From: Stacey
I just read the article "you saved my daughters life" We bought a pony for my daughter for Christmas.. I grew up with ponies in shorts, tennis sneakers and maybe a baseball cap if the sun was bright. I want a helmet for my daughter.. but we just assumed she'd use what we make her use when riding her four wheeler. (We don't intend to be fancy.. just maybe trail riding) She has and wears an AMA approved motorcycle helmet and we figured she'd just use that.. it runs just about to her neck in the back. I just wanted to ask if that would be adequate for horses or if we should reconsider and use something else. Many thanks in advance.. BTW.. she's five if it makes any difference. Thanks so much! Stacey
The quick answer is "NO" - motorcycle and bicycle helmets aren't adequate protection. They're definitely a step in the right direction, but here's why you'll want to be sure that your daughter wears a riding helmet that fits her really well AND is specifically designed to protect equestrians.
Motorcycle and bicycle helmets are designed to protect motorcycle and bicycle riders from hitting the road at high speeds. As you know, spinning out can result in a smashed skull, and even a relatively mild skid on gravel with no other vehicle present can cause a major case of full-body "road rash".
Equestrian helmets are designed and shaped slightly differently, because they are designed to guard against the brain damage that occurs when a rider falls from a height. They are also - because of their purpose - subjected to different testing; they're designed to protect the skull against direct impact, such as that sustained by falling from a height onto a sharp object (equivalent to the hoof of a shod horse). It's called point-impact protection. They also cover and protect more of the back of the skull - again, useful in a situation where a fallen rider can come into contact with a horse's hoof. Equestrian safety helmets are also - and this is probably most important - designed to protect the BRAIN inside the skull, by slowing the impact of the skull striking the ground (even soft ground can cause great damage) so that the skull and brain can come to a stop at the same time, instead of the skull hitting the ground and the brain then smashing against the inside of the skull. Skull fractures are just one form of injury... closed-head injuries aren't as obvious to the casual observer, but they can be every bit as damaging.
Most falls from bicycles are forward, and the helmets are designed accordingly; falls from horses are equally likely to impact the sides and back of the head, and the helmets are designed accordingly.
Bicycles and motorcycles tend to drop people onto the ground, but it's quite possible to be launched UPWARD from a horse's back, and the higher the peak of the rider's trajectory, the more potential energy there will be to dissipate upon contact with the ground.
Bicycle and motorcycle riders can - if they realize that there may be a crash in the very near future - reduce speed, apply brakes, etc., and so reduce their velocity to some degree. Falling off a horse often comes with no warning and no moment in which to attempt to reduce velocity - and, in the case of a bucking, bolting, or falling horse, very little chance of such an attempt being successful.
If you have trouble finding a small enough helmet, you might try "Freedom Rider" - it's a catalog company that caters to the needs of disabled riders, and it's a good source of special equipment and helmets in a wide variety of styles and sizes. The company is online at http://www.freedomrider.com
Five is still very young - for a pony or a four-wheeler! I'm glad to know that you are protecting your daughter's head during her horse- and four-wheeler activities. You're teaching your daughter good safety practices, but you're doing more than that - you are also making it much more likely that by the time she is old enough to make her own decisions, she'll still have an intact brain with which to make them. Good for you.
Jessica
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