Helmets...spooking

["C. Eyler" <eyler@mindspring.com>]

Rode yesterday for about 3 1/2 hours, LSD on trails that included some
monster hills (long, steep and rocky).  After I'd turned to head for home, I
came upon a string of about fifteen adults on a trail ride out of a nearby
summer 'western ranch' camp that's taking out adults on weekends now that
the kids have gone back to school.

We were on a wide fire trail, but the last few riders in the string were all
the way over on my side. I requested that the first of those riders leave me
at least a little room, but I'm sure it was her horse who made the decision
to move toward the middle of the trail (the human aboard was clueless).  My
horse and I certainly had no place to go except into thick woods.  Thank
heavens my gelding is not persnickety about his personal space.  The
funniest thing was when one of the riders asked me why I had a blindfold on
my horse (Jack was wearing an Absorbine fly hood).

Of course, I was the only one wearing a helmet.  And you can be sure that at
least one of those folks asked the guides why I was wearing it.  They were
probably told that I must have been riding an unreliable horse.  Heaven
forbid they should tell them that horseback riding, much as we love our
horses, can go from fun to disastrous in a flash.

How can this business get away with having its customers, including the
young summer campers, ride without helmets?  It might be more understandable
if this were in a western state with a tradition of helmet-less riding, but
I'm in Maryland..Maybe that makes it worse -- folks in the East imagining
they're cowboys?  Sure, the riders had to sign a release form, but they
couldn't have had any understanding of how easy it is to get hurt around
horses -- no basis upon which to make an informed decision to absolve the
business of liability.  Is it really possible for a horse to be so
'bombproof' that it won't spook no matter what happens?

Cindy (and Jack, who's definitely not bombproof)