Should hatless riders appear in H&H?

Teddybully said:
I think you are missing the point. Of course the rider in the photo is entitled to do what she likes and I am not disputing that. My question is - why show that particular rider? She is not a 'famous face' she was one of a few riders on a course - so why choose that picture?
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Why not? Maybe its a nicer photo, maybe she achieved more, maybe the horse caught the photographers eye.
 
perfect11s said:
yes its good idea to don a hard hat for riding on a hard surface or on a young horse
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Why do you limit your advice to hard surface and/or young horses? Surely, it's a good idea anyway??

Of course, as long as it is legal, it's up to the individual whether to exercise commonsense or not.
 
No, what I am saying, is I am an adult, as is the person in the picture, as is H&H's photo editor.

Each, as an adult, has the knowledge behind them to make a decision to wear a hat or not. They don't need to be told what to do by someone else.

For me, I wear my hat. I work with traumatic brain injuries on a regular basis (although I can tell you far more are caused by RTA's and fights). However, my experiances, horsey & non horsey enable me to make an informed decision.

On the flip side, I don't wear a body protector, and would resist being forced to wear one. Same as I don't wear a hat to lunge/lead.

I don't see those doing that being targetted for their decisions like those who don't wear a hat.
 
Teddybully said:
Who is telling you what to do or telling you what is best for you?i

You see to be turning this into saying everyone who differs in opinion from you needs to get a life.

Everyone has a choice of whether to wear a hat or not. If you don't where one I couldn't care less. My point is about why that particular photo was chosen.

And who the heck is 'semi-educated' aimed at?
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Ok all these silly pointless quangos, the politcians, the yellow jacket with a potty title gang, local goverment numptys, unalected beaurocrats in Europe the list goes on they are some of the people telling us what to do, eat, go etc ..
No im not saying people with differing opinion should get a life.. whatever that means, Im saying that is my viewpoint....
Semi educated... these are the people who should have been taught a usefull trade, who think they are clever, have been told they are by some 3rd rate polytechnic that now calls itself a univesity and hand out degrees in things such as sports mangagement etc like confety to these morons that have no practical or academic merit and find when they try to make it in bussiness or commerce that they know very little and ether continue with their "education" or get a non job in local goverment or drift about being "clever"...
 
So should they not print photos of dressage riders wearing only top hats, or western riders wearing just cowboy hats? Where do we draw the line?
 
I think people's views on it depend on whether they wear a hat.

I have reconsidered my opinion - they should be allowed to show it, whilst it is legal. However, it should be made ILLEGAL to ride without a hat.

Everyone is entitled to take their own risks. My problem with hats is that, A) it is too big a risk, and B) if you have parents, children, relatives, friends, its THEIR life you ruin too. And if you have nobody who cares about you, its my tax money paying for someone to wipe up your snot and dribble when you are being spoon fed.

I personally don't ALWAYS wear a hat when I'm around horses (just in the field or grooming). I do always to lead as it makes me nervous as there are lots of things they could spook at (walking through path with high trees/bushes) and I ended up in A&E when my little one spooked and knocked me flying, and I smashed my head on the floor.

For what its worth, I saw first hand then how much something like that could ruin everyone's lives. I only gave myself concussion, but that night my OH had to cook dinner, do the horses, do the dog, help me to the bathroom - and that was just one night. I couldnt imagine putting that responsibility on to another person when it was never their choice.

My view is that I dont see why you WOULDNT ride with a hat on. They're lightweight, cool, comfortable. My view is that people who don't ride with a hat are arrogant tw*ts who think they are better than everyone else. I could forgive the occasional time if you hop on someone elses horse for 2 mins and you forgot your hat. But to purposefully make the decision to get on and ride for a long period of time without a hat on? If it didn't damage other people, i'd be pleased it was natural selection.
 
flamehead said:
I think people's views on it depend on whether they wear a hat.

I have reconsidered my opinion - they should be allowed to show it, whilst it is legal. However, it should be made ILLEGAL to ride without a hat.

Everyone is entitled to take their own risks. My problem with hats is that, A) it is too big a risk, and B) if you have parents, children, relatives, friends, its THEIR life you ruin too. And if you have nobody who cares about you, its my tax money paying for someone to wipe up your snot and dribble when you are being spoon fed.

I personally don't ALWAYS wear a hat when I'm around horses (just in the field or grooming). I do always to lead as it makes me nervous as there are lots of things they could spook at (walking through path with high trees/bushes) and I ended up in A&E when my little one spooked and knocked me flying, and I smashed my head on the floor.

For what its worth, I saw first hand then how much something like that could ruin everyone's lives. I only gave myself concussion, but that night my OH had to cook dinner, do the horses, do the dog, help me to the bathroom - and that was just one night. I couldnt imagine putting that responsibility on to another person when it was never their choice.

My view is that I dont see why you WOULDNT ride with a hat on. They're lightweight, cool, comfortable. My view is that people who don't ride with a hat are arrogant tw*ts who think they are better than everyone else. I could forgive the occasional time if you hop on someone elses horse for 2 mins and you forgot your hat. But to purposefully make the decision to get on and ride for a long period of time without a hat on? If it didn't damage other people, i'd be pleased it was natural selection.
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OK so then the next step is to ban riding incase someone gets hurt.....
 
Oh how wonderful, another idiot determined for a fight.

If you read my post (rather than just skimmed it for things you could fight against) you would see that thats NOT what I said. I said that I feel that not wearing a hat is too big a risk as the consequences can be totally horrific.
 
flamehead said:
I think people's views on it depend on whether they wear a hat.

I have reconsidered my opinion - they should be allowed to show it, whilst it is legal. However, it should be made ILLEGAL to ride without a hat.

Everyone is entitled to take their own risks. My problem with hats is that, A) it is too big a risk, and B) if you have parents, children, relatives, friends, its THEIR life you ruin too. And if you have nobody who cares about you, its my tax money paying for someone to wipe up your snot and dribble when you are being spoon fed.

I personally don't ALWAYS wear a hat when I'm around horses (just in the field or grooming). I do always to lead as it makes me nervous as there are lots of things they could spook at (walking through path with high trees/bushes) and I ended up in A&E when my little one spooked and knocked me flying, and I smashed my head on the floor.

For what its worth, I saw first hand then how much something like that could ruin everyone's lives. I only gave myself concussion, but that night my OH had to cook dinner, do the horses, do the dog, help me to the bathroom - and that was just one night. I couldnt imagine putting that responsibility on to another person when it was never their choice.

My view is that I dont see why you WOULDNT ride with a hat on. They're lightweight, cool, comfortable. My view is that people who don't ride with a hat are arrogant tw*ts who think they are better than everyone else. I could forgive the occasional time if you hop on someone elses horse for 2 mins and you forgot your hat. But to purposefully make the decision to get on and ride for a long period of time without a hat on? If it didn't damage other people, i'd be pleased it was natural selection.
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110% agree - it's not just the injured person who suffers if there is a catastrophic accident.
 
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fburton said:
Why do you limit your advice to hard surface and/or young horses? Surely, it's a good idea anyway??
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Absolutely. To think that riding on a surface on an older horse is safe is crazy. Only last month my friends horse set off with her in the school for no apparent reason and threw her off. She broke her arm and smashed her face on the fence and ended up with concussion - she was wearing a hat, the horse is 16 and she has had it many years. It's just not worth the risk is it? Surely not.
 
I really don't think it'll ever become a legal requirement. The UK gov is horsey enough for that.

I'm not for or against it. I can ride my horse, on my yard, with no clothes if I really wanted to.
But that would be silly and it's too cold. I think it's choice personally (with the hat, not the clothes :p).
We have a Dressage rider who comes once in a blue moon to school the horses and he doesn't wear a hat. YO keeps quiet about it for some reason.
I've ridden a few times without a hat (many, many years ago...in my short little 16 year old life), either for comfort or because I left it at home.
I was a reader of PONY up until recently and I didn't once see a hatless rider. But H&H is aimed at more mature audiences, therefor they're expected to have at least a bit of common sense and make their own decisions.
That being said, I know a lot of riders who do pro Dressage that don't school with a hat, where as most Jumping people do.

I'm all for choice, if they want to ride without a hat that's up to them, I'm not going to criticize it. I don't think everyone is an influence on children, they do have their own minds and surely their parents are thick enough to let them ride without a hat?

...Plus, isn't it illegal for anyone under 12 to ride on the roads/off property without a hat?
 
flamehead said:
No, personally, I do NOT believe that you should publish photos without a hat on. I think its extremely irresponsible.

In my opinion, its the same as publishing photos of people taking drugs or posing with weapons.
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Is it illegal to ride hatless? No. So to pair such activity with drug-taking and gun crime (I assume the comparison wasn't one of legally held guns) is utterly ludicrous.

It doesn't matter whether kids read the mag or not, it's their parents/guardians (not a magazine, any magazine) who set the child's safety requirements and standards.

As yet it is not a legal requirement to wear a hat when riding. End of.
 
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Kao said:
But H&H is aimed at more mature audiences, therefor they're expected to have at least a bit of common sense
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Whoever writes H&H needs to read this forum, then ;)

No, I don't think they should stop showing hatless riders, draw reins or whatever else people choose to get upset about next.

Yes, I always wear a hat and yes, the consequences of not wearing a hat could be catastrophic. However, how many of the riders killed in rotational falls weren't wearing hats? 0% I believe. So, do we ban XC? Do we ban pictures of people jumping fixed fences in case future generations give it a go?

I think that people should stop preaching. Wear a hat, suggest others wear a hat, but stop forcing opinions on people - we get enough of that from the government.
 
boogles said:
I dont think their pictures should be published but you will have the crowd of
"my head, my choice"
"nanny state"
etc opposing this and there will be moans about freedom of choice etc.....which is fine, each to their own etc and I respect that, but I do NOT think it is setting a good example for the younger generation of riders, fair enough if you want to say it's not your responsability to set a good example but then refuse to have your picture published in such an aspired to magazine.



opps mini rant.......appologies :o
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Totally second this, could not have put it better myself
 
My 9 year old always wear a hat riding but not for any handling & I was going to allow him to do inhand classes this year without a hard hat on by signing the disclaimer, but the school changed there showing rules. This was my choice & please dont think I was putting my son in danger, even if he is just playing with his pony and riding bareback to the field he must wear a hat(and unlike other peaple my son must use a bridle & not just a looped headcollar)but I do feel that sometimes we are taking some of the fun out of this for the kids. As it has been said there is no hat laws in the country over a certain age & using previous arguements I should not let my son watch his granny & friends compete because they are in beaglers & top hats. I also have a small problem with the fact that my son plays full contact rugby & is more liable to take a knock to the head doing this than riding & most of the safety gear causes more damage than it stops so should I stop him playing or allow him to play or participate in sports h loves & take what I feel resonabil precautions.
 
i am not offened by it but i dothink it is not agood idea as it basically promotes riding without a hat even if it is adults reading the mag
i think the mag hould be showing how important it is to wear a hat, i read one the other day that was saying how important it is to change your hat after a nasty fall and showed oli townends hat after his fall at kentucky
 
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