12/06/2023
Lead By Example ~ June 6, 2023
I'm going to discuss something that will probably upset, and maybe even anger, some of my professional friends. I want everyone to read this with an open mind. If you disagree with it, please give yourself a moment, grab a drink and a snack, and then read it again. And as my friend said, “If this article helps save just one person, it will be worth pi***ng off all the rest.”
Why, as trainers and instructors, are we not requiring helmet use for youth, both in and out of the show arena? A simple and inexpensive piece of equipment, designed to protect our most valuable organ, is not being utilized and our kids are getting hurt - and worse - from it.
I see it all the time at horse shows: kids wearing western hats, hunt caps and derbies instead of a protective helmet. I've even seen 3-year-old leadline riders in hunt caps. Why? Most say because, "it's tradition". Blah, I don't buy it. It's only "tradition" because 100+ years ago, when some old man designed our show outfits, no one had the knowledge to understand how traumatic brain injuries occur, nor the technology to create any form of protection against them.
Traditions start by someone taking a stand and making a change. So let's start a new one.
First, I want to enlighten you with some shocking statistics.
- There are an average of 710 riding fatalities in the United States each year. That's almost 2 deaths per day.
- 75% of equestrian deaths are from traumatic brain injuries (TBIs).
- Wearing a helmet reduces the risk of severe injury by 50%.
- Horseback riding is the leading cause of sports related TBIs. This includes ALL sports, including football, hockey and skiing.
- Horseback riders suffer from twice as many concussions than any other sport.
- Head injuries account for 50% of equine related hospitalizations each year.
- Over 81% of equestrians are injured during their career, with 21% requiring hospitalization.
- Over 100,000 riding accidents occur in the US annually.
- One out of every 10,000 riders will die from the sport.
Sadly, I've witnessed the last one firsthand.
So now let's discuss how we can make this sport safer. And it starts with our kids.
First, show associations need to start REQUIRING protective headgear for all youth riders, regardless of discipline. (And eventually adults, too, but... baby steps.)
In 2011, the United States Equestrian Federation made a rule change that required all event and dressage riders to wear helmets. The "traditional" top hats were no longer allowed. These Olympic riders - the ones we dreamed of being some day and whose posters lined our bedroom walls - the literal, "best of the best," are required to wear protective headgear. So why on earth is this not a basic requirement of our children? And why aren't our local show organizations following suit?
Riding is the most dangerous sport, with the most deaths and injuries from head and neck trauma. The runner up in this category goes to football players. From the toddlers just learning the sport and running the wrong way on the field, through the professional players in the NFL, all football players must wear helmets. And we would be the ones first to criticize them for not doing so. Imagine turning on Monday Night Football and seeing a player without a helmet? We would think they were crazy and dumb! But our sport is more dangerous than theirs, yet we don't require helmet use, even for our youth riders. Does that make any sense at all?
In every major breed organization, (of which I'm aware, please correct me if I'm wrong,) a judge cannot discriminate against exhibitors wearing protective headgear in any discipline. This is one step in the right direction. Therefore, there is absolutely no excuse for kids NOT to wear protective headgear in the show arena. And, looking at this from the other perspective, even if the judges could discriminate, is risking the life of one of our kids worth a blue ribbon? For some, it seems as though it is. I see trainers allowing young kids to ride without helmets all the time. Which brings me to my next point.
Second, until the shows start enforcing it, I want to see trainers stepping up to the plate and requiring their students to wear helmets at home and at shows. Why are trainers being allowed to override a parents wish to keep their children safe? And if your argument is. "the parents want them to look traditional in order to win," then shame on them, too. The statistics don't lie. Step up and be an advocate for that child. How? It's simple. "Your child either rides in a helmet or you need to find another barn." Your barn, your rules. That's how my farm worked for over two decades and we were quite successful. Never once did I have a parent upset with my helmet rule. And honestly, if you have a client who emphasizes winning over everything else including safety, do you really want them representing your name and your farm? I certainly didn't.
The other issue is that some kids, especially the tweens and teens, want to “fit in” and look like the other riders. It's all part of growing up, following the social norms to feel accepted by your peers. But, if we can create an environment where all of the other riders are being safe, then our youth will want to fit in by doing the same.
Third, and this is the most important one: trainers need to start leading by example. Please step up and be a role model for your students by wearing helmets when you school and show. These kids admire us. They want to be us. As part of their village, it's our job to enforce these most basic of safety standards. And as the future of our industry, they need to be protected.
Kids look up to us as trainers and instructors, because, well quite frankly, we're pretty freaking awesome. We have a super cool job and work with the most incredible animals every day. I felt so privileged every day to be able do what I loved. Our students recognize this and want to follow in our footsteps. Trainers, how many times have you had a student tell you, “I want to be you when I'm older”? I must have heard that a thousand times throughout my career. So if a trainer chooses not to wear a helmet, an impressionable child is going to think, “that's the cool thing to do," and want to follow suit. Let's set a good example.
I'll be the first to admit it, up until a few years ago, I never used to wear helmets at shows either. Why? Because the big name trainers didn't wear them and I wanted to fit in. I was trying to establish myself and my business and wanted to look like the other professionals. So I followed suit. Like a complete moron, I put my ego ahead of my self.
Since becoming a mom, my driving force behind my own safety is my desire to be there to care for my children. If I'm suffering from a TBI, or am dead, what is going to happen to my son and daughter? I love my husband dearly, but he can't do it alone. He doesn't know where anything in the kitchen is located and only knows how to make about three meals. When it comes to fashion, he can barely dress my daughter to go out in public. Seriously, the guy thinks that she can wear stripes with polka dots, and one day she was dressed in so many florescent colors she looked like she stepped right out of an 80s music video. My eyes had a stroke.
All kidding aside, I don't want my kids having to push me around in a wheelchair because I was too lazy, dumb, or proud to put a helmet on my head. I don't want my kids to have to bury me in their childhood years. And I certainly don't want my kids to grow up without a parent, especially over something that could have been so easily prevented. When a tragedy happens to you, it not only changes your world, but the world of the people who love you. Don't put the burden of your poor decisions on your family.
A few years ago I was witness to a horrific event at a horse show. After I became a mother, that moment pops into my head almost daily. And I replay it every single time I lift my daughter onto her pony's back. It haunts me. I'm still not ready to write about it yet, but what I will say is this: it put into perspective how delicate and precious life is. Especially a child's life.
We have to remember that horses are flight animals, you can never completely control their environment, and freak accidents will happen. Horses can trip, spook, get stung by a bee, or even have an aneurism and drop dead mid-stride. Take Courtney King-Dye, for example. She was an Olympic athlete, (read: the best of the best,) who was schooling one day without a helmet and her horse tripped. That was it. He tripped. But Courtney fell. She hit the ground, ended up with a skull fracture, was in a coma for four weeks, had to relearn how to walk and relearn how to talk. All it took to change her entire life was a simple misstep. Courtney was a fighter and overcame all odds, then used her tragedy for good by being a staunch advocate for helmet use. Many aren't that lucky.
Fun fact: The human brain doesn't finish developing until the mid to late 20s. (And for some people I've met throughout my career, quite a bit longer than that.) Therefore, children do not have the mental capacity to make a decision about their safety. They cannot comprehend the ramifications of their actions and the lifelong and life ending consequences that are at stake. Let me put it more bluntly: kids are dumb. That's not an insult, we're all born that way. That's why we have parents and villages. That's why we set rules and boundaries for them, to keep them safe. Parents and trainers need to step up, advocate for these youth riders and protect them.
A few years back I saw a young teenage Saddle Seat rider at a show beautifully sporting the only helmet in a sea of derbies. She had a great ride and earned a nice ribbon, her helmet not taking anything away from her performance. As she was leaving the arena, I told her I was proud of her, not because of the ribbon she won, but by the fact she was showing in a helmet. She teared up and said that her mom makes her wear one, (insert teenage eye roll here,) and she feared people would make fun of her. She certainly wasn't expecting to receive praise. I felt heartbroken. This young lady said that she had been riding with a trainer and had to leave because her trainer refused – yes, REFUSED - to let her show in a helmet. Why? Because of “tradition”. This struck up some anger inside of me, but her mom's devotion and dedication to her daughter's safety was inspiring. I told her as we parted ways, "Make sure you give your horse a carrot, and your mom a huge hug for me.” Her mom found me later that day and sat to talk with me. I told her how proud I was of both of them, especially to her for sticking up for her daughter's safety. We both teared up and her mom got her hug.
Over the years I've heard absolutely ridiculous reasons from some people about why they don't wear helmets.
- "They don't fit me right." Try another brand, model or size. Your head isn't that unique.
- "They're too heavy or hot." Try one of the lightweight vented kinds.
- "I get headaches from them." It doesn't fit right. Go to a tack store and get properly fitted.
- "My parents never wore them and they were fine." They should consider themselves lucky.
- "I've grown up riding and know what I'm doing." Freak accidents happen.
- "They're ugly." Not as ugly as being brain dead. Or dead-dead.
- "They don't work / are overrated / aren't guaranteed to help, etc." That's bull. Believe the statistics and trust the science.
Are you catching on to my point? There are NO valid excuses.
Still not convinced yet? Let's take look at it from a super-selfish business standpoint. Trainers, this comes down to your bottom line: your business cannot succeed if your clientele is suffering from a TBI. Or is dead. Or if your farm gets a bad reputation from a preventable traumatic injury that happened under your guidance. Everyone knows how fast gossip spreads in the horse world. Do you want to be on the receiving end of, "Oh, that's the farm where the child was injured/killed because her trainer didn't make her ride in a helmet"? What about insurance rates? If we as an industry can decrease the number of accidents and lawsuits, the insurance premiums will go down as well. Is this an incredibly selfish way of looking at it? Absolutely. But sometimes points can be made by coming at a situation from different angles. Think about it.
I know this is a sensitive topic for many, but it's way past time for a change. Our kids are dying and we aren't doing enough to help them. Are helmets guaranteed to save your life? No, they aren't. But what they do provide is that your odds of surviving will be a hell of a lot better. No one has ever been penalized for wearing one, but many people have died from not. Helmet wearing needs to be commonplace, and that starts with our trainers. We need to smarten up, step up, lead by example and protect our youth. After all, they are the future of our industry.
~ Julie ~
(Pictured is one of my students, Nori, aboard “DJ Rocky Four” sporting her beautiful helmet and awards after winning the 2022 New England Youth Western Equitation Medal Finals.)
