Callie duPerier

Mesaros took a bad fall off her horse; she fractured her skull, broke multiple bones in her face, and had a large contusion on her brain. “We were just being kids—cantering through the woods at dusk and not wearing helmets.” The injury left her eyes positioned unevenly, causing her to lose her depth perception. “But when I came back to riding as an adult my mentality was, ‘Yeah! Helmets exist! We have helmets! I’m going to wear one!’” Lifesaver: While trail riding with friends in October 2014, Mesaros’ brain took another blow after a fall—this time, however, she was wearing a helmet. A CT scan revealed that she had multiple brain bleeds. “The doctors told me if I hadn’t been wearing a helmet, I probably would’ve died,” she recalls. Best helmet advice: “If your helmet takes any kind of direct impact, replace it with a new one right away,” cautions Mesaros. “Even if you don’t see any surface damage, the interior support mechanisms may’ve been compromised. Also, make sure your helmet fits properly and that you’re wearing it in the correct position. Get help from a professional if you’re not sure. When I bought a new helmet after my wreck in 2014, I learned I’d previously been wearing my helmet too far back on my head—the visor should be parallel to the ground, not tipped up or down.” Safety mantra: “All the women I trail ride with wear helmets. We do it for ourselves and for others,” Mesaros says. “It comes naturally when you’re in your 50s—you just don’t care about looking cool anymore. I don’t care what I look like. I’m safe. I’m well. I’m happy. And I’m living the dream.”