The value of PPE (Personal Protection Equipment)

There was an article in the American Field Magazine a year or so ago that portrayed a bad horse fall where the rider was hospitalized in ICU for weeks with a brain injury.  In that article, they discussed at length the use of good tack, a saddle one can hang on to, training the horse, what shoes to wear.  The glaring omission in that article was they NEVER mentioned wearing a riding helmet.  As most will attest, it's a rare occurence to catch either Janet or I riding a trial without a "brain bucket".  I recall one trial where I judged and my co-judge fell backwards off his horse, hitting his head on a rock not a half an hour after teasing me about wearing said "bucket".  After he staggered around holding his head in pain for minutes, he got back on and I asked him if he'd like a helmet, as I have extras in our trailer - he declined...  I always answer that it's my brain that pays the bills, not my looks!

This one's stylish too!

A few weeks ago we posted about how much fun we have roading our dogs off the bicycles.
http://willowyndranch.blogspot.com/2010/05/exercising-vizslas-can-be-fun.html Though we are quite concientious about wearing our PPE while riding horseback, we've been a bit more lax about doing so with the dogs.  I tend to wear hiking boots, gloves and a face shield (for spraying rocks). 

Yesterday Janet decided to run Hank and Scarlet (who I usually road) on the bike.  She wore the boots and eye protection, but neglected to wear gloves... 

     

Now I ride a mountain bike with knobby tires, a suspension, dual brakes and weigh somewhere around 100 lbs. more than Janet.  She rides a "cruiser" with big fat road tires and a rear coaster brake.  When she gave the dogs the release, they shot like from a cannon with the reduced load.  It took about 40 yards and they were at full speed - at about 50 yards the bike started sliding and at about 52 yards Janet augered into the gravel road at probably over 30 mph.  The result - two dogs dragging a (surprisingly durable) bike a mile into a field, a trip to the Tijuana Free Clinic - oops  Emergency Room and a few weeks of recuperation.