Mounted search and rescue

["Patty Montoya" <riverrider@bak.rr.com>]

I guess I should clarigy a couple of things from an earlier posting:

When I mentioned the bicycle helmet, I didn't mean I was using it for 
horses...I was using it for bicycles (two times), hated it, and never used 
it again.  I was just wondering if helmets had progressed enough for me to 
try again, both equine for riding my horses, and bicycle for riding bikes.
About the "branch" that went through my friend's vent hole...it wasn't big 
enough, or strong enough to go through her head.  It just caught the vent 
hole in a freak accident and almost knocked her off her horse, so I was 
wondering if anyone knew of helmets with either smaller holes, or perhaps 
the holes in the back, or a breathable cover for the helmet to protect the 
holes.  In my part of the country we ride under a lot of low hanging limbs 
and I've had my western hat knocked off frequently.
Also, thanks for the info on the hat "shades", what a great idea, the summer 
sun really does a job on us and this shade will help.

I wasn't on the mailring last year, so I really appreciated the input on 
this thread.

Anyway, thanks to all of you for your responses, I have gained a lot of info 
and insight on making a decision of what type of helmet to buy.

Patty/CA