In the summer of 2007, I was a green rider on a friend's off the track TB. She was a very quiet mare and was as close to bombproof as a TB can get, really. I had ridden her several times before in the arena. We were schooling at a trot when a loose horse got in the arena and spooked her. She took off at a canter and I clung on for dear life. When my attempts to stop her failed, my friend yelled at me to just let go, so I did.
I woke up in the dirt about a minute later. The Troxel helmet I'd borrowed was cracked up the back like an egg. I was so thankful it was not my skull. I still sustained a minor brain injury. Without the helmet I might have lost my life. I went and bought my own helmet as soon as I left the hospital, and insist anyone who rides with me at least hears my story. It's so easy to think "it won't happen to me."
-Krista N