bjf
Advanced Poster
Posts: 302
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Post by bjf on Dec 30, 2009 21:02:08 GMT 1
My pet hate! you see it alot where I live to, young girls hacking out, no hat, texting on their mobiles! and not a sign of high viz!
many moons ago, before god was a child, I was told by my father that 'god gave you 2 arms and 2 legs, so should anything happened you at least had a spare, he only gave you one head, so treat it with care!'
how true.
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Post by chrissiew on Dec 31, 2009 19:28:11 GMT 1
Firstly I always wear a hat, but ....to play devil's advocate.......are we very slightly hung up about hats in this country? It always has me wondering how many life changing/fatal injuries occur in other countries (most) where wearing hard hats is not the norm, are there loads or is the number not great? You rarely see hats worn on the continent, Australia, the US? It seems a very British thing.
As I say, I always wear a hat and it is ingrained in me to be disapproving if I see someone without one, but I have often wondered if it is more the British obsession with Health and Safety than anything else - or are we just more likely to fall off than as riders in this country, so need more protection!!!
Just pondering............after all this thread started with a story of someone falling off without a hat, but who was absolutely fine, yet it causes a furor of wanting legislation?!
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Post by Mellymoo on Dec 31, 2009 19:47:36 GMT 1
Firstly I always wear a hat, but ....to play devil's advocate.......are we very slightly hung up about hats in this country? It always has me wondering how many life changing/fatal injuries occur in other countries (most) where wearing hard hats is not the norm, are there loads or is the number not great? You rarely see hats worn on the continent, Australia, the US? It seems a very British thing. I think that perhaps in other countries there is more consideration for horse riders, not as much traffic, plenty of places to ride off-road, so there are less accidents. Also, horses in other countries never seem to spook at leaves and crisp packets   ;D I always wear my hat, but that is just habit. Oh, and the feeling of mortality that we seem to get as we get older   |
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Post by feemac on Dec 31, 2009 20:11:36 GMT 1
I wear mine for clipping as many years ago a horse struck me on the cheek bone and shoulder. Also after covering a mare, after the stallion had been put away and the mare's companion taken back out of the stable it bolted through the door and went over the top of me it knock my front teeth out and had I not been wearing my hat I would have been seriously injured or killed.
Its peoples own choice but they can't complain when the insurance won't pay out! Think of the gene pool!
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Post by jamesb on Jan 1, 2010 3:08:50 GMT 1
I couldn't disagree more with the original post. We have far too much legislation in this country as it is. If adults want to ride without a hat, then fine; they have assumed the risk and must be responsible for themselves. Who am I (or indeed we) to say otherwise? However, children are a different matter.
Richard Hammond and James May from Top Gear came up with what I feel is a brilliant concept — the "don't be a prat" law. In other words, if something is likely to cause a problem, then please don't be a prat but sort it out for yourself.
The problem with legislating for absolutely everything is that (a) folk lose all sense of personal responsibility, and (b) it is almost impossible to know whether or not one has broken some obscure law or other, and is therefore going to be fined by a bureaucracy-obsessed 'enforcement officer' of some description!
Apologies but this 'nanny knows best' type of society really gets on my wick. It isn't needed and the Government should sod off out of our lives!
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tamzin
Intermediate Poster
Posts: 247 
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Post by tamzin on Jan 1, 2010 10:12:01 GMT 1
Sorry James but I totally disagree there. Something that can save your life people dont bother wearing cause it doesnt look good. There are people dying of illnesses through no fault of their own who would love to live and then there are "prats" who cause they cant be bothered to put a hat on end up dead. and its nothing to do with a nanny thing its just common sense when riding horses. If people dont have common sense then yes the law does need changing.
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Post by wabuska on Jan 1, 2010 10:21:27 GMT 1
But we shouldn't dictate common sense in this case- my head, my problem, and I don't think the NHS is over-whelmed by the head injuries of riders. So many injuries and fatalities occur on the ground, never mind riding and as one poster points out, wearing a hat for clipping, covering etc., is highly advisable. We're intelligent beings, we can work it out. Children certainly- as parenting has just gone out the window, and I think society needs to think for some idiotic parents. Now, leading by example- yes, you have my vote there.
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Post by touchstone on Jan 1, 2010 11:28:06 GMT 1
Ooh Jamesb - a man after my own heart lol!
I agree, it should be up to the individual to decide whether they should wear a hat or not and not left to the state to decide every action of our lives for us. No wonder the country is in the grip of pointing fingers and blaming somnebody else, we are getting so used to getting told what to do that we are stopping thinking for ourselves any more and immediately look to somebody else to blame instead of looking to ourselves and our personal responsibility.
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tamzin
Intermediate Poster
Posts: 247
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Post by tamzin on Jan 1, 2010 11:38:09 GMT 1
But we shouldn't dictate common sense in this case- my head, my problem, and I don't think the NHS is over-whelmed by the head injuries of riders. So many injuries and fatalities occur on the ground, never mind riding and as one poster points out, wearing a hat for clipping, covering etc., is highly advisable. We're intelligent beings, we can work it out. Children certainly- as parenting has just gone out the window, and I think society needs to think for some idiotic parents. Now, leading by example- yes, you have my vote there. One preventable head injury is one head injury too many and its obvious people cannot work it out for themselves or the OP wouldnt have had to post. |
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Post by touchstone on Jan 1, 2010 11:42:38 GMT 1
But why should the majority be forced to abide by new legislation because one individual has chosen not to wear a hat? If they choose to take that risk then that is their free choice, however idiotic it may seem to others. We are slowly eroding away all our freedoms in this country and that to me is equally as idiotic.
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Post by mandal on Jan 1, 2010 12:37:27 GMT 1
I've got mixed feelings about this tbh. I think people should take responsibility for themselves, we are living more and more in 'it's someone elses fault' society and that concerns me a lot. However i do believe it's important to lead by example and important that children learn to keep themselves safe. Children as we know tend to be much less aware of risks as well as being more bouncy etc. so I do think adults need to guide re safety.
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Post by holi on Jan 2, 2010 16:23:13 GMT 1
well at least it should be illegal not to wear one on the road - that's where the real dangers lie and I can't believe anyone would disagree with that
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Post by portiabuzz on Jan 3, 2010 1:05:55 GMT 1
i certainly dont disagree, but do understand the need to let people decide to smash head in...!
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;D
