Another Reason Many Men Are Idiots
This title is a little misleading because I know a great many women who are idiots as well, or at least well on their way to becoming one.
What I'm talking about here is that I get to see a lot of people riding horses. I am one of the few males. Most riders I see in groups are women with probably 1 male for every 25 women. I'd say 95% of women wear helmets when they ride, but I am the only man I ever see wearing one. Sure helmets look dorky, but head injuries look even dorkier. Come on guys, are you that stupid?
I've fallen from a horse three times in the last ten years, once on sand, once in the ocean and once in a swamp. All there times I was on well trained dead broke horses, but I wasn't paying attention and ended up flying through the air. Had the surfaces I landed on not been soft I could have had serious injuries. A log, rock or even pavement could have done me in.
Sure, I was in macho mode for years but at the same time I've seen so many people suffer injuries. I realized that I wear a helmet when I ride my bicycle and when I ride my horse I often going at faster than I go on a bike and I'm higher up. A fall could easily render me brain damaged.
It's funny, but I get a good feeling when I see kids wearing helmets while riding their bikes. At the same time I want to shout at the kids that aren't wearing them. Having had a relative in a rehabilitation hospital where most patients were recovering from brain injuries; I've seen how little it takes to injure ones brain and have a life altered forever.
posted by The Guy Who Writes This at 4:00 AM
7 Comments:
Psst! We're supposed to be weeding out the stupid ones, remember? And remember, the less men that wear helmets, the more women for the rest of us! Ssssshhh!
Helmet-wearing started to gain traction with cyclists in the 80's. Now just about all serious cyclists wear helmets, though there is still a little residual debate about the benefits. Real bicycling helmets (not the old hair-net style thingys) have been available since the mid 70s. When did helmets start appearing on horseback riders?
Used to always wear one when I rode English many years ago, but never wore one riding Western. But always "dressed" to ride English... not so for Western. Sadly, I haven't been riding in quite a while. Good idea though. (Always called them "brain buckets" in my motorcycle days.)
-- female
Darev, be we can't handle the ones we already have.
Mark, After Christopher Reeves, though he was wearing a helmet and his was a spine injury, but his condition made people take notice. Dressage riders have worn helmets for as long as I can remember, but they aren't the type of helmets most trail riders use today. They are like a hard derby and I'm not sure how much protection they provide as far as shock absorption. Had Reeves been wearing a more stable, cushioned equestrian helmet he may have had a different outcome.
Anon Female, did your English dressage helmet have any padding other than the head band?
Very little padding under silk, a little more on top as I recall. It was made of metal though, so protected you in that way.
Even minor brain injuries can be devastating. Scary.
We'll be in Little Rock this weekend and plan to take the kids horseback riding. I hope the place provides helmets.
Post a Comment
<< Home