I hope the story below will be enough to show you how important it is to ware a helmet.
It was copied from an e-mail.
I am writing this letter to each of you tonight after having Witnessed a horrible accident this past weekend. It happened in New York - a weekend "get away" with family reunion and wedding we were Attending, but the best thing was we were meeting with friends I've Made over the years back where I was raised as a kid. I couldn't Wait. We all met at Mendon Ponds, a beautiful park I'm sure, to ride Together. We never got to ride. A series of calamities happened that Will forever change our lives and snuffed the life of one of our Riders. She never got to go home to her son. One of the horses had a bad time in one of the trailers, so a couple Of the other horses were spooked. One of the riders, a woman, got On her horse to try to settle it down and ride it down a bit before
We rode off. She was not wearing a helmet. Another horse, the same one who had problems in the trailer, bucked his rider off and in Doing so the saddle slipped, sending the horse flying around the Parked vehicles, close to a road and eventually, as the saddle was Still hanging under its belly, the horse took off for parts unknown (later he was caught and has some lacerations, but otherwise Survived). His rider did not. Somehow, her head was smashed against a low Limb on a tree, the next thing we knew, she was lying on the ground. What we thought was her breathing was actually her blood pumping out Of her body as her brain was no longer functioning to tell the rest Of the body to shut down. We didn't know all that and of course did Everything we could, thinking she was still alive. Part of her brain Were on the front of her along with a lot of blood. Why am I sending you this message? Because those of us who were her Friends, who were there are still in mourning with this tragedy. Could it have been avoided - we don't know. But what we do know is That a helmet would at least have protected her head and multiple Head injury was listed as the cause of death.
So, the next time you Think that wearing a helmet is not cool or for sissies - try to stop Being so selfish about your beauty and think about what an accident Like this does to everyone else around you. Thank God she died, as There wasn't much brain left on her left side. Does this sound Gruesome? I hope so, because as I'm writing this, I'm crying so hard I can't read what I'm writing. Please, wear a helmet when you ride. The image of my friend lying on the ground with bits of her brain Splattered around in a pool of blood is am image that will be with me For years. Please, put on your helmets - think of those who will find You, those you leave behind, your friends and relatives. They care - And maybe you are doing what you want to do, but there are those of Us left who need to try to go on with our lives who will forever be Left with a bloody, gruesome scene that will never go away.
PLEASE - WEAR A HELMET.
