I get asked about the topic of wearing a helmet when riding a horse quite a bit and as there are more and more children getting involved in horse riding, this seems like a good time to make my thoughts clear and perhaps influence the horse world, even just a tiny bit maybe, in a safer direction. I do plan on talking about this a bit more in detail in the near future, but here’s the overview.
In this video I talk about different types of helmets, what I think works about them and what I think doesn’t and why I advocate for helmet use, especially for children. While my opinion is just my own, I do exercise this opinion on our property and in general promote the idea of wearing a helmet when doing any activity where this is a risk in place.
I think the most important point of this whole discussion should be about what putting a helmet on means to the person putting it on. If it means you’re now willing to do more or be more risky, then you put it on for entirely the wrong reason. If you put it on for that just in case situation but stay in the mindset that you don’t have one on, then that’s the right mindset in my opinion.
Never ever think a helmet will protect you from being hurt if you’re doing something stupid and/or dangerous on a horse. Always be cautious and aware and careful and mindful of the animal you are riding. Helmets CAN help but it doesn’t mean they will.
Bottom line is that a helmet is not a substitute for good horsemanship. It should not influence your riding style or awareness one bit and should be considered just another piece of clothing you might wear that has the possibility of perhaps protecting you from certain things.