All riders fall off eventually. Whether they
realize it or not, they are vulnerable creatures when perched astride
a horse. And frequently, when riders do take a tumble, the head is
the point of impact, either hitting the ground or a hard, unforgiving
object such as a fence post or jump standard. Sometimes it even gets
in the way of sharp, flailing hooves. In particularly unlucky cases,
all or some of the above will occur.
Although horse people tend to do a lot of thinking, they don't really
give their brains a lot of consideration. The tide does seem to be
shifting toward safer riding but there are still a lot of riders who
choose to go bare-headed. (It is a romantic notion, galloping along,
hair blowing in the wind...) Plus, helmets do have the reputation
of being restrictive and hot - and many old-style helmets were. But
todays manufacturers are producing helmets that are lighter, cooler
and safer than ever before. And, in most cases, riders don't have
to give up looking good to be safe.
Changing Thinking
Tack shops are finding that customers are thinking about safety and
are more educated about approved helmets than ever before. Julie Bacon
of Picov's Horseman Centre in Ajax, ON, says, "We rarely sell
non-approved helmets now." She estimates that 80% of the store's
clientele is parents buying for their children and staff try to "steer
them toward approved helmets."
Also, many stables now require that people taking lessons or attending
camps and other programs must use approved headgear. That has made
many parents of child riders and other students aware that they actually
exist. Some customers feel that price of approved helmets is prohibitive
(they run from $70 on up) but the initial outlay could save the emotional
and physical costs of injury or death.
CEF: Hat's Off to Approved
Currently there are no laws mandating the use of helmets in Canada
but, in June, after having commissioned independent tests of international
helmet standards, the Canadian Equestrian Federation (CEF) endorsed
the use of helmets that meet the American Society of Testing and Materials
(ASTM) and those of the British Standards Institution (BSI).
Ottawa-based Biokinetics and Associates Ltd., which provides injury
prevention products and services, evaluated four headgear-testing
standards from around the world - European (EN), British (BSI), North
American (ASTM) and joint Australian/New Zealand (AS/NZ) - that have
been developed with the help of industry experts, doctors, helmet
manufacturers and safety experts.
Standards testing involves determining a helmet's capacity to provide
protection in various conditions (i.e., type of fall or impact, different
temperatures and climates), how well they stay on during impact, ability
to resist punctures, chinstrap and harness effectiveness, etc.
While all the standards were found to be acceptable, "Biokinetics
determined that the ASTM standard was the toughest and the BSI standard
was the most thorough," according to a CEF press release.
The CEF is examining the possibility of eventually implementing mandatory
helmet use in all areas of equestrian sport and is soliciting comments
from the various disciplines and industry sectors.
|Heading OFF Injury|Injury Prevention|
|No Helmet - 911|"New Lids"
Archives
