Thank you for founding Riders4helmets. My daughter Ashley always wore a helmet except for that one fateful day on which she had her accident. She only rode for about 15 minutes, in front of our house. The horse (Beauty) did nothing to hurt her, she simply stepped off of the road and then back on again and Ashley rolled off. Ashley spent a total of 9 days in the trauma center at the University of Kentucky hospital with a massive bleed in her brain, fractured skull, and one side of her face that looked like she had a stroke. Today almost 5 years later she is okay, but suffers short and long term memory loss. Thank God she is alive. So for her please keep educating horse people and children on helmets.
The photo below is right after the accident, you can see the trauma to Ashley’s face, she is beautiful now. Ashley had a friend show her horses for her the year of her accident. The horse in the photo below is Bell who does not spook at anything but red lights. Bell was the first horse Ashley rode about 7 months after her accident (see the photo of her showing far below). She never rides now without a helmet.
Ashley with Bell
I get so upset when I see little girls, children riding without a helmet. I know that cowboy hats make the look and we even had a judge at a show in Prestonsburg who said that Ashley’s attire (helmet) did not match the rest of her outfit and he would not judge her horse. This was the same horse that she rode in Leslie County, who wins or places everywhere she goes. I hope helmets will become acceptable in all showing classes. You should not be penalized for wearing one.
- Susan Grigsby
Ashley showing Bell
I can’t quite grasp the idea of a professional unwilling to judge a child because she was wearing a helmet. Oh, I know it happens all the time, but it just blows me away. And mom probably tossed a fit and it fell on deaf ears. I just don’t know what it takes for some folks to wake up. I pray it doesn’t take personal tragedy to get folks to listen up.
Any judge that puts fashion above the safety of any person, be it child or adult should have their certification revoked. In any show I have been in it has always been a requirement that anyone under the age of 18 must wear a helmet. These horses are often in new surroundings and other new animals and understandably may be a bit nervous, so the unknown becomes a bit higher.
I am an equine judge and I would NEVER mark down anyone for wearing a helmet in any competition. I am licensed with the National Walking Horse Association (a flat-shod TWH organization) and children under the age of 12 are required to wear a helmet when riding anywhere on the grounds, youth 13 to 18, as well as adults, are strongly encouraged to wear them. I wish it was mandatory for 13 -18 yr old youth, but at least it’s encouraged and definitely not frowned upon.
helmets4riders Thank you for telling Ashley’s story, … maybe this will make everyone aware…..
Oh my gosh! That’s horrid! Please people, wear helmets!