As reported by nj.com, from coast to coast, Courtney King-Dye’s coma has sounded an alarm for dressage riders who finally are starting to don protective headgear.

The Olympic equestrian wasn’t wearing a helmet March 3, when a horse she was training tipped over and she hit her head on the ground in Loxahatchee, Fla. King-Dye remained unconscious in a West Palm Beach hospital Saturday as supporters rallied around with prayers and financial contributions.

Few upper-level dressage riders use protective headgear regularly; after all, when they compete, they wear easily crushable top hats.But following Courtney’s accident, helmets proliferated in schooling rings at horse shows around the country. Even the nation’s number one dressage rider, Steffen Peters, switched a helmet for the baseball cap he usually favors when schooling, and many others followed suit.

U.S. Dressage Federation President George Williams, a Grand Prix rider himself, hopes there is a long-term trend in the current recognition of the need for safety.

“Certainly when someone so high profile and well-loved as Courtney has such a terrible accident, it brings a tremendous awareness to the potential dangers of riding,” he said, noting the USDF requires use of a helmet at its functions.

“There already has been a lot of discussion about requiring helmets and I suspect there will be a lot more both within the USEF (U.S. Equestrian Federation) and USDF. Whether or not it will lead to rules requiring their use is hard to say. At this point, it’s too early to predict if helmets will become the norm in competition, especially when tail coats are worn,” he said.

Some riders believe that top hat and tails are indivisible as symbols at the top of the sport, and that the coats can’t be worn without the hats. However, the hunter riders who used to wear top hats with their shadbelly tailcoats in classics and derbies are now required to wear protective headgear, and nobody thinks twice about it anymore.

“Ultimately,” said Williams, “I have always thought it is a personal decision, but one that should not be taken lightly due to the risks involved. However, it is becoming very obvious that our top riders need to recognize, for better or worse, they are setting an example that others will copy. I believe that in the very near future, as safety concerns increase and liability and insurance issues mount, helmets will be commonly used both at home and at competitions.”

Heather Mason, a trainer who runs Flying Change Farm in Tewksbury, said helmets have been standard equipment in her program for years.

“I am one of very few at the CDIs (internationally recognized shows) who school in a helmet,” Mason stated.
“I always wear an approved helmet at home and so do all my students. At shows, I wear one on all my horses the day we arrive for schooling. I show most of the 2nd Level and below horses in a helmet and certainly have shown through 4th Level in one on more unpredictable horses.”

Mason said she wear a top hat only in FEI (international equestrian federation) classes or on “sensible” horses.

“I would have no problem with helmets being required, but think it will (be) hard to get through unless the FEI also mandates it. I do think that anyone holding an amateur card should wear one at all times. And I am always amazed at riders without helmets on naughty horses at the shows at all levels, as it seems to be an unnecessary risk in my opinion.”

Canadian Olympian Jacqueline Brooks wore a helmet instead of her top hat in the Grand Prix Special competition at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby last weekend.

“It’s unfortunate that it’s always something like this that gets people thinking about these things,” said Brooks, but noted her coach, another Canadian Olympian, Ashley Holzer, has always worn a helmet while schooling.

“I’ll definitely wear it every time I sit on a horse,” said Brooks. “There’s a potential for them (horses) to slip at any time. It’s crazy not to wear them (helmets). You’ve got to wear a helmet when you go skiing, you’ve got to wear a helmet when you ride a bicycle. Our sport needs to catch up. We don’t need to wait for the FEI
to tell us. I think we’re all intelligent people and we can put the helmet on our heads.

“Now I regret I didn’t wear a helmet in the Olympics,” said Brooks, who vowed to wear one in the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games this September if she makes her nation’s team.

After a serious fall, King-Dye’s website read the following.

As you probably already know Courtney suffered a serious head injury on Wednesday afternoon March 3 while schooling one of her horses in Loxahatchee, FL . She is currently in a Coma, her condition remains stable.

As reported by horsetalk.co.nz, Dressage Olympian Courtney King-Dye remains in serious condition after a terrible fall.

Dressage Olympian Courtney King-Dye remains in a coma following a fall from a horse last week, and her husband, New Zealander Jason Dye, said yesterday that there was no way of knowing the timeframe for her recovery.

“However, the neurosurgeons, doctors and nurses all agree the greatest strength she has is her age (32) and high level of fitness. What they don’t know and I do is the unbelievable drive and determination that Courtney has, she will fight and fight and fight, no question,” Dye said.

Dye thanked the equestrian world for the outpouring of support for Courtney. “It would mean the world to Courtney and she is being reminded of it frequently in our talks. She has always loved the community aspect of the dressage world and would love to know that it is coming together for her,” he said.

King-Dye’s Facebook page has been flooded with support, and another new page, “Please Pray for Courtney King-Dye”, has many supportive comments.

Pro rider Heather Blitz, pictured above at The Palm Beach Derby, has started a helmet-wearing campaign. Many riders at the Derby traded their top hats for helmets following Courtney King-Dye’s accident.

Dye said there is huge amount of love and support coming from family and friends, and many people worldwide have been praying for Courtney. “She has Buddhist Monks performing healing services for her from Taiwan to the USA to India. Her second family and friends in New Zealand (where I am from, and Courtney loves to visit) are sending all their love and healing energy from the Southern Hemisphere.

“Though I have not seen them all I understand there are many places online that are sending her huge messages of support and healing.”

Jason Dye is filling Courtney’s room with cards and photos “so she wakes up to see the support first hand.”

If you would like to send a card, please mail to:

Courtney Dye
2442 Muir Circle
Wellington, FL 33414

As reported by yourhorse.co.uk, an international dressage competitor has issued a heartfelt plea for all dressage riders to wear hats in competition, following a terrible fall by one of her compatriots.

US Grand Prix dressage rider Heather Blitz made the call after hearing about fellow US Olympic rider Courtney King-Dye, who was knocked unconscious following a fall while schooling in southern Florida last week.

Courtney is now in hospital in a coma, and doctors are uncertain when she may come out of it.

Heather said: “The terrible accident to our colleague and friend, Courtney King-Dye, is a harsh reality check of what can go wrong in a simple schooling situation at home, on the flat, with no fences or obstacles in our path.

“Falls do not just happen in eventing or jumping – they happen in dressage too. Horses are horses and we cannot control their every movement, no matter how experienced the rider. We can, however, take responsibility for our own safety by wearing a helmet in all circumstances when we are mounted.”

Heather, who is based in Europe and works with Mary Wanless in the UK, has now started a Facebook campaign to alert riders to the need to wear a riding hat.

Dressage riders are traditionally the worst offenders when it comes to not wearing their helmets for training.