For those who have asked more about the accident, this is all I know, but you can follow the story on the Chronicle of the Horse Forum on this thread.
I would also like to add that the rider in this accident was on her steady-eddy, been-there-done-that, 20-year-old, saint of a horse. She wasn’t carelessly tearing around on a green horse. It was a gorgeous day and she was just out popping over some small x/c fences when this happened. If it can happen to this pair, it can happen to anyone; hence, why we need to wear our helmets for every ride. No excuses . . . . her right collarbone that is broken, which would indicate the right side hit the ground first. She also has cervical fractures.
That looks like the exact same helmet I have.
I was just curious if you knew how this helmet was damaged in the accident? This picture would scare the helmets back on the heads of may dressage people (among others!)
I get after the people I ride with all the time and some still don’t believe me. I’ll show them this pic.
Yesterday, I saw the actress Portia De Rossi (Degeneres) on Oprah setting a bad example by jumping her horse without a helmet.
Janice
Maybe De Rossi should see this photo too! I don’t know why people have the “it can’t happen to me” mentality. It doesn’t matter of you’re a good rider. Accidents still happen.
10 feet tall and bullet proof – wake up people yes it can happen to you and probably will if you do something long enough
You are correct — if you ride long enough, you will have falls and you may get hurt. After a lifetime of riding, I had a fall where I broke my left ankle, left collarbone and right knee (my horse fell). However, wearing a helmet can help prevent a TBI. It won’t make you bulletproof, but why not stack the odds in your favor?
I’ve never ridden without a helmet and never will. I think and I’ve actually heard people say they won’t wear them because it messes up their hair. Imagine how “messy” her head would have been without that helmet. I hate it when celebrities do this sort of thing, it only glamorizes riding.
Most people wear seat beltsin the event of an auto accident, why not a lid to protect the nogin???? Good for that rider, she/he is smart. Has nothing to do with the talent of the horse or rider, just common sense.
I get so tired of helmet hair. Every single day my head sweats during my rides and poof, there goes the hair. Plastered flat. I never get tired of knowing it’s unlikely I’ll crack my skull (hey, a big positive!), and NO ONE will have to witness my skull cracking open because I wanted to have nice hair.
I ride with a lot of people who choose not to wear helmets – I think the best we can do is put our convictions on our heads (especially around kids), and buy hot rollers. 😉
Thank you for sharing this image.
I’m going to forward it to a handful of people who need to see it!!
Helmets save lives.
I just think it’s unfortunate that people think if they’re on a “safe” horse or a horse they know well, that an accident won’t happen. Accidents are accidents.
I’m glad the owner of this helmet decided to wear a helmet on this day!!
Mary
Seeing pictures like this always reminds me of a casual friend who passed away two years ago after a freak accident while trail riding without a helmet. Ten days after the accident her brain activity completely ceased (because of several strokes while she was comatose). Her fiance had to take medical leave from the marines, and come home from Iraq. He got there just a day before she passed away.
Her parents spent nearly the entire time at her side. Having to make the decision to pull her life support after she was functionally dead has to have been the hardest thing anyone around her ever experienced. I don’t fault her for not wearing a helmet; she never rode in any disciplines that required it, so it never really occurred to her that it might be good for things besides going over jumps. She was a great person, funny, personable, and a great soldier in the National Guard. We were never terribly close, but talked all the time in several classes.
To think…it could have all been prevented with a helmet. It’s hard to think about.
what is the brand and model of this helmet?
I love horses! I never, ever wear a helmet when I do cross-country but I’m alive!
Just kidding! I don’t even do cross-country but when I’m just around a horse or pony pasture I still wear my helmet.
Glad to hear it!