Helmet Policies and the Colorado 4-H Horse Program

1. Helmet Policies and the Colorado 4-H Horse Program

2. The 4-H Mission 4-H Youth Development Education creates supportive environments for culturally diverse youth and adults to reach their fullest potential. In support of this mission, we will: • Provide formal and non-formal community-focused experiential learning. • Develop skills that benefit youth throughout life. • Foster leadership and volunteerism in youth and adults. • Build internal and external youth/adult partnerships for programming and funding. • Strengthen families and communities. • Use research-based knowledge and the land-grant university system. Achievement of this mission will result in capable, competent, and caring citizens.

3. The 4-H Value Set • We believe that youth development is the focus of everything we do. • We believe youth/adult partnerships are essential to successful youth development. • We believe that volunteerism is fundamental. • We believe in the strength attained from diversity across the entire range of 4-H experiences.

4. Colorado 4-H Development Handbook: Introduction and Philosophy; Targeting Life Skills “The goal of youth programming is to provide developmentally appropriate opportunities for young people to experience life skills, to practice them until they are learned, and be able to use them as necessary throughout a lifetime. Through the experiential learning process, youth internalize the knowledge and gain the ability to apply the skills appropriately.”

5. What are the helmet requirements in other 4-H programs?

6. Idaho, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Ohio, Nebraska – some counties Alaska, Hawaii – complete rule; 9 states have statewide no rule 25 states have complete rules (all events, all the time)

7. Colorado – county decision • Counties requiring helmets include: • Fremont, Jackson, Larimer, San Miguel • El Paso, La Plata (gymkhana only)

8. Colorado State University • Helmets are required at all times for all riders participating in CSU equine activities.

9. 4-H Horse Project Manual • Chapter 16 – Horse Safety Guidelines “Wear protective headgear when riding. This should be strictly adhered to in any form of riding.”

10. How prevalent are horse related injuries? “The rate of serious injury per number of riding hours is estimated to be higher for horseback riders than for motorcyclists and automobile racers” JL Firth, “Equestrian injuries”, in Sports injuries: mechanisms, prevention and treatment. (cited on CDC web page)

11. How prevalent are horse related head injuries? National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) data tracks emergency room visits. 1997 data: 58710 horse-related emergency room visits 9633 head injuries (1 out of every 6 visits) 2089 foot and toe injuries

12. Head injuries don’t “heal”. • The damaged portions of the brain remain damaged. • Other portions of the brain may compensate.

13. Head injuries don’t “heal”. • The damaged portions of the brain remain damaged. • Other portions of the brain may compensate. • Other portions of the brain might not compensate.

14. Excerpts from “Injury in Colorado”, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, 2005. (p. 67) • Focusing specifically on equestrian injuries, in 1998 an estimated 64,608 individuals were treated in U.S. hospital emergency departments for horse related injuries. Nineteen percent of those injuries were to the head or face. • The rate of horseback riding injury sufficiently severe to require hospital-based emergency care was an estimated 28 per 100,000 riding hours, compared to the rate of 3.7 per 100,000 riding hours for bicycle-related injuries.

15. Excerpts from “Injury in Colorado”, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, 2005. (p. 67) • From analysis of data from the Colorado Traumatic Brain Injury Surveillance, 179 Coloradans were hospitalized in 2001 and 2002 with a traumatic brain injury sustained while riding a horse. An estimated 14 percent were known to be wearing a helmet at the time of the injury. Approximately two-thirds of the horse riders (65 percent) were female. Half of the riders were age 42 or older, however, 16 percent were ages 5-14. • On average, five bicyclists are killed and 166 are hospitalized each year for a traumatic brain injury sustained in a bicycle crash.

16. Excerpts from “Injury in Colorado”, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, 2005. (p. 72) • Recommended strategy for prevention: Injuries due to horse riding Work with county extension agencies, 4-H, and other equestrian groups to promote equestrian helmet use.

17. Equestrian Helmets: Why Not?

18. Helmets are ugly

19. Helmets are ugly • They won’t seem so ugly once we get used to them. • Is fashion more important than safety?

21. Ski helmets reduce head injury • Helmets reduced head injury among skiers by 60%(6,000 skiers involved in study) (Norwegian study published in Feb. 22, 2006 Journal of American Medical Association)

22. Eddy Mercxk

23. Bicycle helmets reduce head injury • Bicycle helmets reduce the risk of serious head injury by as much as 85% and the risk of brain injury by as much as 88%. (Injury Fact Book, Center for Disease Control)

24. Bicycle helmets reduce head injury • Bicycle helmets reduce the risk of serious head injury by as much as 85% and the risk of brain injury by as much as 88%. (Injury Fact Book, Center for Disease Control)

26. Deb Mohon – 11 time NFR qualifier Delores Toole – 2004 NFR

27. Helmets cost too much! • Troxel helmets available through National Safe Kids Campaign. • $25 each if purchased individually. • $20 each if purchased in bulk (10 or more). • Other helmets are available at local tack shops.

28. “I don’t like mandatory rules!”

29. Current mandatory requirements include: Boots (to protect feet) “I don’t like mandatory rules!”

30. Current mandatory requirements include: Boots (to protect feet) Long-sleeved shirt (to protect arms) “I don’t like mandatory rules!”

31. Current mandatory requirements include: Boots (to protect feet) Long-sleeved shirt (to protect arms) Long pants (to protect legs) “I don’t like mandatory rules!”

32. Current mandatory requirements include: Boots (to protect feet) Long-sleeved shirt (to protect arms) Long pants (to protect legs) Belt “I don’t like mandatory rules!”

33. Current mandatory requirements include: Boots (to protect feet) Long-sleeved shirt (to protect arms) Long pants (to protect legs) Belt Coat (English riders) “I don’t like mandatory rules!”

34. Current mandatory requirements include: Boots (to protect feet) Long-sleeved shirt (to protect arms) Long pants (to protect legs) Belt Coat (English riders) “A conservative-colored hunt or dressage coat, light-colored breeches…” “I don’t like mandatory rules!”

35. “A helmet requirement will hurt enrollment.”

36. “A helmet requirement will hurt enrollment.” • Do we value numbers over safety???

37. “A helmet requirement will hurt enrollment.” • Do we value numbers over safety??? • 15 states with mandatory helmet policies responded to Brenda Brown’s survey • 10 states saw little or no effect on enrollment • 3 states reported temporary effect • 1 state said impact varied depending on staff attitudes in counties • 1 state policy was too new to know effect

38. Program announced, video required No helmet program No helmet program Helmets required Helmets required Larimer County’s experience:

39. Helmets are not traditional

40. Helmets are not traditional • Let’s make safety a tradition

41. Education or Policy? • Studies on bicycle helmet use indicate education alone is less effective than a combination of education and helmet requirements. Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center, University of Washington, 1997

42. Education or Policy? • Studies on bicycle helmet use indicate education alone is less effective than a combination of education and helmet requirements. • BOTH education and helmet requirements for youths are needed. Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center, University of Washington, 1997

43. Excerpts from “Injury in Colorado”, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, 2005. (p. 65) Helmet use varies widely across the U.S., with higher use in states with helmet laws. Additionally, children living in households with adults who reported always using bicycle helmets were 3.6 times more likely to also always use bicycle helmets as compared to children living with adults who did not always use bicycle helmets.

44. Why a statewide policy?

45. Why a statewide policy? • More efficient – deal with the issue once

46. Why a statewide policy? • More efficient – deal with the issue once • Takes pressure off county staff – reduces conflict

47. Why a statewide policy? • More efficient – deal with the issue once • Takes pressure off county staff – reduces conflict • Easier to implement • State Fair showmanship “mishap” • Larimer County leader advised members they didn’t need to wear helmets at State Fair “because (the Extension Agent) won’t be there”

48. Why a statewide policy? • More efficient – deal with the issue once • Takes pressure off county staff – reduces conflict • Easier to implement • State Fair showmanship “mishap” • Larimer County leader advised members they didn’t need to wear helmets at State Fair “because (the Extension Agent) won’t be there” • ALL our members deserve good safety policies

49. Why a statewide policy? • We believe that youth development is the focus of everything we do. • We develop skills that benefit youth throughout life. • We use research-based knowledge and the land-grant university system.

50. Healthy heads…they’re half of the program Thank you