Who wears a hat?

Do you work to improve your horses way of going?


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bertiewooster

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I was at my friend/instructor's house today (doing her ironing, incidently) and she rode one of her horses in the school without a hat! I was shocked, I can tell you, as she won't even let me round her x/c course without a body protector! Mind you, that might be because I'm rubbish... Anyway, she said it was because it was hot etc. But that, together with a lot of people in Horsemart ads with bare heads, got me wondering: are hats still popular with the in-crowd....?
 

Shrimp

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[ QUOTE ]
Yes always, I am a big girls blouse

[/ QUOTE ]

I may have interpreted this wrong but how can you say always wearing a hat is being a big girls blouse? My hat has probably saved my life several times after having crashing falls, including the one two weeks ago were a I got away with a fractured arm after landing on extremely hard ground. Only foolish people dont wear hats whilst riding (well thats my opinion) and its there fault if they have an accident and end up with a head injury. It has nothing to do wether its still popular with the 'in-crowd', its all to do with safety. IMO people who dont wear hats to 'look good' would be considered as the 'out crowd'.
Sorry, rant over, its just that I feel very strongly about this topic.
 

vivhewe

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I refuse to ride without a hat since I broke my shoulder when I was 10 - I didn't have a hat on and had I landed 6" further than I did I'd have been a gonner
frown.gif


I think I was lucky - I learned my lesson young. Some people don't learn at all and have the pleasure of me thinking they are idiots from then on, and once I've decided they are idiots I never change my mind
crazy.gif


I will get eaten here by the non-hat wearing brigade but I don't care. I was lucky once, I'm not pushing my luck again, and whenever I see anyone on a horse without a hat I feel like slapping them
frown.gif
 

_jetset_

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I do wear a hat quite a lot of the time, but sometimes when I am schooling Hannah I don't... I know I know, it's stupid. But I only do it when it's really hot and I trust her a lot in the school as she is very well schooled. Besides, when we move up the levels it'll be top hat and tails which is not a protection!

I am very for using hats, believe me! If ever there are children around, no matter how hot I put my hat on to keep them from thinking no hat is the right thing to do...
 

vivhewe

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I'm shocked that so far 2 people only wear hats when out hacking. All I can say is more fool you.

Surely it's better spending 30 seconds max. putting your hat on rather than the rest of your life disabled, and that's if you survive
crazy.gif
 

hayliana

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always, and no girly blouse in sight. ive seen someone's life deteriorate from a brain hemorrage for 6yrs until they died - the result of small fall from a small step ladder. i dont take head injuries lightly.
 

Shrimp

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[ QUOTE ]
I will get eaten here by the non-hat wearing brigade but I don't care.

[/ QUOTE ]

Im waiting for that aswell....
crazy.gif
 

wodger_woo

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EVERYTIME!! I work in a hospital and have seen enough brain damaged people to know its not being "a big girls blouse" its being sensible
 

bertiewooster

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The "big girl's blouse" comment was supposed to be a joke. In the same vein as "No, I have a concrete head", i.e., in the same way that I do not suppose anyone has a concrete head, I also do not suppose that anyone who wears a hat is a big girl's blouse. I was just trying to ask a possibly slightly dull question in an amusing way. I apologise if I have offended anyone who wears a hat.
 

Vey

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I always wear one - so do my nearest and dearest - why take the risk? But that said, of others who I don't know don't wish to keep their brains and life, why should I care?
 

Super_Kat

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You didn't have an option for me to click so I didn't do the poll.
Weather I wear a hat or not completely depends on the horse I'm riding. When riding my 6yo I will always wear a hat and have the harness done up because she has a lovely habit of spooking at something, unseating you then bucking and how she hasn't had me off yet I do not know! When riding my 13yo I will always wear a hat while out on the roads but I don't have the harness done up under my chin (it's done up at the back of the hat), when schooling on the flat I sometimes wear a hat with the harness fastened around the back or no hat at all and with jumping I will wear one, sometimes with harness done up properly or fastened around the back.
I've had plenty of horiffic looking falls, once when I was jumping the horse stopped at a spread, I went over it's head, landed in the jump, the horse ran into the fence bringing everything down ontop of me, my hat (which was professionally fitted and nothing on it had changed) moved and a jump wing fell on my head hitting me just to the side of my temple on my forehead leaving me with a 4 day migrane, a massive swelling and over 2 years later I still have a slight lump on my head, the doctor said if I had been hit with such force 2cm's further to the left I would have been killed. i'm a firm believer in 'if it's my time to go no hat is going to stop it from happening'.
 

Enfys

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Always, force of habit, it doesn't feel right without one.
I've fallen off three times in the last 12 years and each time they were crashing falls when the horse went down, each time I've sat up with the sky spinning and a headache that has lasted for days. I dread to think what would have happened if I didn't have a hat on.
I don't give a stuff about fashion, whether for or against hats, but I rather like my life and I would also like to be around to see my daughter grow up. Anyway, how can I expect her and other children I am around all the time to wear one if I don't set an example?
 

Christmas_Kate

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always always.
When I was working at a riding school I rode a pony without a hat. This pony was well trusted and an old plod. A dog jumped out on us and i got thrown.
My instuctor went nuts at me and told me no matter what horse they can all spook. I have never gone hatless again.

It's true, anything can happen. What if out hacking a load of motorbikes roared past full sped? enough to make any horse spook.

for those of you who go hatless I'm appauled. What example does that set to kids? A kid sees you going hatless and thinks it's cool. They do it, fall off and hurt themselves.

I often wonder if those who go hatless do so because they have such little brain matter to do any harm??
 

Weezy

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See my avatar
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No I dont always wear a hat - I do wear one 85% of the time over here but in Spain it s VERY rare for me to wear one

I do not feel the need to apologise for that - I know the risks
 

Christmas_Kate

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kat, are you proud of that lump?
Unfortunately your parents don't have the same opinion as you about when it's your time to go. Just as other mothers don't about their kids. You really need to reconsider what example you;re setting. There may not be kids at your yard, but there are on here and kids will see you hacking out. It's not big, it's not clever, and if you can save just one child's life by seting an example then i think it's worth popping a hat on properly every time.
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Weezy

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If I am riding with children or around children I always wear a hat

In fact the worst fall I ever had (was knocked out) was when I was escorting an 11 year old out on a hack - if I hadnt had my hat on that day who knows what would have happened - oh besides the fact my hat almost killed me as it was flicked back over my head and the harness almost choked me - thank GOD for flexi peaks now
 

Onyxia

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[ QUOTE ]
I do not feel the need to apologise for that - I know the risks

[/ QUOTE ]
And because you are over 18 thats completly up to you.

I would and do always encorage people to wear a hat, but, at the end of the day its up to the indivual.Dont think anyone has the right to have a go because of it.
 

Christmas_Kate

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yes, the old peaks were awful....
it just terrifies me to see people not wearing hats. It's the family I feel sorry for, as they'd have to see their loved one with a muched up head or worse.
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Super_Kat

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Firstly, my hat should have prevented that lump from happening, but the hat moved when I hit the ground so therefore the wing struck me on the head rather than my hat.
How would you know what my parents think? My dad couldn't give a toss and my mothers reaction would be questionable if you look at some of the situations she's left me in before.
As for setting an example, I have never ridden without a hat on my head while I've been at my current yard because the yard owners have children and it would be setting a bad example.
 

Toby_Zaphod

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Everyone can quote an occasion where wearing a hat did them no good, likewise in cars when if they'd been earing a seatbelt they'd be dead. As a youth I used to ride motorcycles without a lid, the law wasn'tin place saying you had to wear one so very few did. Eventually research & common sense proved that helmets, belts, hats were the best way to be. As for Super_Kat she wears her hat in so many different ways I don't know how she remembers...maybe it would be better to just put the thing on her head & do it up?
 

Super_Kat

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I either fasten the harness under my chin or around the back......Hmmmm, yes, loads of different ways of doing up my hat......how will I remember them all!?!
Stop being so sarcastic and bloody grow up!
 

pocket

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Dito, as an A&E nurse, I've seen many nasty head injuries. Mostly from RTA's, however, a horse can move at speed and you can not always predict what it is going to do, no matter how trusting and knowing you are of your horse.

Horse riding accidents are considered by us as dangerous as RTA's, due to the speed/height and impact. We recently had a local girl who was out for a hack with her dad, they went for a canter, the horse spooked and she came off causing nasty internal injuries and a collapsed lung. She was thank god wearing a hat if not, it could have been a completely different story
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Santa_Claus

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always without question. and always done up, although if fitted correctly they shouldn't move if not done up I don't take the risk.

I am also very wary of what hat I wear. I refuse to wear GPAs for various reasons the main one being the lack of anything substantial other than a bit of padding protecting the back of your head/upper neck (got a cracking story of a friend who was knocked out and stopped breathing after falling on to a pole hitting that exact spot whilst wearing a GPA, thankfully after several days immobilised on a back board in hospital she had no lasting injuries).

Although I respect everyone is within their rights to do whatever hat wise, I have been known to rant at a 16 year old girl who used to ride my pony who i on one occasion caught riding one pony bareback with no hat and only a head collar and rope whilst leading the other along a fairly busy road (h*ck if shes going to be on my pony it will be a condition she MUST wear a hat.) actually on that occasion I think I may have dragged her off my pony and shouted at her for her sheer stupidity as no hat/bridle/saddle + road is a BAD combination in anyones books.

Although hats won't always save you I know several riders that they have, and i'm sure several of my falls could have been a lot worse than they were especially the ones involving concussions if it hadn't been for wearing a hat. I don't care what I'm riding either as even good old reliable plods can be set off and stick you on the floor if the right circumstances occur.

Katie
 
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