Ride Smart.
Dr. Chambless’ 2nd presentation of the day was on concussions. Simply, a concussion is an alteration in brain function resulting from trauma – and they do not require a loss of consciousness. Concussions are diagnosed based on the symptoms. Because they are a problem with function rather than structure (such as a fracture, bruise, swelling, [...]
The equestrians who participated in the rider panel at the helmet safety symposium also participated in a fun fashion show held during the lunch break. The fashion show was sponsored by Equisafety High Viz Apparel (coming soon to the USA – watch this space), Equestrian Collections (leading online equestrian retailer), Equestrian Professional (Where the pro’s [...]
Starting out the symposium was Kemi O’Donnell sharing her heart-wrenching story of losing her 12-year-old daughter Christen in a riding accident in 1998 (The Tragic Loss of Christen O’Donnell). Christen was wearing a velvet hard hat with a chinstrap, as required at all times by her trainer – but it wasn’t a certified safety helmet. [...]
Dr Chambless is a Neurosurgeon at Vanderbilt University and also an Event Rider. The most important thing we took away from Dr. Chambless’ discussion on types, diagnosis, and treatment of TBI is that you should never mess around with a potential head injury. Dr Chambless shared some pretty sobering statistics: A motorcyclist can expect one [...]
John Long, CEO United States Equestrian Federation put it well when he said that increasing helmet wearing among riders is both a push and a pull. “The changes that stick, and that mean something come from a push and pull. What makes it work is that individually we change our own behaviors because there’s a [...]
Mary Miller Jordan is a successful barrel racer and Extreme Mustang Makeover competitor – who recently started wearing a helmet (read “A Cowgirl Change of Heart” by Lisa Kemp). She explained that in her world growing up riding gaited horses western, nobody wore helmets. The riders she looked up to didn’t. And as a result, [...]
What does it takes to get a riding helmet certified for safety?. In an ASTM/SEI certified helmet, the “ASTM” is the standards to which the helmet adheres, and “SEI” is the third-party organization that tests and certifies that the helmet meets those standards. Dean Moran of the SEI provided an overview of how helmets are [...]
Tonya Johnston is a mental skills coach (and soon-to-be published author) who works with equestrian competitors. She discussed factors and motivations that contribute to behavior change, reasons why people don’t wear helmets, and tactics for getting people to wear them at the 2nd Riders4Helmets Helmet Safety Symposium. Positive reasons for wearing a helmet (how it [...]
