So, I finally broke down and joined google+ over the weekend, after one of my college friends, Ron, sent me an invite. Here’s the link to my public profile on google+.
So, I’m just wondering, who else has given google+ a try? I’m finding it fun to play with so far. Let me know if you are also on google+, and I’ll add you to one of my circles. (Circles are how you organize your friends on google+.)
Also, if you are interested in giving google+ a try, but are not on it yet, let me know and I can send you an invite. If you don’t want to post your e-mail address publicly in the comments, just shoot me an e-mail at mary@stalecheerios.com.
Do you wear a riding helmet?
I tore a ligament in my shoulder about a week and a half ago. I came off of one of the colts I’ve been starting when he spooked at something and took off bucking. Big bucks! I landed mainly on my shoulder and hip, but my head hit the ground too. And it was HARD ground–we’ve had a drought all summer here in Texas.
Luckily, my head was just fine because of my riding helmet.
Don’t worry, I’m on the mend, but I’m limited in what I can do outside with the horses. No riding for a couple of weeks and no heavy lifting.
Less than a week after I fell, a gal I know at a friend’s barn got dumped off of her horse when the horse spooked and bucked. She landed on her head and ended up with a mild concussion and a big crack on the inside of her helmet.
She’s lucky, she likely would have been killed if she hadn’t been wearing a helmet.
Actually, I take that back. She’s not lucky, she’s smart. She is smart enough to wear a helmet when she rides to protect her brains. Modern medicine can fix most injuries, but when it comes to head injuries, it’s not worth taking the risk and riding without a helmet.
This is a good article I found on about.com the other day about reasons why people don’t wear helmets and why they should reconsider some of those reasons. Even the best bomb-proof, been-there-done-that trail horse can get stung by a bee and spook. Or trip on a rock and fall to his knees, throwing you from the saddle. Accidents do happen. That’s why they are called accidents!
Here’s my favorite quote from the article:
“If you think you don’t need a helmet then you should look your son, daughter, spouse, or friend in the eye and tell them: I don’t need a helmet, but if I am wrong it will be your job to care for me.”
So, what do you think? Do you wear a helmet when you ride?