WHY SHOULD YOU WEAR A CERTIFIED RIDING HELMET ?
Riding is a wonderful sport, but it does carry an element of risk. Medical studies over the years have shown us some surprising things. Horseback riding carries a higher injury rate per hour of exposure than many other sports. This includes downhill ski racing, football, hang-gliding and motorcycle racing.

The age of the rider, number of years of experience, natural ability, and degree of expertise cannot and do not prevent riding accidents. Rider deaths in falls were caused by jumping in 23% of the cases; the rest occurred standing still, or at the walk, trot, canter and gallop. The most dangerous horse activity is riding for pleasure, based on numbers of participants injured.

The most common serious riding accidents affect the head; with the expanded use of the ASTM Standard FEI Certified helmets by riders under the age of 21, the largest group of head-injured riders has become ages 22 to 35. Many of the most serious injuries and deaths happen to riders older than 35.

Medical Examiner reports show that 60 % or more of horse-related deaths are caused by head injuries. Helmets can reduce this possibility by 70 to 80 %.

Repeated blows to the head can cause cumulative damage to the brain; each new accident expands the original damage. Unlike arms and legs, the brain cannot recover 100% from an injury. A serious head injury can quickly use all of a person's health insurance. The most catastrophic of these average a cost of $4,000,000, plus a lifetime of suffering for both the injured person and his or her family.

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These statements have been endorsed by the Board of Directors of the American Medical Equestrian Association (now Equestrian Medical Safety Association), whose mission is accident and injury prevention for people in horse activities, and reduction of the severity of injury when an accident occurs. More information on helmet studies is available at their website, www.emsaonline.net.

Questions may be directed to New York State Horse Council Safety Chairman Dru Malavase at drumalavase@hotmail.com or at 2270 County Road 39 RD 2 Bloomfield, NY 14469. I can be reached at home at 716 657-7053 after 7:30 p.m. and on weekends