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- Jun 3, 2008
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If you don''t wear a helmet every time you ride, please, PLEASE read this.
For those of you who aren''t familiar with Courtney King Dye, she is an Olympic dressage rider who is only 32 years old. As you can see from her blog, she had a very serious fall back on March 3. She was not wearing a helmet during that fall, and she fractured her skull. She was in a coma for about a month, and is now re-learning how to walk, talk, etc. She does not have the full use of her right side, and she may never again ride at the level that she was before the accident. Imagine how heartbreaking that must be for an Olympic athlete. But really, she''s lucky she''s alive.
If Courtney had been wearing a helmet that day, her head injury would have been MUCH less severe. She may not have even spent the night in the hospital, much less a few months.
If this can happen to an Olympic-level rider, it can happen to ANY of us at ANY time. Yes, that includes you.
I know there are quite a few riders here on PS, and I just wanted to post this in the hope that it might convince some of you to wear your helmet EVERY time, EVERY ride (if you don''t already). There is no excuse not to wear a helmet. Helmets can be bought for as little as $40, they take about two seconds to put on, most of the newer models are very lightweight and comfortable, and they can literally save your life. I know this first-hand . . . I''m able to type this today because I was wearing my helmet when I had a very serious fall a few years ago. As a riding instructor, I have had students refuse to wear a helmet in the past. Upon doing so, they immediately find themselves in need of a new riding instructor. I won''t get on a horse without an ASTM/SEI certified helmet, and I won''t allow my students to do so either.
Please, wear your helmets. If you won''t do it for yourself, do it for everyone who loves you.
For those of you who aren''t familiar with Courtney King Dye, she is an Olympic dressage rider who is only 32 years old. As you can see from her blog, she had a very serious fall back on March 3. She was not wearing a helmet during that fall, and she fractured her skull. She was in a coma for about a month, and is now re-learning how to walk, talk, etc. She does not have the full use of her right side, and she may never again ride at the level that she was before the accident. Imagine how heartbreaking that must be for an Olympic athlete. But really, she''s lucky she''s alive.
If Courtney had been wearing a helmet that day, her head injury would have been MUCH less severe. She may not have even spent the night in the hospital, much less a few months.
If this can happen to an Olympic-level rider, it can happen to ANY of us at ANY time. Yes, that includes you.
I know there are quite a few riders here on PS, and I just wanted to post this in the hope that it might convince some of you to wear your helmet EVERY time, EVERY ride (if you don''t already). There is no excuse not to wear a helmet. Helmets can be bought for as little as $40, they take about two seconds to put on, most of the newer models are very lightweight and comfortable, and they can literally save your life. I know this first-hand . . . I''m able to type this today because I was wearing my helmet when I had a very serious fall a few years ago. As a riding instructor, I have had students refuse to wear a helmet in the past. Upon doing so, they immediately find themselves in need of a new riding instructor. I won''t get on a horse without an ASTM/SEI certified helmet, and I won''t allow my students to do so either.
Please, wear your helmets. If you won''t do it for yourself, do it for everyone who loves you.
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