Riding Without A Helmet

[BVoyager]

To me, riding without a helmet is a definite no no.
Basically I'm venting; I'm friends with a teenager on FB who has two young horses. (Disclaimer that I have never met the horses, and I don't know their temperaments, just that one is 5 and the other 6. She is an 'experienced' rider.)
She rides in the school with a helmet, but out on hacks (not just 'plods around the block') she doesn't wear one! Or if she does it isn't done up! She's also known to ride out without a saddle too. It makes me sound so bitchy, but nobody comments about her lack of safety, and if they do they get shot down by her!

What are your thoughts on helmets? Lack of safety measurements? Is it okay to be hacking out on a road sans saddle and helmet? - I needed to get this off my chest!

 

[FlyingCircus]

99% of the time I wear my hat in the school, apart from the 1% I forget it.
100% of the time I wear my hat ANYWHERE outside of the school OR when jumping...don't fancy my chances otherwise.

 

[BVoyager]

...don't fancy my chances otherwise.

Yes! I mean, I always ride with a helmet, but around the yard I don't wear it like they permit in riding schools. But then again, who does when they're just grooming their horse?

 

[NZJenny]

It's a funny old world.

Most of the people I know wouldn't dream of getting on a horse without a helmet, but find it dreadfully inconvient to turn their phones off while driving, despite the fact that using a mobile while driving in NZ is illegal, but riding without a helmet isn't.

How about you guys?

 

[Spotsrock]

When I had my horses at home I hacked and jumped in mine but rarely schooled 'my' horse in it. (Buy-to-sell or other peoples horses i always wore a hat.) I would frequently hang it from my saddle for the walk bits if hacks too, but as an adult that was my decision. At livery now and a mummy so I don't take the risk.

 

[BVoyager]

NZJenny I sometimes with it could become a law, but it would be almost impossible to regulate I'm good and I put my phone away when I drive, but if a helmet is a legal requirement for a motorbike then shouldn't it be for other things, such as push-bike and horses?

 

[popsdosh]

Its her choice ,Why worry what others are doing?

 

[Goldenstar]

I don't ride without a hat but understand the argument that as adults we have the right to chose to risk manage for ourselves within the law .
Riding without a saddle I don't have any issue with that just wish I could still do it

 

[laura_nash]

I would always wear a helmet hacking out, but I don't really care if someone else chooses not to - after all it is their head not mine and it doesn't hurt the horse. I wouldn't hack out with her though, I prefer not to risk the trauma of witnessing a serious head injury or death.

When you say teenager is she 12/13 or 18/19? If closer to the former I might mention it to the parents (assuming they are approachable and non-horsey and so may be ignorant of what is going on or the risks).

 

[laura_nash]

I would always wear a helmet hacking out, but I don't really care if someone else chooses not to - after all it is their head not mine and it doesn't hurt the horse. I wouldn't hack out with her though, I prefer not to risk the trauma of witnessing an unnecessary serious head injury or death.

When you say teenager is she 12/13 or 18/19? If closer to the former I might mention it to the parents (assuming they are approachable and non-horsey and so may be ignorant of what is going on or the risks).

 

[BVoyager]

When you say teenager is she 12/13 or 18/19? If closer to the former I might mention it to the parents (assuming they are approachable and non-horsey and so may be ignorant of what is going on or the risks).

Right in the middle actually, about 14/15? Her mother owns the horses herself, and sees the pictures regularly, so she knows what's going on. I know that it's totally up to her, but seeing it on my newsfeed everyday does grind my gears.

 

[JustKickOn]

She's an adult and it's her choice. I choose to ride with a hat. Have ridden without one a couple of times when I hopped on horses I knew very well and trusted. My choice.

I've also hacked out without a saddle, but then I occasionally school without also.

If you don't like seeing it on your feed, unfriend her or hide her posts - simple!

 

[popsdosh]

Right in the middle actually, about 15/16? Her mother owns the horses herself, and sees the pictures regularly, so she knows what's going on. I know that it's totally up to her, but seeing it on my newsfeed everyday does grind my gears.

well take her off your news feed then

 

[Spot_the_Risk]

I always wear a hat, correctly fitted and done up... Except for Friday when I arrived at a friends without it! Just completely forgot, no idea how... Went back and started all over again! I will ride my old boy bareback on short hacks. I wear my hat on the ground if I'm alone and practising something like loading etc.

 

[Goldenstar]

Well it used to grind my gears to watch one of my friends feeding her kids total crap but it's not my business.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

I'm sure it's in the Highway Code somewhere that when riding on the roads you must have a bridle, saddle and stirrups and have your feet in the irons. We had the police in at the yard one day as someone had complained that we ride with no tack at all and bomb up and down the roads - on racehorses yeah right! Probably one of these idiots that think horses shouldn't be on the road and having to wait for a minute or two to pass a string of 15+ racehorses was such a life threatening imposition on his life!

 

[laura_nash]

She's an adult and it's her choice.

A 14/15 year old is an adult?

Still, don't think there's much you can do OP if the parents are aware so best to just hide her posts and let her get on with it. If she is under 14 it is illegal for her to ride on the road without a helmet, but sounds like she is just old enough.

 

[SO1]

It is is not illegal I don't think you can do much about it. Maybe time for a change in law perhaps BHS should be campaigning for all children eg 16 years and under to have to wear a helmet at all times when mounted.

 

[laura_nash]

I'm sure it's in the Highway Code somewhere that when riding on the roads you must have a bridle, saddle and stirrups and have your feet in the irons.

I don't think it is, just that you have to have "full control". Lots of people don't use a bridle.

The insurance situation might be a bit iffy if there was an accident when someone was hacking bareback, especially if it was because the rider was unseated.

 

[madmav]

Back in the bad old seventies, none of us ever wore hats, apart from at a show. No one ever used a seat belt in a car, either.
Now, I can't believe we did that. Lucky we got away with our heads/lives in tact. Presumably, some people didn't. Which is how we learned to practise some safety skills.

 

[madmav]

Back in the bad old seventies, none of us ever wore hats, apart from at a show. No one ever used a seat belt in a car, either.
Now, I can't believe we did that. Lucky we got away with our heads/lives in tact. Presumably, some people didn't. Which is how we learned to practise some safety skills.

 

[Equi]

I never ride without a helmet and I do worry about ones who hack without one. If I was passing and their horse spooked for whatever reason (I can garuntee it would not be at my driving or speed or proximity) then I can be sure to be in for a butt load of court cases if they died due to their own stupidity.

 

[Orangehorse]

1990 Act requires children under 14 to wear a helmet. It is obviously not cool to wear a hat.

Back when I was a teenager and was going out without a hat, my sister was maybe Politically Incorrect in her use of words, but said I might think that riding in a helmet looked stupid, but it was a lot better than falling on my head and being stupid for the rest of my life. Point taken, I have never ridden without a hat since.
I think a word to the parents might be in order. Remember that falling off a horse is the same as falling off the top of a step ladder, include speed, and the force of a rider hitting the ground is considerable, as we all know to our cost!

 

[minesadouble]

The each their own. There are still plenty of people out there who smoke despite the medical fact that they have an approximate 50 percent chance of it being their cause of death. Nothing to do with me either. We all take measured risks every day, autonomy is to be valued in my opinion.

 

[Notimetoride]

I feel that we owe it to our already seriously overstretched NHS to limit the damage as much as possible by using safety equipment, at the very least a hard hat.

 

[Equi]

The each their own. There are still plenty of people out there who smoke despite the medical fact that they have an approximate 50 percent chance of it being their cause of death. Nothing to do with me either. We all take measured risks every day, autonomy is to be valued in my opinion.

Smoking is not going to instantly kill someone by bashing their brains on the floor. You can come back from smoking.

 

[Pigeon]

Some people would say the same about you riding without a body protector. Some people would say the same about riding full stop!

It's a personal decision. Possibly a stupid decision (!!) but riding is dangerous and you can still massively injure yourself even wearing a hat, it's not like it eliminates the risk. I would never ride without a hat or cycle without a helmet, but I wouldn't go sky diving either!!

 

[McFluff]

Wearing a helmet is a choice, and I do understand why some people want to be able to make their own decision about wearing one. Personally I always wear a hat, but then I've had a hat save me from bad injury or worse.
However, I don't think it is fair to ride on a public road without hat or saddle - there are too many variables that you just can't control, no matter how amazing you are (or think you are!). Very unfair on any other road users who may have to witness a messy death, or clear up after one - witnessing such incidents can leave severe trauma.
It also sends mixed messages. We are trying to educate non horsey people how to drive near horses - slowly, with lots of room as horses can be unpredictable - yet they will then see people riding on the road with no hat and saddle.

 

[PeterNatt]

Clearly both parents and child are daft. A crash hat would be likely to reduce the injuries when falling off the horse. A serious injury could result in serious life threatening/permanent injuries which could have easily been avoided by wearing a crash hat. A serious injury may result in the child suffering a permanent injury resulting in her having to be dependent on others for the rest of her life. Stupid parents and stupid child. Don the parents really want their child to become a permanent vegetable?

 

[NZJenny]

Do the parents know?

I got up to plenty of stuff my parents never knew about - riding without a helment was the least of it!