Yes, that is MY brain bucket, Thank you! A bad hair day is nothing compared to brain surgery hair!

Three years ago last Easter, some girls and moms from our 4H group were having a spring ride in the back pasture. The horses got excited with the group trot. The horse I was riding, a percheron saddlebred cross, got more excited & broke into a downhill canter towards the barbed wire fence. I wasn't sure he was paying attention to the rapidly approaching fence, so I asked him to slow down with my voice & aids. He crow hopped, then put the brakes on HARD!

I went off over his left shoulder. I had many thoughts as I flew throught the air. "TUCK & ROLL!" "thank goodness for my helmet!" "This is gonna hurt- I'm too old (48 at the time)to bounce!". I landed on my left hip & rolled onto my face. I knocked the visor off & scuffed the helmet. A split second after I landed, I felt something give in my hip. The wind being knocked out of me, it took a couple of minutes to sit up. The pain made me nearly faint.

With a leg up, I got back on & rode the rest of the trail home. Once I got off and got Ben put away, I realized how hard I hit. Walking down hill hurt like something was wrong. I toughed it out for a few days, then went for an xray. Cracked pelvis- nothing to do but wait for it to heal on its own. Thankfully no head or face injury, thanks to my Troxel Helmet- my glasses weren't even bent! I was riding (at a walk) in two weeks and back to full strength in 3 months.

I am thankful our 4H team got to witness second hand how fast things can happen and how important a helmet is! I am a RN in a neuro ICU and a STRONG advocate for ALL helmets! A bike helmet has also saved my life, and I have seen motorcycle helmets save lives, too. Proudly wear your brain buckets!