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New Law: Under 16 Must Wear Helmet Riding A Horse
June 9, 2009
Children 16 and younger riding a horse on a public roadway or public property must now wear a helmet.
Monday, Gov.Charlie Crist signed House Bill 169, “Nicole’s Law”. The legislation creates safety standards to minimize the number of serious or fatal head injuries to Florida youth sustained during equestrian activities and recreation.
“I am proud to sign legislation that will help ensure the safety of Florida’s children and prevent serious injuries that otherwise could have been prevented,” Crist said. “I applaud our Legislature for taking action to protect Florida’s future leaders.”
“Nicole’s Law” is named for Nicole Hornstein, a 12-year-old girl from Loxahatchee who died after being thrown from a horse in June 2006. This legislation creates safety measures for children who participate in equestrian activities and recreation. It requires a child under age 16 to wear a helmet that meets the current standards of the American Society of Testing and Materials for protective headgear.
Sponsored by Representative Joseph Abruzzo and Senator Dave Aronberg, “Nicole’s Law” applies to children age 16 and younger who are:
- Riding on a public roadway or right-of-way.
- Riding on a public equestrian trail, public recreation trail, public park, public preserve or public school site.
- Riding on any other publicly owned or controlled property.
“Nicole’s Law” does not apply to children under age 16 who are riding while:
- Practicing for, riding to or from, or competing or performing in, shows or events such as rodeos and parades where helmets are not historically a part of the show or event.
- Riding on privately owned land even if the land is occasionally separated by a public road or right-of-way that must be crossed.
- Engaged in an agricultural practice or pursuit.
Governor Crist signed the legislation at Hamlin Park, a seven-acre equestrian park, in Loxahatchee. Nicole’s father and mother Gary and Monique Hornstein, as well as two sisters, attended the bill signing ceremony.
Comments
14 Responses to “New Law: Under 16 Must Wear Helmet Riding A Horse”
LOL. Is this fun, or what.? Let’s compile the replies and send them to Tallahassee.
Here’s a true one: When I was a kid, I had a horse stand on my foot. It hurt really bad. Everyone who gets close to a horse should be required to wear steel toed boots. I also had lightening strike a bridge in front of a horse I was riding. He reared up, turned, ran and jumped up a small embankment. The girth broke, and the saddle and I fell, with my foot still stuck in the stirrup. Thank God he stopped running. There was no storm when we set out. Perhaps riding should be forbidden on cloudy days.
Governor, if you are reading this, I am not making fun of you, but I am making fun of the spirit of error that has taken over our country. HELP US! We do not need more government control. Help us get our country back.
They forgot to pass a law requiring body amor, you never know after the horse throws them, he just might kick them. We better get helmets for the schools, I hear those monkey bars can throw you too! Or worse yet, a book could fall from the top shelf in the library, that could be real dangerous!!
Let me see if I have it right, you can drive 60 miles per hour on a highway on a motorcycle WITHOUT A helmet but must have one to ride a horse on public areas. I think it is very important for parents to be sure where their children are riding. A highway is not safe for horses no matter what age. How many people have died on public roads riding a motorcycle since the NO helmet law was signed? Crist is so self absorbed in himself that he really has no time to do anything of real value for the state. ON to Washington to do great things for Florida.
I agree with Sylvia
ok i had a bad fall when i was in 5th grade practicing for a compeition and fractured my wrist bad. but even after that neither one of my parents statred makein me wear a stupid hemet even after i got thrown off and hit my head and had a MINOR concusion. i think it should be up to the parents wither or not you have to wear a helmet not no person from tha goverment seriously it is kinda stupid. now i could understand mabye a little kid wearin a helmet but a teenager who has probably been ridin for ever and knows how their horse is shouldnt have to.
It’s all about control…..the government is conditioning the people’s minds….so that it will be very easy to slip in with total control of everyone and their belongings……we have fallen into their trap of ,”it’s in your best interest” ….that’s how so much has already taken place….people believing that the government
has our best interests in mind…….oh puke!!!
It seems to me that if anyone wore a helmet outside to do anything today, they might be have been in serious danger of having a heat stroke. (Let’s tax sunshine and humidity).
I too, am sick of the government controlling more, and more and more. I am a senior citizen with aging thinning skin, and on blood thinners. Today, I accidently scraped my arm on a rest room stall door, and got a blood blister the size of a dime or bigger. What if it had broken the skin? I could have bled to death. Perhaps all seniors should be required to wear arm guards when out and about. It is getting more and more ridiculous. I know this is far-fetched, but so are many things that are happening in this country. I want my country back!!!
Government laws and regulations are ruining many companies. The nursing profession is difficult enough by itself, but government is ruining it altogether. It ruined the best job I ever had. Red tape put two agencies out of business, and drove one owner nuts.
I feel better now. Thanks for a place to vent.
I use to ride all the time with a helmet. They do serve a great purpose and I would recommend wearing one, but most of all accidents that I have seen with a horse that end up with the rider falling off do not effect the head. I ride around molino all the time. While my horses aren’t perfect angels, I do know whether or not they are capable of riding on the road safely. To me, if your not capable of controlling the horse on a roadway then you don’t need to have that horse on the road. An equestrian knows the limits to push their horse to, and if the road is an area subject to “spooks” then that horse needs to be left at home.
I agree with concerned. You have to hve a helmet to ride a horse, but not a motorcycle. I would also like to say we have to buckle our children in an auto, but we can let them ride on the back of pickup trucks. Does not make a lot of sense to me.
Very nice…..state government legally mandating common sense. Whats next, a law that says inhale ( but not to deeply) exhale . Anybody that thinks that the government is not too deeply involved in our day to day activities is in a coma. Vote Marco Rubero for governor.
concerned…
that could not have been better stated! Great point!
America is starting to look like England. We call this kind of thing the nanny state where health and safety is going crazy with rules and bans on just about anything.
For instance they have put a ban on swim goggles (incase) a child MIGHT get snapped in the face or blinded if the lenses pop out. Lenses pop out not in.
Lawyers keep pushing the sue happy generation and it just keeps getting sillier and sillier with new rules and regulations.
Helmets when riding are not fool proof, they are not going to protect a broke neck or spine. Lets go one further, Ban all horse riding sports for people 21 and younger. There, problem solved.
funny charlie crist make it law to wear a helmet to ride a horse, but yet you can ride a motor cycle without one sort of confuseing
It may be a great idea, but it seems that every thing we did as kids and sometimes we got hurt by, we have to come up with a laws to protect. We are raising a bunch sissies that are scared to do anything but play video games. Can’t anybody see this. There are certain things in life that we need to experience to grow up and be a man/women. Now we raise our kids to be scared to go outside and they are missing so much. There are a lot more people in the world and the media is always telling us that some one got hurt riding a bicycle horse and so on. If you could do the numbers I’m sure it is not anymore kids getting hurt now then back then. There are a lot more kids now then back then. You just here about it more with all the news channels reporting that stuff. And to top it off it is just more Government regulations controlling our life. If you feel your kid need a helmet then that should be your choice.