I always wear my Troxel helmet when I ride, thank goodness! A month ago, when tacking up my trusty Rocky Mountain mare, I paused for a moment and thought, "It's so hot today, I don't think I'll wear my helmet. Besides, this afternoon, I'm going to the tack store to buy a newer, more ventilated helmet." But, then I decided not wearing my helmet would be just not using my head. You see, a few years ago I was in a bad car accident where I was stopped at a traffic light when the Jeep I was driving was rear-ended by a truck and then shoved into the back of another truck: a Jeep sandwich, if you will. I wish I wore my helmet that day, because that crash left me with a brain injury that now causes me to "black out" for seconds at a time. Well, during this ride on my mare, I blacked out for a few seconds. One moment I was riding my horse on a trail on my farm, the same one we'd been on hundreds of times before, problem-free, the next, I heard a "thud" on my helmet, and felt my body hit the ground before being dragged for a few feet. I have no idea what caused the accident. I've had horses all my life, have won hundreds of blue ribbons and trophies with them, haven't fallen off in over 20 years, and yet, this happened to me. (Oh, and yes, my body really felt the effects of the impact the next day!) Later, upon looking at the crash scene, I figured I must have hit my head on a rock as there was a rock with fresh scrapes on it near where my body landed. My Blackberry phone didn't suvive the crash, and left a giant black bruise on my rear end for nearly three weeks; my shoulder beared cuts from being dragged; my Troxel helmet was busted, but my head is fully intact, and I'm still alive! Thanks, Troxel!