It is about time. Mandatory helmet ruling

[Chancellor]

http://www.dressage-news.com/?p=19719

Helmets only will be the rule for ALL United States Equestrian Federation events, including for senior riders in Grand Prix and small tour events, effective April 1 this year, though senior riders in International Equestrian Federation (FEI) CDIs will still be allowed to wear top hats.

[Kelo]

So.....mandatory, except for the exceptions, still and again?

[Quelah]

Helmets only will be the rule for ALL United States Equestrian Federation events

All dressage events. I don't think you'll ever see them required in reining.

[hoopoe]

at least in the FEI sanctioned events the helmet is an option, and not forbidden

[Chancellor]

Good point Quelah

[Chisamba]

This includes dressage for eventing, it's a USEF rule, not USDF.

FEI has always had their own rules

[Shirrine]

Been here for quite some time and even CDI riders must warm up in helmets. I can see eventually ALL will have to wear them.

SHirrine

[StraightForward]

I wish this would migrate more into the western realm. I know it's how we rolled when I was a kid, but now that I'm older, I shudder at seeing kids running barrels and things with no head protection. I talked to a woman who was riding western at a public arena and she expressed relief that I was the only one there because other western riders give her grief for wearing a helmet, but she'd had a head injury in the past from a riding accident. I suggested she switch to dressage. What an idiotic type of peer pressure.

[Chisamba]

I wish this would migrate more into the western realm. I know it's how we rolled when I was a kid, but now that I'm older, I shudder at seeing kids running barrels and things with no head protection. I talked to a woman who was riding western at a public arena and she expressed relief that I was the only one there because other western riders give her grief for wearing a helmet, but she'd had a head injury in the past from a riding accident. I suggested she switch to dressage. What an idiotic type of peer pressure.

I read a story about how one kid wanted to ride in her helmet in western 4H and they wanted to force her to wear a western hat, so she had to buck the system and have the rules changed to allow her to wear her helmet instead, that the smartness of that move migrated through the 4H so that at least the kids are allowed to wear helmets if they want to.

[Paints]

There is a TV show produced by the CBC (Canadian version of the BBC) which is about a very horsey family in Alberta. It is a kind of horsey, teen soap opera much watched by young riders in Canada. And a guilty pleasure of many not so young riders LOL. A lot of young riders are very influenced by this show and it does show many different disciplines. But - the only time the riders wear helmets is when they are jumping in English tack. It really frustrates me to see this - it would be a great vehicle to promote safer riding practices.

[musical comedy]

Isn't that an old article?

[Alex]

We're heading in the right direction in small strides!