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TBI Survivor Urges Equestrian Helmet Use
By Susan Christensen
Health and Research News Service
Angie Barnard of Braxton used to think equestrian helmets were for greenhorns. Like a lot of Western riders, she favored the macho look of a traditional cowboy hat. Then she learned the hard way that when your head is slammed into the dirt, you need something more substantial than a Stetson to cushion your fall.
Barnard was racing the clock in a pole-bending competition when her horse Cracker Jack toppled sideways. The accident knocked out horse and rider and left Barnard with a bruised and swelling brain. She awoke 10 days later to find her mind was in a fog and she couldn’t move her right side.
A stint at Methodist Rehabilitation Center’s nationally recognized brain injury program helped Barnard overcome the worst of her disabilities. And now that she’s on the mend, the horse trainer and riding instructor is on a mission. She wants to use her influence in the riding community to promote safety equipment at all equestrian events. “I don’t want anyone to go through what I’ve been through,” she said.
The Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services recently awarded Barnard a $10,000 grant from the Spinal Cord Injury/Traumatic Brain Injury Trust Fund to support her efforts. Barnard also is working with California helmet-maker Troxel to encourage Western riders to wear helmets certified by the American Society of Testing & Materials (ASTM).
“I want my hindsight to be someone else’s forward-sight,” she said. “I know in my heart that if I had been wearing a helmet, my injuries would not have been as severe.”
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Following a traumatic brain injury, Angie Barnard became an advocate for equestrian helmet use.
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