choose to wear a hat & I, personally, never ride without one. I think you just have to do as much as you can to protect yourself & others - and the extent to which you do this will always be your personal choice!
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One other point - I used to livery at a yard where there was a young lady - around 18 yrs old who never wore a hat when schooling her dressage horses. Her mother regularly stood at he edge of the arena watching.

Personally if that were my daughter I would have told her to get off the horse and put a hat on. And if she didn't want to wear a hat then I would not have been happy with her riding.....just my opinion.
 
each to their own, and the hatless will fall off and be injured - darwinism will prevail and society will become a better place.

bitch behind people's back but keep the snide remarks to yourself, its their choice, and really - how much impact do you think your sarcastic comment will make? nada.
 
i dont wear a hat for schooling in field or arena, but do on roads and for comps or jumping....everyones own choice to make
always wear my hat around young children tho - sets a good example!
 
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each to their own, and the hatless will fall off and be injured - darwinism will prevail and society will become a better place.

bitch behind people's back but keep the snide remarks to yourself, its their choice, and really - how much impact do you think your sarcastic comment will make? nada.

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I wish I had saved all my other comments and just typed that!
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perfect ans to sum up my opinion!
 
I always wear a hat. Yes my YO has rules that say all liveries must but even if she didn't I still would. Like my head (ir its contents!!!!) a little too much to unecessarily risk them by not wearing one. I wear it when lunging, loose schooling and riding. Wish i had it on yesterday when leading dan to field as he hit me on the head with his jaw the nounce that he is! that left me with a bump and just was from a light impact reminds me what the difference a serious fall could mean!

So yes always have and plan always to wear a hat. 'If' I was ever to reach advanced dressage level I would wear a top hat BUT by that stage I would hope to have almost full control of the horse I rode (you never have full control) and for those 6 minutes yes I would 'take the risk'. would probably warm up in a beagler or similar though. (a correctly fitted beagler is as good as a harnessed hat in a lot of circumstances in my opinion!!)
 
Jade, Opps Sorry!! I do know that in USA they wear hats, depending on where you are in USA, what discipline you are doing etc.... I was out on a trail ride and then did some barrel racing in Texas Dallas, but when we went to NY I rode and had to wear a hard hat. I have also ridden in Louisiana, no hat needed or given the option, New Hampshire, no hat or given the option, Los Angeles I was given the option which I liked!! I did not mean to categorize, but when I have ridden in USA, the amount of times I was offered a hard hat was few and far between. The dressage riders out there also like here in UK seem to ride without a hat, their excuse being the heat. This is only what I have heard and seen in my few outings out there. As you have stated this is not true, and as you live out there I guess you are right! Anyways, I prefer to wear a hat because if anything untowards should happen I know my insurance company will pay out to my hubby!!
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I'm with you as well on this one.My godfather was killed in a car crash in Japan,he was the only one wearing a seatbelt out of the 7 in the car and he was the only one killed-the seatbelt strangled him on impact.I didn't wear a seatbelt for a long time after but i do now as i have to set an example for my 5 yr old son.I would never not wear a hat,i've fallen off 3 times now since owning my mare and i landed on my head-(not clever) on two occasions - my hat split and i had to get a new one,you can't get a new head!
 
I always wear some form of hat - either a harness hat or a beagler. The beaglers offer little protection, and I wear them only when competing. Working in, at home, hacking out, I always wear my proper hat.

I would have strong words with any child that was not wearing a proper hat at all times. I wouldn't say anything to an adult. What's the point. If they asked my opinion, then I would give it, but they have obviously made up their mind not to wear one, so nothing I could say will change it.

Everyone on our yard wears a hat when they are riding.
 
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I agree that it is prob a good idea, but I would not have said one word to her. It would not be my place to say anything to her. She was not a child I assume????
If I were her I would not have defended myself to you in a nice way. I would have turned my head and rode on.

People are resonsible for themselves and we should not worry about what they do if it does not affect us directly.


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Was about to say the same thing. Do you stop everyone you see and moan at them?!
 
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