The Great "Wearing a hat" debate - Freedom of choice???????

[Kenzo]

I don't really get the point to this post unless it's another huge debate about who does and who doesn't wear a hat and who's sensible and isn't.

I totally agree what other people do is up to them, I won't be attending their funeral or sitting at the bedside in hospital, although I've done the latter and she was wearing a hat, she wouldn't be here if not.

But if it highlights other peoples injuries from not wearing one, then I suppose if just one person reading this thread who doesn't normally wear one will have a light bulb moment and decided to....then I'm all for it.

Horse riding is dangerous enough, specially on the roads, there unpredictable animals at the end of the day, it's only common sense to want to protect your brain should the unexpected happen.

 

[M_G]

Thing is, we all wear seatbelts when in our cars, to guard ourselves against injury in case of an accident.
Motorcyclists all wear helmets when riding motorbikes, to guard themselves against injury in case of an accident.
So why dont people wear hats when riding their horses , to guard themselves as above?
There seems to be so many valid reason to wear a hat when riding, but there doesnt seem to be too many valid reasons not to. Other than it might mess up a hairstyle or make a head hot!

No we wear seatbelts because its against the law not to. Motorcyclists wear helmets because its against the law not to.

I 99.9% of the time wear my hat but as an adult its personal choice until its made illegal to ride without one

 

[Hippona]

QR

Ok then...if its about freedom of choice...

How about if the paramedics excercised their freedom of choice not to attend when you've fallen off and mashed your brains?
Or A+E/ITU/Ward staff choose to not want to look after someone who has put themselves at risk?
Or if you were permanently disabled and the DSS decided it was their freedom of choice not to financially support you ( via the taxpayer)

....what about if your family chose not to want to push your wheelchair about and change your nappy for the rest of your life?

There should be NO 'freedom of choice' ...its stupid, irresponsible and selfish NOT to wear a hat when riding.

Here endeth the lesson.

Now where's me brew.........

 

[Shutterbug]

I
A friend had a nasty accident and hurt her head very badly and she does get on at me for not wearing a hat.

Nikki xxx

I'm the friend and yes I have told Nik that if I ever catch her riding without a hat she will receive a major bolloking from me Because she is my friend, I care about her and dont want to have to visit a vegetable in a hospital ward for the next however many years.

It may be freedom of choice to not wear a hat while riding, but I speak from personal experience when I say that anyone doing so has no idea how a serious head injury is going to affect their lives. It took 3 years for me to recover and have the 7 surgeries I needed to repair the damage to my noggin - I was lucky I didnt die. It affected everyone around me, especially my OH and kids and my parents - it affected my job, my confidence, my social life and most of all it changed me.

And I wasnt even riding - I was leading and got dragged!!!

So before anyone gets on a horse without a riding hat, I would ask them to go to the people they love and care about and get their approval. Get their agreement that they will look after you when you cant wipe your own arse and have dribble needing wiped from your chin and cant feed yourself. Maybe their response will make you think twice.

 

[Spinal Tap]

No we wear seatbelts because its against the law not to. Motorcyclists wear helmets because its against the law not to.

I 99.9% of the time wear my hat but as an adult its personal choice until its made illegal to ride without one

You speak for yourself - I wear a seatbelt because I don't want to become a bonnet adornment on my car, forget the law. I used to wear a seatbelt before the law required it, and I would still wear one now, law or no law. I always wear a hat when I cycle even though it's not a legal requirement.

Do people really expect that at some point there will be a law making it illegal to ride without a hat? As soon as you have a law, some poor sod has to enforce it (and gets slagged off for doing so by the people who never wanted the law in the first place). Spare a thought for them! Who would enforce this law - the police? I'd rather they were fighting crime. HSE? They barely have enough resource as it is to do really serious stuff (people going home from work in boxes or with bits missing, that sort of thing). Environmental Health? Again, not enough of them, better things to do. The BHS? They have no legal enforcement powers. As well as cutting public spending the Tory government has a philosophy of deregulation - not adding more red tape, so unless somebody wants to form a special constabulary of unpaid riding hat enforcement officers, I can't see there being an enforceable law on this one any time soon. So it's down to us to take responsibility for what we do and behave like sensible adults, because if people are expecting the nanny state to hold our hands & drag us kicking and screaming into line, they are in for a long wait I think.