Stud Owner Claims Helmets Are Not Safe Enough Russelltown Stud owner Peter Downes has studied racing helmets and their safety for seven years and he claims that the helmets currently used by jockeys do not give sufficient protection.He has also hit out at the Turf Club for not properly considering his submissions.Downes has been studying helmets and ways to improve them ever since one of his sons was killed seven years ago when a horse he was breaking on the stud reared up and fell back on him, crushing his head with the saddle.He sits on a committee set up under the auspices of the National Standards Authority of Ireland to advise on the safety of riding helmets. Downes said in an interview with the Racing Post: 'The helmet should have a two-inch extension on each side of the face to protect the area where the strap is. The skull is thin at this point and if it is kicked hard you will be killed. There is an artery immediately behind the bone and that is what will do the damage.'In addition there is not enough absorption in the present helmet. The skin has to be tough enough to withstand kicks but it must also be soft enough to absorb the impact. There should also be more absorbent layers inside the helmet to help reduce the incidence of concussion.'What I am proposing won't stop all head injuries - the brain is particularly vulnerable when a jockey repeatedly turns a somersault because it gets jolted against the inside of the skull which is quite rough in places -but it would help a lot.'The Turf Club and Horse Racing Ireland need to go to the manufacturers to look at ways of implementing these improvements. The HRI representative that I approached said he would give it consideration but what annoys me is that I have had so little response from the Turf Club.''The Turf Club and Horse Racing Ireland need to go to the manufacturers to look at ways of implementing these improvements. The HRI representative that I approached said he would give it consideration but what annoys me is that I have had so little response from the Turf Club.'Turf Club chief executive Denis Egan denied that Downes' submissions had not been given adequate consideration.He said: 'Peter Downes has sent us detailed specifications and I have passed them on to our medical officer Walter Halley. If a better helmet than the present European standard one comes out we will obviously lookat it but we are not aware of a better one being available.'Halley was also adamant that proper consideration has been given to Downes's claims. He said: 'I am always available to discuss safety and I have had a number of discussions with Peter.'
