Helmets now mandatory for peewee barrel racers in Alberta

Several hundred of the youngest barrel racers in Alberta must now wear helmets when participating in official events approved by theAlberta Barrel Racing Association.

The ABRA implemented the new rule effective Jan. 1 for all peewee competitors.

"I think over the last few years...there's been a lot of awareness brought to head injuries in any kind of sports," said ABRA spokeswoman Janet Patriquin.

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"We just feel that if we start our youngest ones out and give that awareness to safety and protection against injuries, it just creates an overall awareness for them actually for the rest of their lives."

Patriquin said the peewee age category in barrel racing includes kids eight and under and she "wouldn't be surprised" if similar rules were adopted for older competitors in the future.

"We're actually hoping those peewees, as they get older, willactually carry on with this," she said.

Professional barrel racer FallonTaylor's decision to start wearing helmets has also helped change the culture in the sport.

"She really has made it an exciting thing for kids to want to wear these helmets, to be like her," Patriquin said.

"She's one of these people who dresses in bright colours and she's just made it a lot of fun for kids."

Helmets mandatory elsewhere in Canada

Megan McKay, president of the Canadian Barrel Racing Association (CBRA), said her group has been requiring helmetsfor barrel racers under the age of 10 for nearly a decadeand it's common in other provinces for helmets to be mandatory, too.

But she noted theCBRA, despite its name, isbased in British Columbia andis not an umbrella organization, so itdoes not mandate rules in Alberta.

McKay said she was glad to see the ABRArequire helmets for young riders, too.

"The kids are really young and they're fragile and if we want them to succeed and to be able to go longer in this sport, I feel that it's a necessity for children at that age," she said.

"Not wearing helmets, I feel it's unsafe."

In her view,McKaysaid it simply makes sense to wear helmets while riding "extremely high-performance horses" in race situations.

"A lot of adults are starting to wear helmets now, as well," she said.

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