[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 90 (Monday, July 8, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6354-S6355]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            CHRISTEN O'DONNELL EQUESTRIAN HELMET SAFETY ACT

  Mr. DODD. Mr. President, last week my colleague from Rhode Island, 
Senator Chafee, and I introduced legislation to provide greater safety 
for children and adults who ride horses in the United States. Each year 
in our country, nearly 15 million people go horseback riding. Whether 
it be professionally or for pleasure, Americans of all ages and from 
all walks of life enjoy equestrian sports. And, while everyone 
acknowledges that horseback riding is a high-risk activity, there are 
serious safety issues related to equestrian sports that can and should 
be addressed.
  I first became aware of the problem of equestrian helmets when Kemi 
O'Donnell, a constituent of mine in Connecticut, called my office to 
relate her family's tragic experience. The story she shared opened my 
eyes to the danger posed by certain equestrian helmets. In 1998, Kemi's 
daughter, Christen O'Donnell, was a young 12-year-old resident of 
Darien, Connecticut, and a 7th grader at New Canaan Country School. 
Active and sporty, Christen was a talented intermediate rider who had 
five years of riding experience under her belt when she mounted her 
horse on the morning of August 11. As always, Christen wore a helmet 
and was accompanied by her trainer when she began a slow walk through 
the ring. Suddenly, without warning, the horse she was riding shook its 
head, and Christen was thrown off onto 4 inches of sand. Even though 
her horse was only at a walk, and Christen was wearing a helmet, that 
helmet offered her little protection, and she sustained severe head 
injuries as a result of the fall. She was rushed to Stamford hospital 
where, despite efforts to save her, she died the next day. The 
magnitude of their loss has been compounded by the thought that, had 
Christen been wearing a better constructed helmet, it is possible she 
could have survived this accident.
  My colleagues may be shocked to learn, as Christen's parents were, 
that there are no government standards in existence for the 
manufacturing of equestrian helmets. Some helmets are voluntarily 
constructed to meet strict American Society of Testing and Materials 
(ASTM) testing requirements, but the vast majority of helmets sold in 
the U.S. offer little or no real protection and are merely cosmetic 
hats--a form of apparel. Frequently, parents of young riders like 
Christen--and even more mature riders--do not know that they are buying 
an untested and unapproved item when they purchase a riding helmet. 
Indeed, most riders believe that when they buy a helmet at the store, 
they are purchasing a product that meets standards designed to provide 
real and adequate head protection. Bike helmets are built to minimum 
safety requirements, as are motorcycle helmets.
  Apparel helmets, like the one worn by Christen, offer little or no 
head protection, while ASTM-approved helmets are designed to 
significantly reduce head injury. The difference in aesthetic design 
between the two is minimal, but the underlying support structures of 
these types of helmet are substantial. ASTM-approved helmets offer a 
high degree of head protection, increase the survivability of 
equestrian accidents and, in my view, should be the standard for all 
equestrian helmets.
  This lack of adequate safety standards in riding helmets is why USA 
Equestrian (USAEq), one of the largest equestrian organizations in the 
country, recently mandated that ASTM-approved helmets must be worn in 
all USAEq-sanctioned events. While this decision effectively eliminates 
the danger posed by ``apparel helmets'' at these events, each day many 
more students ride in lessons and in private shows that are not USAEq-
sanctioned. For their safety, I believe that Congress should establish 
minimum safety standards for all equestrian helmets sold in the United 
States, so that all riders can obtain headgear that offers actual 
protection against head injury. This is not an unprecedented 
suggestion. As I stated before, Congress has already acted to similarly 
ensure the safety of bike helmets. The legislation that I and Senator 
Chafee introduce in Christen's memory today is modeled on this 
successful bike helmet law and would go a long way toward reducing the 
mortality of equestrian accidents.

  The Christen O'Donnell Equestrian Helmet Safety Act would require 
that the Consumer Product Safety Commission establish minimum 
requirements, based on the already proven ASTM standard, for all 
equestrian helmets in the United States. Thus, there would be a uniform 
standard for all equestrian helmets, and riders could be confident that 
the helmet they buy offers real head protection. Let me be clear. This 
modest legislation does not mandate that riders wear helmets. That is a 
matter better left to individual states. But, it would take a 
significant step toward improving the survivability of equestrian 
accidents and would bring the United States in line with other 
industrialized countries with sizable riding populations. Countries 
like Australia and New Zealand have enacted similar safety legislation, 
and the European Union has set standards to make sure that helmets for 
equestrian activities meet continental standards. It is time for the 
United States to take similar steps.
  This bill is supported by a wide-ranging coalition of equestrian, 
child safety, and medical groups. This bill has received the 
endorsement of the National SAFEKIDS coalition, an organization 
dedicated to preventing accidental injury to children, and the

[[Page S6355]]

Brain Trauma Foundation, a leading medical group dedicated to 
preventing and treating brain injury. Additionally, USAEq has passed a 
rule in support of the concept of the bill, requiring all children to 
wear ASTM approved helmets and strongly recommending that all adults do 
so as well. Further, in the Chronicle of the Horse, the trade 
publication for the Master of Foxhounds Association, the U.S. 
Equestrian Team, the U.S. Pony Clubs, The National Riding Commission, 
the Foxhound Club of North America, the National Beagle Club, the U.S. 
Dressage Foundation, the American Vaulting Association, and North 
American Riding for the Handicapped Association, and the 
Intercollegiate Horse Show Association, an article was published 
endorsing the ASTM rule. Given the wide range of organizations that 
endorse this bill, or have endorsed the ASTM rule, it is clear that 
riders, coaches, and medical professionals alike recognize the need for 
a standard, tested helmet design.
  I would like to draw my colleague's attention to some alarming 
statistics that further demonstrate the importance and expediency of 
this bill. Emergency rooms all across America have to deal with an 
influx of horse-related injuries each year. Nationwide in 1999, an 
estimated 15,000 horse-related emergency department visits were made by 
youths under 15 years old. Of these injuries, head injuries were by far 
the most numerous and accounted for around 60 percent of equestrian-
related deaths. These injuries occurred, and continue to occur, at all 
ages and at all levels of riding experience. That an inadequately 
protected fall from a horse can kill is not surprising when you examine 
the medical statistics. A human skull can be shattered by an impact of 
less than 6.2 miles per hour, while horses can gallop at approximately 
40 miles per hour. A fall from two feet can cause permanent brain 
damage, and a horse elevates a rider to eight feet or more above the 
ground. These statistics make it evident that horseback riding is a 
high-risk sport. While all riders acknowledge this fact, reducing the 
risk of serious injury while horseback riding is attainable through the 
use of appropriate head protection. We should pass this bill, and pass 
it soon, to ensure that head protection for equestrian events is safe 
and effective.

  American consumers deserve to be confident that their protective 
gear, should they choose to wear it, offers real protection. I urge my 
colleagues to support this bill.

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