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[RC] Bike vs Horse Helmets - Lisa JordanI mean helmets made for horse riding....
Although bike helmets are certainly more protective than a bare skull, there is one pretty important difference. Falling from a bicycle most often results in landing on the shoulder/arm first (side of, or side and front of body) - very commonly breaking arm, and/or collar bone and often dislocating the shoulder. The part of the helmet that will hit the ground first is either the side, or the front/side. This allows for the bike helmets to have a more aerodynamic look without jeopardizing the protection. Bike helmets have support for the occipital lobe (the lower back of the head), but not a ton of coverage in the area. Instead the back comes to a point for less wind resistance. In horse accidents, depending on the discipline, it is quite probable that one can land flat on their tailbone after flying through the air. The part of the head that will hit the ground first, following tailbone impact is the back of the head (the occipital lobe). Horse helmets have good protection of the occipital lobe. Hence the rounding down over the back of the head. Of course brain injury is possible, helmet or not. Helmets simply reduce the brevity of the injury in most cases. My information comes from working in cognitive rehab (helping people that have had a brain injury) as a speech pathologist at a major hospital. Hope this helps clarify. Lisa
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