Brief: horse-riding

Research brief — `horse-riding`

Field	Value
Slug	horse-riding
Primary query / `seo_intent`	Wear a certified helmet before you work on seat and hands
Template (A–G)	C
Evidence tier (1–3)	1
Audience (one line)	Riders who collect tack and lessons, and have not treated the helmet as the safety step
AI authors credited	ChatGPT-5.1 (original), Grok 4.7 (rewrite)
Reviewer or checker (optional)	none this pass; not clinical advice
Date	2026-09-22

In horseback riding, deaths concentrate in head injury, while lessons concentrate on seat and hands.

CDC MMWR, 1990. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00001626.htm. 205 deaths, 27 states, 1976-1987. Head injury associated with more than 60%. One cited study: fewer than 20% wore a helmet at the fall.
Carmichael et al., Injury, 2014. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4125461/. Helmet confirmed in 12 of 284 patients. Two of three deaths were head injuries from kicks while unmounted.
Stanfill et al., 2021. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8097506/. ASTM/SEI helmets reported with about 30% fewer riding-related head injuries and about 50% fewer severe ones. Not a per-ride guarantee.

Approx % claim	Field	Source	Where
Fewer than 20% wore a helmet at the fall	Riding falls	CDC MMWR citing one study	Death section
Head injury in more than 60% of 205 deaths	Riding deaths	CDC MMWR 1990	Death section
Intro 20/80 is a rule of thumb only	hedge	labeled in prose	Intro

A four-line card: helmet mark, boots and stirrup, who expects you back, seat lesson only after those.

New saddles, hand clinics, and vests bought while the helmet stays on the hook.

Scenario	Keep as Illustrative?
Rider who can sit the trot and still leaves the helmet	Yes

Template C. One 8020 move. One short list. No viz.

CDC MMWR, Carmichael PMC, Stanfill PMC. Internal: /first-aid, /camping, /cycling.