Hoof in the Head!

Only a few weeks ago my helmet saved my head!! A friend of mine recently moved her horse to our horse park here in Fort Mill SC. This new guilding was in training in another pasture so we thought we would ride over from my pasture to visit him. I was riding my Morgan mare and my friend was riding her pasture mate a little brown guilding. The trainer thought it a good idea to come along with us on our hack out with my friends' horse. My mare became really jumpy because she didn't know this new horse and he was a bundle of nerves...things went from bad to worse with my mare. She and the new guilding were kind of feeding off each others energy and they were both spooking each other out! He bolted forward and so did my morgan...she slipped and I lost my balance and then she took off! (I was in a bareback saddle, wrong choice) Well as I was falling all I could think was, "Lord this is gonna be a bad fall, I need help!" Suddenly a loud wapp! I was hit really hard in the back of my head...I then hit the hard ground and tumbled sideways a few times...after lying in a daze for a few seconds I got up, dusted off and realized my helmet just saved my head from what could have been some real nasty damage. As I was falling my mares back hoof smacked my head, she was in full gallop! All I could think was helmets save lives and heads!! I never ride without one! I hope those who are reading this won't either! Have a Happy Head in a Helmet! Linda Mullin