My own personal experience with helmet safety came at an early age. I was about 11 or 12 years old and went trail riding with my dad and another boarder at the first barn I rode at. We were cantering out of the woods in single file when her young horse bolted ahead of us, made a sharp right turn at the end of the trail, stumbled and the woman riding went right over the mare’s head. The mare took off for the barn, my dad stopped to help the inert woman and he told me to get help from the barn. I galloped off in the direction the mare went and found her trotting slowly ahead of me. She stopped and let me catch the reins and I ponied her back to the barn, hollering for someone to help us.

The barn manager jumped on one of the trail hacks (it was a rent-a-horse trail barn in addition to a boarding facility) and took off back to where I told him the fall was. Another worker phoned for an ambulance (this was way back in 1975 B.C. – Before cell phones!) The woman had to be hand carried on a stretcher out of the woods (nope, no A.T.V.’s either back then) And it turned out she had a broken nose and severe concussion but she survived and healed.

Was she wearing a helmet? Yes. Granted it was one of the old-school fiberglass shell helmets we wore back then. Not anywhere near the amount of protection helmets nowadays offer but I’ll never forget when my dad showed it to me. He had brought it back with him as he followed the emergency crew back to the barn. On the back of the helmet was a perfect imprint of a horse shoe. Where her mare had stepped on her head and shoved it into the ground. I can’t imagine the outcome of that fall if she hadn’t worn the helmet that day. I don’t want to.

I always wear my helmet and I’m needing to replace the one I currently use as it’s given me 5 years of safe riding. I’d sure love to be the lucky winner and I know just which Troxel model I’d choose – the Troxel Reliance. That’s a nice looking helmet!

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