I have a 6 yr john mule that was raised from my fdn-bred Appy - and I've had my hands on him from Day One. He has taught me a lot about me, and I've learned tons about mules - we should all treat horses the way a mule must be treated! I think I have become a much better handler thanks to Chip!
I did not have the britchen on him Sunday and we encountered a few very steep hills that I was not expecting. He's still not really well-balanced going downhill so we tended to flop around some. A string from my cantle got caught under the saddlepad and I reached around to pull it out. He'd been telling me something wasn't right - head a little higher, ears rotated back....but when I pulled that string out, wowwee - did he resent THAT particular feeling. Being off-balance in the first place, I launched quite quickly and when I landed, it was a head-neck-shoulder-bum FLOP. My helmet is well-fitted and snugged, but still it rotated forward, scrubbed my temple, scrunched my glasses (lost a lense!) but other than spraining my neck and a bruise on my bum - I am GREAT! Thank you My Helmet!
I am one of those people who suffered a Grade 3 concussion while working a horse on the ground - and let me tell you, it doesn't take much of a fall to make me woozy. (Tripped over my own sidewalk thanks to new bifocals - did a faceplant - was "stupid" for the rest of the evening.)
I won't get on a horse at all these days without my helmet - and I love the fit and feel of the Sierra. Don't care about hat-head - or not being "cool" - at 52 I'm old enough to smile and say "it works for me".