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Helmets



Dear Ridecamp 

Here in the UK it is probaby much more prevalent to wear a helmet or hard
hat. But all your posts remind me of the time a few years ago when I rode a
friend's mare in Oxfordshire while she was on holiday. 

My friend never used to ride in a hat either and because it was a hot
summer's day I decided not to bother. My friend lived in a really pretty
country village peopled by a cast of villiagey people such as you would find
in a Miss Marple story by Agatha Christie. I'm riding down the lane when out
pops a Miss Marple lookalike who starts wagging her finger at me and telling
me that it is dangerous to ride without a hat. I chuckled and rode on. 

About a month or so later I was back riding my friends horse again while she
went away for the weekend. It was late summer and not so hot so I decided to
wear my hat. Thank god I did. As we were cantering along she spooked I fell
off and one of her hind hooves clipped the back of my head. In the movies
when someone has been hit on the head they often put a bell noise on the
soundtrack - now I know why. The hoof hit my hat and I heard bells ringing -
my head rattling inside the hat. 

I got up, got on the horse again (in the pony club we were always taught to
get back on again straight away after a fall. They didn't mention anything
about concussion and I was on automatic pilot) once back on board I blacked
out. The horse took me home but I have no memory of the return journey to
this day. I couldn't remember much for some while - basic stuff like where
did I live and what I did for a living. I caused a further stir in this
sleepy village by calling an ambulance to get me to emergency so they could
check me out. Miss Marple no doubt twitched her net curtains and muttered I
told you so. 

Now I always wear a hat. If I hadn't been wearing a hat that day I'm sure I
would have been either dead or severely brain damaged. 

At the weekend I rode my mare with the ligament problem, at walk only, ha ha
sort of... She was very full of herself and misbehaved badly. She reared up
several times and tried to buck me off. But at least I had my hat on. I was
lucky I didn't fall off. But when I got back to the yard one of the Dressage
people, a Dutch man was riding his enormous 18 hands warm blood in the
school. He wasn't wearing a hat, neither was his wife on her horse. This
horse did the most massive spook - quite a sight seeing 18 hands of horse
bucking and twisting around the school. His rider only just stayed on but if
he'd come off he could have hurt himself. 

Strangely enough the only time I don't wear a hard hat is when I ride in the
U.S. but then it's ususually very slow trail riding at walk everywhere and
Cowboys can be pretty creul especially if you are already English and
insisting on wearing jodphurs. Sorry I tried riding in jeans once and rubbed
myself raw. Whether I'll have the guts to wear a helmet next time I ride
with the cowboys I don't know. 

Anyway, horses are dangerous furry animals and I decided that the incident
in Oxfordshire was an early warning that I'd better listen to. 

Must defy those cowboys next time. 

Annette






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