Eventing and dressage have made the move for mandatory helmets here in the US, but the other USEF sports have yet to follow suit. Vaulting and of course the hunter jumpers are two sports that I think are great candidates to make the switch to mandatory helmets at all times. The vaulting horses are dead quiet, but the acrobatics and heights involved seem to be begging someone to fall on their head. The hunter jumpers are an obvious choice because many of the horses can be high-strung and maybe mandatory helmets at all times when riding at shows would help discourage the insane practice of jumping without a helmet at home.
I am not familiar with the politics of vaulting, but I have been pleasantly surprised to hear recently that the hunter jumpers might be much closer to passing a helmet rule than anyone who knows the USHJA would expect. With the recent moves by US eventing and dressage, as well as the recent flurry of media attention in support of helmets, it certainly feels like now would be the best time for the USHJA to make a move. While I would imagine that many people in vaulting and the hunter jumpers would object to mandatory helmets, it’s almost impossible for anyone to seriously reconcile a desire for promoting safety with an opposition to mandatory helmets. Go helmets.
