Today I want to touch on a topic that is a hot one and has been a source of irritation and contention in our household. Western and rodeo riding with a helmet. 4-H Alberta requires helmets for anyone born after 2000. Our kids both hated their helmets, though our son was far worse than our daughter. Every 4-H ride was a fight. Because the region we were in required helmets for everyone, we enforced that at our club level. No amount of discussion, workshop on benefits or fighting would convince our son that wearing a riding helmet wasn't all that bad.
To be fair, we have never worn helmets as western riders in our lives both prior to and while being parents. The kids of course want to know why we don't and they have to. Because I said so doesn't seem to be an acceptable answer. I tried one for awhile because as the 4-H Leader, I felt I should lead by example. I found it uncomfortable, constricting and I have to admit, though I wouldn't call myself vain - I thought it looked dorky. Hubby tried it for a few rides, but due to his rather large melon, we would have had to spend $300 to find one that would even fit his head, so he stuck with his cowboy hat.
On the flip side, we NEVER ride our quads without our helmets. I would never consider allowing our son to ride steers without a helmet. So, why is it any different when riding a horse?
There is plenty of research and proof that helmets have the potential to save lives and at least reduce the severity of injury, yet we have not embraced it from a western riding culture. Insurance is pushing harder and harder for under 18 riders to be wearing helmets at all times in various associations. I can see this becoming an issue for rodeo associations around the continent, including High School and especially Junior High Rodeo. If it comes down to an association being able to put on their event or not putting on a revenue producing event for the community, they are going to do what Insurance says they have to. (I will save my rant about Insurance for another blog)
In December, I was at a local gymkhana with my husband, daughter and some friends. It's a super fun group and we had been having a lot of fun with the series. I was running two horses in every event. I had run my little mare in barrels and all went off without a hitch. Next up I had my big gelding to run. This horse is placid, laid back and slow. I was really riding him just for fun because he's never shown any interest in speed. We were running home after 3rd (I use the term running loosely, but he was going about as fast as I have ever ridden him). Something happened and I lost my seat and came off the side of him. He cut hard left at the fence and I kept going right into it... with my head.
I am 8 months post skull fracture, concussion, traumatic brain injury. It has only been in the last week that I have been able to open a horse up into a lope. I have had ongoing Post Concussion Syndrome, a consult with a neurosurgeon about repairing my fracture, there are bone fragments floating around between my brain and skull. My memory is crap, I had terrible vestibular issues which seem to have resolved themselves in the last month and most of all, I have a form of PTSD. This is not war veteran stuff or sexual assault victim severity and I want to clarify that. However, despite riding since I was 2 years old, I have become almost terrified to get on, let alone lope a horse. So, going for a ride this week on two different horses and loping on both of them with less fear of coming off was refreshing and downright breathtaking (in a good way).
Guess what? I am now wearing a helmet. It turns out, with all of my ongoing troubles, I am not willing to become a vegetable and not be around for the next 50 years to torment my husband, support my kids, help out my parents and snuggle any grandbabies that might come my way. The thought of going through further memory loss, issues with vision, vocabulary issues and possible brain surgery scares the crap out of me.
I had been borrowing my daughter's helmet whenever I was able to convince myself to get on a horse, but a couple weeks ago we went shopping and I bought myself a new helmet. It's one of the Fallon Taylor ones. That's not why I bought it though, I bought it because it's comfortable. AND my daughter says on a dork scale of 1 - 10, it's a 4 and hers was a 6 on me. I still feel weird putting it on to jump on a horse in a western saddle. The fact is I stared in the face what I was willing to lose and right now, I feel like it is enough to give me confidence to ride and allow me a buffer of safety for my brain as God only gifted me with one of them.
So, to helmet or not to helmet? English riders have been wearing them forever. Extreme sports wear them (dirt biking, quadding, skydiving and more and more in bull riding). As I look around the rodeo arena though, I wonder what is the difference between a bull rider and a bronc rider? Why would a bull rider strap on a helmet more easily than someone who is likely to get thrown farther at a higher rate of speed from the back of a running and bucking horse? How many times have we seen a barrel racing wreck that ended up with the rider hitting their head on something (ground, fence, barrel, horse)? I commend Fallon Taylor for doing her part as a high profile rodeo contestant for wearing helmets and making it less taboo for young girls starting out.
I am still of the opinion that it is a personal choice. In this case, it isn't like drinking and driving where you are putting others at risk. This is about what an individual feels about the risk involved and their ability to manage the risk. At this point in time, I am choosing to manage my risk by wearing a helmet. My husband and kids are choosing not. However, they are making an educated choice as we have had workshops and education around the benefits of helmets. They have seen my struggles and dealt with them firsthand.
I still think I look dorky, I still don't really like how it feels, but the risk of living more months the way I have lived the last 8 is too much in my mind, so I am mitigating it with my "cute" Fallon Taylor brain bucket that has a pretty, but subtle pattern on it. I have loped on two different horses in 3 days which is something I haven't done since my wreck. I feel confident about getting back to gymkhanas and barrel jackpots, so I guess I will learn to be the dorky looking one and know that my brain is better off for it, both physically and mentally.
