So, today is International Helmet Awareness Day. Dover and Smartpak have some good deals going on helmets if you need a new one! I just ordered a GPA from Dover that was on sale! They are also both offering free shipping on helmets for today only!

It is no question that helmets are very important to keep us safe while riding. Our heads are simply to valuable to risk damaging!! The main reason I always wear a helmet these days is that it seems that some of the worst falls are total freak accidents.

My worst fall, that I have posted about in here before, was a freak accident. Chance and I were cantering around, and he tripped and fell. I smacked my head on the ground pretty good, and ended up with a mild concussion. Had I not been wearing a helmet, my injury would have been much worse. I still remember feeling how much force there was from that fall when I hit ground. At that time, I always wore a helmet on Chance because he was a little unpredictable. However, I had been working for different horse farms for a couple of years before that and didn’t always wear one if I was just doing flat-work. Honestly, when you ride one horse after another, teaching lessons in between rides, wearing a helmet gets really annoying. Riding without a helmet feels pretty good, I’m not gonna lie! But after Chance’s tumble, I decided that comfort was not worth risking a head injury. So, now if I ride extras I just leave my sweaty, hot helmet without one complaint!

I know many people who ride without helmets, and I do believe that if someone is an experienced rider – and an adult – that is their choice. I really cannot stand when the internet jumps all over a photo of someone riding without a helmet. I think we all have the right to make our own choices. My choice is to wear a helmet.