Most people who say they don’t want to wear a helmet have reasons that are outdated. Personal preference, though, is never outdated. You want to do what you want to do. I respect that. But if you’re relying on old information, I’d like to shed some light on the subject.

My non-helmet-wearing friends joke about how hard their heads are, but protecting the outside of the head isn’t the primary concern. It’s your brain. When you fall and your head hits the ground, your brain slams against the inside of your hard skull. We’re talking brain injury, not just a skull wound. But when a good helmet hits the ground, it absorbs a lot of that impact and it slows everything down, buying your brain time so it doesn’t hit inside your skull so hard.

Then there’s the argument about helmets being hot and heavy. They are surely warmer than a straw hat — but no where as hot as they used to be. If you haven’t tried one of the newer trail models, you’ll be amazed how light and well-vented they are.

As for comfort, the older helmets did hold hard to your head, but newer ones are adjustable and come in various shapes. Once you get used to wearing these helmets, you really do forget that it’s on.

I talk with experienced riders who say they advocate helmets for beginners and children, but they come from the “old school.” Unfortunately, even old-school riders hit the dirt. Ironically, it’s not just dangerous sports such as jumping or galloping racehorses that put someone at risk. It’s often the experienced rider who tumbles off a steady horse who happens to trip ambling home at the end of the day.

The big risk for head injury has to do with the height from which you fall, not the speed that you’re traveling. A fall from as little as two feet can cause brain injury. And we know that your head is nearly eight feet high when riding a full-sized horse. According to the American Medical Equine Association/Safe Riders Foundation, head injuries account for 20% of all equestrian injuries and 60% of fatalities occur from head injuries. I could toss a whole lot more figures at you, such as that hospital costs for an acute head injury range upwards of $25,000 per day, but I won’t do that.

I will say that the risks are probably higher than you think. It’s not that every fall is life-threatening, but some are. You have to work that out for yourself. But please take care of that hard head of yours.

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