My parents made me wear a helmet as a child. I was often the only one wearing a proper helmet as opposed to a hunt cap. The barn did not require them and the hats they provided were hunt caps - hard, but with no strap, and essentially useless.
When I was fifteen, I was warming up a rather hot pony at a show and he suddenly pulled full blown rodeo. I went over his head, rolled, he jumped over me and his shod hoof struck the side of my head. I'm lucky it was as high as it was instead of hitting my unprotected jaw. I got up and got back on. There was a swelling on the horse's butt that I am pretty sure was the result of a wasp sting.
When I took my helmet off, the entire inner shell had shattered. I vowed that day I would never get on a horse without a helmet. Ever. I even sometimes wear a helmet for ground work, if I know the horse I am working with is particularly difficult or if I am handling a horse for the first time. My riding instructor actually teased me for that (until her horse kicked her while she was leading him and put her in intensive care for a month...don't worry, she's fine now).
Helmets save lives. Wear them. Tradition isn't as important as keeping what's inside your braincase intact.
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