Riding without a hat?

[LusoLover]

I agree that we all have the right to choose. What I would say is please consider the impact on those around you, especially the person who finds you, if the worst happens. It happened at our yard and it has taken us all a very long time to come to terms with what happened.

 

[Mr_Ed]

[ QUOTE ]
End of the day, you are allowed to drive an ATV on the road without a helmet by law, and you are allowed to ride a horse without a hat.


[/ QUOTE ]

Yes you are BUT if you're an employer...

HSE warning on quad bike risks after fatal accident costs Skipton farmers £25,000

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has today warned farmers and rural businesses about the dangers involved in riding a quad bike after a farm worker was killed when his all-terrain vehicle (ATV) overturned.

Colin and Sharon Moorhouse of Long Bank Farm, Halton West, Skipton were fined £12,000 and £1,000 respectively and ordered to pay full costs of £12,260 for failing to ensure the safety at work of one their employees, Michael Fielden.

In a hearing on Friday, 3 November at Skipton Magistrates’ Court, both defendants pleaded guilty to charges brought by HSE under Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc (HSW) Act 1974.

HSE Inspector Morag Irwin said:
“Sadly this is not an isolated incident. In the ten year period between May 1996 and March 2006 23 people were killed across the country in accidents at work on quad bikes. Of these 17 involved head injuries where no head protection was worn.

“If you don’t wear a helmet you greatly increase the risk of serious injury, as this tragic case has shown. There are new designs of lightweight, ventilated helmets now available which are cut away at the ears so that you can still have a conversation and hear extraneous noises like phones and animals. These can be bought for as little as £25 – not a great expense for something that may well save your life.

“Everyone thinks that it won’t happen to them. But no-one is invulnerable and many quad bike accidents have happened to older, experienced farm workers. There are things you can do to manage the risk - always wear a helmet, maintain the vehicle properly, and consider getting some proper training in how to handle the quad bike.”

Explanatory Notes
1.Section 2(1) of the HSW Act states: “It shall be the duty of every employer to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all his employees”.
2. The maximum fine in a Magistrates’ Court for charges under Section 2(1) of the HSW Act is £20,000.

Issued on behalf of the HSE by GNN Yorkshire and the Humber - 6 November 2006.

 

[Merlotmonster]

I used to ride without a hat when i was a teenager (mind you I also used to gallop round the fields bareback with just a headcollar!). I always wear one now, although when i was trekking in Canada i didnt wear one at all...no ones does and it seemed nice and natural..
I dont wear a helmet cycling or skiing or anything else.

 

[ryankennedy]

I agreee with Hussar that anyone that rides without a hat is at the mercy of a powerful ANIMAL and others around them in their cars that have idiots driving them.
I rode a "safe bomb proof" horse down my local road to hire a arena at a centre this particular horse had been schooled in for along time(13 years)a joy rider in a stolen car and police car chasing it whizzed past spooking my horse,I fell off and smashed my hat when a fell off onto the road luckily the horse stood there and I was lucky to only break my collar bone and not my skull.
I now ride with a body protector and change my hat every year.
I see alot of trainers that come to our yard and ride without a hat on other peoples horses and think that is a high risk of permanently never doing something they love to help others with.All the children have role models and our trainer are their role models and after all the children that ride now may be the fox-pitts and pippa funnels of the future we must do all we can to help them be safe as possible.