[Thread] This spring will be 11 years since my sister faceplanted off of her lesson pony while cross country schooling. And like a lot of us did back then, before we knew better, she got back on and kept riding. The trainer didn't know better either, unfortunately.

The result was multiple Grade 2-3 concussions in a thirty minute span, and brain stem separation. A traumatic brain injury. Before I go farther: she made as full of a recovery as we could have hoped and is currently finishing her PhD. She's lucky.

Within a few days of her fall, she no longer made short term memories, could not read/write/watch TV/use any screens, or really do much other than lie very still (but also couldn't remember that that's what she was supposed to be doing.)

After a month at home, we tried to return her to school for a half day (it was her senior year, we thought it was important she try to go at least once in the last two months) and she collapsed, losing all gross motor function.

It was weeks if not months before she walked and spoke normally again. It was 18 months before her brain scans were normal. And despite that, she deals with the effects of that fall all the time, in a variety of ways, including having to give up riding.

This year when I returned to horses after years away, I learned about MIPS helmets. MIPS helmets use sliding plate technology to protect the brain at the point of impact, reducing the severity of concussions and risk of traumatic brain injuries.

Today I used a little bit of that book deal money to buy myself one (Trauma Void Lynx, for those interested). If you are a rider, or you know a rider, I highly recommend you look into these helmets.

And if you are a trainer/instructor/parent of a rider, I also highly recommend you take the CDC's free course called HEADS UP to Youth Sports, which is about concussion and brain injury prevention and mitigation training in youth sports. https://www.cdc.gov/headsup/youthsports/training/index.html

We all know when we're participating in a high risk sport. I've fractured my back and pulverized and arm and had a handful of concussions myself. But it IS within our power to continually be mitigating risk where we can, and embracing new technology that does that.

I know this wasn't book related and I've talked about this before here, but thank you for sticking with it again! End thread :)

**Twelve years! i can't count