I know this helmet thing has been beaten to death over the years, but it is
such an important safety issue I don't begrudge the topic.
A neighbor's young daughter was doing the rodeo thing... calf roping and
things like that. I gave her parents a copy of the 4-H tape "Every Ride, Every
Time" (I think that's the name of it) that really explains why helmets are so
important. I know the rodeo people would not even imagine wearing a helmet.
(Unless you are a bull rider who has used up 8 of your 9 lives.)
Well, the little girl became Miss Jr. Rodeo Miss or something like that and
was supposed to ride in a parade. The parents said that she was going to wear a
helmet because the pavement was slippery. The parade officials said no, she had
to wear a cowboy hat. So the parents turned around and went to load up to go
home and mumbled something about liability, and the officials suddenly said it
was OK to wear the helmet. (I guess the parents DID watch the tape.)
I worked for several years in a huge saddle and tack store in So.
California and I sold my share of helmets. I have heard horror stories. I have
seen helmets with holes in them from T-posts (the kid would have been wearing
the T-post through her skull)... I believe in helmets.
