In hushed moments, we know that is our sacred promise to horses. We buy their hay. I was sternly corrected for these words, so I’ll double down and be more clear. Call “buying hay” the tip of the financial and emotional iceberg, call it an abbreviation for the ways we alter our lives for horses, for the love and commitment that we offer freely. It’s the base level, the easy task, cheaper than the list of pros we hire for their care, but it stands in front of the rest… if you ask horses. We’re romantic; horses are pragmatic. Hay.
Here’s my problem. I’m a trainer who has lived long enough to have seen some horrible things. What I haven’t seen, people have told me about in minute detail. My mind is haunted by descriptions of horrible things. People hire me to resolve issues that result from these horrible things. On a good day, it’s my job to see all the horrible possibilities and put a smile on my face and do my job. I feel anxious for you and your horse. And I’m selfish. I can only take so much and a helmet cuts the chances of serious brain injury in half, math even I can understand. Those are great odds. Put your horse first; wear the helmet.
I require helmets at my clinics and I’ve written about them extensively, but lately, I was asked to write about vests, too. Yay. I love them as much as horses love hay. Please, consider a safety vest or an air vest.
Okay, say you truly are the exception to the rule. Your horse doesn’t eat. Of course, serious riders wear safety gear but you’re tough. You don’t care, it’s about tradition. You are opposed to change (although you have managed to adapt to a cell phone.) Besides, you don’t do what the pros do, maybe you “only” trail ride. No jumping and really, your horse is old and seriously lazy. He is as bombproof as a horse can be.
The problem is that we have it mixed up. Humans are the ones who aren’t bombproof.
We all know that riding horses increases our risk of a fall and traumatic brain injury. Why not wear a helmet to make it more likely that we can continue to buy the hay that our horses treasure? Why not wear a vest to make it more likely that our horsemanship path will continue in the years ahead?
In hushed moments, we know that is our sacred promise to horses. We buy their hay. I was sternly corrected for these words, so I'll double down and be more clear. Call buying hay the tip of the financial and emotional iceberg. Call it an abbreviation for the ways we alter our lives for horses, for the love and commitment that we offer freely. It's the base level, the easy task, cheaper than the list of pros we hire for their care, but it stands in front of the rest if you ask horses. We're romantic. Horses are pragmatic. Hay! Here's my problem. I'm a trainer who has lived long enough to have seen some horrible things. What I haven't seen, people have told me about in minute detail. My mind is haunted by descriptions of horrible things. People hire me to resolve issues that result from these horrible things. On a good day, it's my job to see all the horrible possibilities and put a smile on my face and do my job. I feel anxious for you and your horse, and I'm selfish. I can only take so much. And a helmet cuts the chances of serious brain injury in half, math even I can understand. Those are great odds. Put your horse first. Wear the helmet. I require helmets at my clinics, and I've written about them extensively, but lately I was asked to write about vests too. Yay. I love them as much as horses love hay. Please consider a safety vest or an air vest. Okay. Say you truly are the exception to the rule. Your horse doesn't eat. Of course, serious riders wear safety gear, but you're tough. You don't care. It's about tradition. You are opposed to change although you have managed to adapt to a cell phone. Besides you don't do what the pros do. Maybe you only trail ride. No jumping, and really your horse is old and seriously lazy. He's as bombproof as a horse can be. The problem is that we have it all mixed up. Humans are the ones who aren't bombproof. This is a quote from Anna Blake's blog post titled Helmet Safety and the Ability to Buy Hay For More from Anna, I recommend her book, Relaxed and Forward, Relationship Advice from Your Horse. Welcome to the Almost Daily Second Half Horsemanship Podcast, where we talk about using your mind more than your muscles on the path to better horsemanship in the second half of life. The podcast features a thought for the day on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and a more in-depth discussion or interview on weekends. I'm your host, Paul. Sherland. My wife and I were talking recently about several friends who suffered brain injuries in non horse related accidents. I reminded her of several concussions that I've suffered in horse related accidents. I've also had broken ribs, a broken arm, and bruised ribs from several other mishaps. Now I wear a helmet and a vest whenever I ride. I don't want injuries from an accident to end my horsemanship journey. I want to be able to work with horses and buy hay for horses for many years to come. There's a section in the Harvard Health Publication, a Guide to Cognitive Fitness that states the following. There are special concerns about concussions in older adults. The elderly may have less brain reserve because of other illnesses that affect the brain, or just from being older. Their recovery can take longer. The most common cause of traumatic brain injury in the elderly is a fall. We all know that riding horses increases our risk of a fall and traumatic brain injury. Why not wear a helmet to make it more likely that we can continue to buy the hay that our horses treasure? Why not wear a vest to make it more likely that our horsemanship path will continue in the years ahead? Thanks for listening to the Almost Daily Second Half Horsemanship Podcast. If you're also on the Second Half Horsemanship Journey, please leave a comment on our website, Second Half Horsemanship dot com. We're always looking for topic and interview ideas. When I use links to books, products, and services in the podcast, some of those links might be referral links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, I earn a small commission when you purchase something through those links, but you will not be charged more by using the links. One more note, I use Descript for editing the podcast. If you do any video or audio editing, you should check out what Descript offers. It's an incredible tool for creatives. I'll also have a link to Descript in the show notes. If you enjoyed the podcast, please leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts. Your reviews help the podcast reach a larger audience. Thank you very much.