Re: Fwd: Helmets Part VI, VII, VIII, & IX

[jlong@mti.net (Joe Long)]

On Sat, 21 Nov 1998 00:34:39 EST, Thiessej@aol.com wrote:

>Riding with or without should be a personal decision. I would be rude and
>wrong to suggest that no one should be allowed to wear a helmet, but it is
>just as rude to suggest that we have already suffered brain damage because we
>have a different opinion from yourself and don't agree that we should have to
>wear a helmet. 

It may seem rude to you, but there's a lot of truth there.

I believe we are free adults who should be allowed to make our own
choices, and have always opposed any AERC rule requiring helmets for
that reason (although I support the rule requiring juniors to wear
them).

At the same time, I consider it vain and foolish to ride without one.
How sad when someone is seriously injured or killed just because they
did not take advantage of a simple safety precaution.  I no longer
climb on a horse at any time without a helmet.  Even the best rider in
the world, on the most steady and well-trained horse in the world,
never knows when he may be one second away from his head hitting the
ground (or a tree or a boulder).  Those who say "I've ridden all my
life without a helmet and never had a problem" remind me of the chap
who fell from the top of the Empire State Building.  As he passed the
tenth floor he said "Well, nothing bad's happened so far!"

You could say there are two kinds of people who ride horses:  those
who've been injured in a fall, and those who will be.  I was once
racing for a finish line, on a hard road, when Kahlil collided with
another horse.  My leg got trapped between the two horses and I was
thrown violently to the ground -- much too hard and fast to "roll with
it" or defend myself.  I spent five days in a hospital, and had to buy
a new helmet to replace my damaged one.  Without the helmet I might
not have survived.

Yes, we all take risks, every day, just being around horses.  But just
as professional race car drivers will not drive without wearing their
seat belts, there are risks that come with the territory, and simple
precautions we can take to reduce unnecessary risks.

So while I respect your right to not wear a helmet, forgive me if I
consider those who risk their lives in that fashion to be fools.

-- 

Joe Long
jlong@mti.net
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