HelmetsWhy Utah 4-H ?

By: Colette Floyd- 2009State 4-H Horse Program Coordinator

Why are helmets important ?

EVERYONE FALLS OFFEach land-grant university is seen as a leader in its responsibility to

provide for the health, safely and well being of program participants, whether youth or adults. All 4-H youth participating in activities involving risk need to have the best protection available to ensure an optimal learning environment.

• Safety of kids• Liability

Statistics on helmet safety• Typically, the common cause of death and

serious injury in all riders is head injury; with the percentage of these injuries causing death and serious injury being higher in young riders.

• Statistics gathered in 2001 by the NEISS show almost two thirds of rider deaths result from head injuries, and 19 percent of all equestrian injuries involve the head and face.

“The rate of serious injury per number of riding hours is estimated to be higher for horseback riders than for motorcyclists and automobile racers”

• Fact # 4. The most common reason among riders for admission to hospital and death are

head injuries. • Fact # 5: A fall from two feet (60 cm) can cause permanent brain damage. A horse elevates a

rider eight feet (three meters) or more above ground.

• Fact # 7: According to the National Electronic Surveillance System 2001, 17.8 percent of emergency room equine injury occurred to youth ages 5-14

• Fact # 8: A rider who has one head injury has a 40 percent chance of suffering a second head injury. Children, teens and young adults are most vulnerable to sudden death from second impact syndrome: severe brain swelling as a result of suffering a second head injury before recovery from the first head injury.

• Fact # 11: Helmets work. Most deaths from head injury can be prevented by wearing ASTM

(American Society for Testing Materials), SEI (Safety Equipment Institute) approved helmets that fit correctly and have the chin strap firmly applied. Other types of helmets, including bike helmets, are inadequate.

• Fact # 12: Racing organizations require helmets and as a result jockeys now suffer less head

injuries than pleasure riders. The US Pony Club lowered their head injury rate 29 percent with mandatory helmet use..

• Fact # 13: The American Academy of Pediatrics, The American Medical Association through

the Committee on Sports Medicine, Canadian Medical Association, and the American Medical Equestrian Association recommend that approved, fitted and secured helmets be worn on all rides by all horseback riders.

Liability • An equine activity sponsor or equine professional is not liable

for an injury to or the death of a participant engaged in an equine activity, unless the sponsor or professional:

• (a) (i) provided the equipment or tack; and• (ii) the equipment or tack caused the injury;• (b) (i) provided the equine; and• (ii) failed to make reasonable and prudent efforts to

determine whether:• (A) the participant could engage safely in the equine activity

and safely manage the particular equine; or• (B) the equine could behave safely with the participant;• (c) owns, leases, rents, or is in legal possession and control of

land or facilities upon which the participant sustained injuries because of a dangerous condition which was known to or should have been known to the sponsor or professional and for which warning signs have not been conspicuously posted;

• (d) (i) commits an act or omission that constitutes negligence, gross negligence, or willful or wanton disregard for the safety of the participant; and (ii) that act or omission causes the injury; or

• (e) intentionally injures or causes the injury to the participant.

commits an act or omission that constitutes negligence, gross negligence, or willful or wanton disregard for the safety of the participant; and (ii) that act or omission causes the injury

States with Helmet Laws

In 1994 only 11 states had no laws regarding helmets – Utah was one of them

Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Nebraska, New Mexico, Ohio,

Oklahoma, Minnesota, Texas, and Utah

Other states

11 states have statewide no rule25 states have complete rules (all events, all the time

Other mid-western states• Arizona, Colorado, Idaho– No STATE law…however– Counties can choose

Colorado – Fremont, Jackson, Larimer, San Miguel– El Paso, La Plata (gymkhana only)

Arizona – Pima – English and gymkhana – Navajo- requires a release form

Idaho– Cannon – 11 and under requirement– Clark- mandatory– Franklin- optional

Utah

• Currently Helmets are mandatory for English riders

• Helmets come highly recommended for other events

• Helmets will be required at all Utah 4-H sponsored horse shows starting 2011.

• Wasatch County – Requesting aid to buy helmets for their riders

People’s opinions

I am fully supportive of having kids wear helmets when riding horses. My husband and I ran a boys ranch for 17 years and were very thankful many times that we had insisted on helmets.

thanks,• Kathy Peterson

Why do we not take the one simple step that will protect our youth riders from most head injuries?

Many states now require 4-H members to wear approved equestrian helmets whenever mounted in 4-H activities. ASTM approved helmets are now cheap and light-weight. Of course, some parents protest and some youth complain at first - but if you just make it an unconditional rule, soon it is a non-issue. The only reasons not to require helmets are based on appearance, fitting in, and 'being cool'. Isn't one of the "H"s for 'Health'? Do we really want to send the message to youth that a traditional look is important enough to justify engaging in risky behavior? "Allowing" riders to wear helmets is not enough. Most youth do not have either the knowledge to make an informed decision or the determination to do something their peers (and some of their instructors and role models) are not doing.

Please read and share the information below on head injuries and riders. Please show a copy of the short video "Every Time, Every Ride" (made by the Washington state extension service) at Leadermete.

Ellen Nicholson WalkerTeacher, Utah's Electronic High SchoolEditor, HHAA newsletter

Why not wear Helmets ?

• Helmets are ugly

• Helmets aren’t cool

• Helmets are non-traditional part of western attire

– We aren’t used to them– Is fashion worth our kid’s safety ?

Helmets reduced head injury

among skiers by 60%

(6,000 skiers involved in study)

Bicycle helmets

reduce the risk of serious head injury by

as much as 85% and the risk of brain injury by as

much as 88%.

"I want riders...to know that it is okay to wear a helmet," said the Minter, Kansas, homemaker and pro rodeo competitor. "Helmets have become an accepted part of other dangerous sports, and it is time they became an accepted part of western riding and rodeo too."

Delores Toole – 2004 NFR

Delores Toole First Ever Barrel Racer to Wear Troxel Riding Helmet at National Finals Rodeo

Basic helmets start at $30 – Troxel Sport Helmet

Helmets cost too much

Helmets will Hurt Enrollment

0

5

10

15

20

25

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

4-H Horse as percent of total 4-H enrollment

2002-2003 – No helmets required

2004- Program announced

2005- Helmets required

2006- Helmets required

Larimer County, Co. enrollment 2002-2006

Helmet safety

• MUST BE APPROVED– American Standard for Testing Materials (ASTM)

and Safety Equipment Institutes (SEI).

• Each rider must have a helmet– Allowing riders to share helmets or wear ill-fitting

helmets is a greater liability then not wearing helmets at all

– RIDERS CANNOT BE ALLOWED TO SHARE HELMETS

Every Time, Every Ride

– Produced by • Washington State 4-H Foundation• 7612 Pioneer Way• Puyallup, WA 98371-4998

Why make it Statewide• We ARE the people look to for answers,

policies and rules• More efficient and reduces the pressure (and

possibly liability) on each county• Prevents problems and misunderstandings

during State events in different counties

Can we afford not to ?

Healthy heads…they’re half of the program

• American Medical Equestrian Association September 2000, Vol. XI, Number 3 http://asci.uvm.edu/equine/law/amea/sep00nws.htm

• UTAH CODE ANNOTATEDTITLE 78. JUDICIAL CODEPART III. PROCEDURECHAPTER 27b. LIMITATIONS ON LIABILITY FOR EQUINE ACTIVITIES

• University of Vermont Study of Mounted Accidents 1993-2007http://www.equinelawsafety.org/case/mounted/

• JL Firth, “Equestrian injuries”, in Sports injuries: mechanisms, prevention and treatment. (cited on CDC web page)

• Barrel Racer Joins Troxel Helmets in Promoting Head Protection and Equestrian SafetyDelores Toole First Ever Barrel Racer to Wear Troxel Riding Helmet at National Finals Rodeo http://www.troxelhelmets.com/about/newsdetail.php?id=11

• Norwegian study published in Feb. 22, 2006 Journal of American Medical Association

• Injury Fact Book, Center for Disease Control• Helmet Policies and the Colorado 4-H Horse Program