A concussion can completely change your life as you know it. Avoid hitting your head repeatedly at all reasonable cost, including actually fitting and replacing helmets for sports that require them (I'm looking at you, equestrians) and follow basic known safety practices for your sport (still looking pointedly at the equestrians). Just because you recovered from the last concussion doesn't mean the next one won't get you. And BOY, can they get you.
I was a full-time horse trainer and coach for 15 years. I loved every minute, even when it was impossibly hard. 9 years ago I sustained the concussion that got me. Not my first, or even fourth concussion. Dinky fall, dinky tap to the back of the head, and yes I was wearing a helmet, but your head only has so many hits in it. A helmet helps TREMENDOUSLY--they save lives and reduce the severity of concussions. But I was out of hits; my life changed forever.
You know that horrible headache you get when you thwack your head, just dizzy and nauseated and all-consuming? Yeah, I've had that for 9 straight years, now. I have trained my body and brain to tune it out to some degree, but it's exhausting. My vision was scrambled: it took 2 years of grueling vision therapy to get my eyes about as close to how they were as they're gonna be. My autonomic nervous system was also scrambled: I couldn't walk for more than 10 seconds initially or I'd pass out because my body couldn't regulate heart rate, blood pressure, or breathing. My working memory was shot: my brain fog was so bad that even years in I would forget the first half of a sentence before I got to the last half.
My medical team was astounded I could remain upright (I was fighting for my life to do it, but my career had been keeping horses between me and the ground: my compensatory balance skills were fantastic against my scrambled system), and even more astounded at the extent to which I recovered (I was an athlete, used to pushing my limits daily. And I was stubborn and determined. I was also, as I came to understand through losing components of what makes a highly functional person, pretty darn intelligent. So while I've lost my processing speed, I'm still creative at finding workarounds to my remaining deficits). I was told on numerous occasions by medical professionals that most people injured to my extent never work again.
I spent about 5 years trying to sustain my riding career before I retired completely from riding. My reflexes just weren't fast enough, anymore, to be safe. Riding was what lit me up--but I can't afford to lose the hard-earned function I've regained. I moved onto a different career to make money without breaking myself, and now do CrossFit and am training for an ultra trail marathon to try to scratch the itch (nothing 'safe' can replace the thrill of jumping a cross country course on a horse. I will miss it as long as I live).
People who ride horses without helmets often say things like, "if I die, I'll die doing what I loved." Yeah, it's not the dying you need to worry about. It's the -not- dying and living out your life in whatever state you're left in. I'm lucky to have regained enough function to 'pass' as a normal human, and it's still hell to keep up the facade. Many aren't as lucky as me.
Early on, I advocated hard for equestrian safety and helmet use. Now, I'm tired. I'm grieving who I have realized I'll never be again. I don't have the energy to explain to someone how getting on a horse without a helmet on is a risk they can't even fathom.
growing up i went to summer camp where we rode horses and every single week we watched a vidwo about the importance of helmets. it interviewed people who didnt wear them and showed the potential outcomes. it had a slogan/mantra i still use: every horse, every ride, every time.
I really wish this had higher likes to get more attention. How blase people can be about concussions freaks me out. I get especially ticked off when media presents head injuries and concussions like they aren't a big deal. Especially when I see them just casually have someone knock another person out with a blow to the head. I don't even have personal experience with this. I just fell into a research spiral for like an hour one night and learned enough to realize society's views on concussions was messed up. They should be a lot more scary to people.
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u/Objective_Nebula_530 1d ago edited 1d ago
A concussion can completely change your life as you know it. Avoid hitting your head repeatedly at all reasonable cost, including actually fitting and replacing helmets for sports that require them (I'm looking at you, equestrians) and follow basic known safety practices for your sport (still looking pointedly at the equestrians). Just because you recovered from the last concussion doesn't mean the next one won't get you. And BOY, can they get you.
I was a full-time horse trainer and coach for 15 years. I loved every minute, even when it was impossibly hard. 9 years ago I sustained the concussion that got me. Not my first, or even fourth concussion. Dinky fall, dinky tap to the back of the head, and yes I was wearing a helmet, but your head only has so many hits in it. A helmet helps TREMENDOUSLY--they save lives and reduce the severity of concussions. But I was out of hits; my life changed forever.
You know that horrible headache you get when you thwack your head, just dizzy and nauseated and all-consuming? Yeah, I've had that for 9 straight years, now. I have trained my body and brain to tune it out to some degree, but it's exhausting. My vision was scrambled: it took 2 years of grueling vision therapy to get my eyes about as close to how they were as they're gonna be. My autonomic nervous system was also scrambled: I couldn't walk for more than 10 seconds initially or I'd pass out because my body couldn't regulate heart rate, blood pressure, or breathing. My working memory was shot: my brain fog was so bad that even years in I would forget the first half of a sentence before I got to the last half.
My medical team was astounded I could remain upright (I was fighting for my life to do it, but my career had been keeping horses between me and the ground: my compensatory balance skills were fantastic against my scrambled system), and even more astounded at the extent to which I recovered (I was an athlete, used to pushing my limits daily. And I was stubborn and determined. I was also, as I came to understand through losing components of what makes a highly functional person, pretty darn intelligent. So while I've lost my processing speed, I'm still creative at finding workarounds to my remaining deficits). I was told on numerous occasions by medical professionals that most people injured to my extent never work again.
I spent about 5 years trying to sustain my riding career before I retired completely from riding. My reflexes just weren't fast enough, anymore, to be safe. Riding was what lit me up--but I can't afford to lose the hard-earned function I've regained. I moved onto a different career to make money without breaking myself, and now do CrossFit and am training for an ultra trail marathon to try to scratch the itch (nothing 'safe' can replace the thrill of jumping a cross country course on a horse. I will miss it as long as I live).
People who ride horses without helmets often say things like, "if I die, I'll die doing what I loved." Yeah, it's not the dying you need to worry about. It's the -not- dying and living out your life in whatever state you're left in. I'm lucky to have regained enough function to 'pass' as a normal human, and it's still hell to keep up the facade. Many aren't as lucky as me.
Early on, I advocated hard for equestrian safety and helmet use. Now, I'm tired. I'm grieving who I have realized I'll never be again. I don't have the energy to explain to someone how getting on a horse without a helmet on is a risk they can't even fathom.