I admit I'm not a parent though. Many of you are. Please enlighten me. What would make you think it was a good idea to put your baby bareheaded with no stirrups on a horse with a long shank, leverage device on its nose and snap pictures? I see this and I think...horse moves forward for another bite. Horse steps on rein. Long shank leverage device cranks chain into horse's lower jaw. Horse pops head violently up, jumps, possibly flips...either way, baby with absolutely no chance of hanging on falls to earth with or without horse or some part thereof such as hoof landing on top of her.
This lady's response, when others on her message board pointed out that she was going to wind up on FHOTD with this, was "Just so you all know she does have a HELMET we took it off for a few pictures and her father was standing right there!!!"
Well, this mom was standing right there, too.
I know all about disciplines that don't typically wear helmets. I was raised in one of those and I'm the first to admit I don't wear a helmet unless I'm jumping or playing polo. But being a parent is different to me. My mother made me wear a helmet - albeit the crappy velvet one with the elastic string strap that we had in the 1970's and 1980's - every ride until I hit 18. To me, that's your responsibility as a parent. When someone is 18, they may make their own decisions about what kind of risks they wish to assume. Until then, it's your job to protect them any way you can think of, and requiring a helmet at all times while mounted is a pretty easy way to do that.
Parents, am I wrong? What do you think?
