I ALWAYS ride with my helmet, no matter what horse I ride. Last Saturday I was once again proven that anybody on any horse should always wear a helmet. Last Saturday I took the most quite horse out on a ride. We didn't go to any new places, and the weather was really nice and quite. All of the sudden a dog on a different side of the fence came toward us barking. The usually VERY quite Dart spooked. All four of his feet came off the ground. I went from the saddle into the air, on his neck, he was still jumping, up in the air again, and down on the ground. I hit a nerve in my arm and I couldn't use it for an hour, also I had a hard and very painfull time turning my head to the left for two days. After throwing me off my loyal friend Dart stayed with me and then he put his nose into my chest. This was a freak accident, it was nobodys fault. The dog was being a dog and being a prey animal Dart spooked. I am glad I was wearing a helmet, because begening my track season with a trip to ER because of a horseback riding accident, would not have been good. So no matter the horse or the talent of the rider, a riding helmet should be worn at all times when riding.