Head first for safety

 

A riding hat is one of the most important items of safety equipment a horse rider can wear. Almost every rider knows someone who’s life has been saved by a helmet, or who has cracked a helmet in a fall, or received only mild concussion when it all could have been much worse.

 

It is common sense to most riders to wear a hat, as it is much easier to replace a helmet than a skull! There are so many styles to chooses from it can be bewildering, but remember to check that the helmet reaches British safety standards and carries a CE mark. 

 

Passion for fashion

 

Each sport has different requirements and fashions for headwear so it pays to know the trends. Top level dressage riders usually wear a top hat or Beagler, as do some top showing competitors, especially in championships. Most showing competitors wear a velvet covered peaked helmet with a flesh coloured leather harness for a smart appearance coupled with safety.

 

Showjumpers are more frequently seen in highly stylised helmets and they must all reach BSEN:1384, PAS 015 or newest standard SNELL E2001 for BSJA competitions. Everything from ventilation holes, to carbon fibre, flags, diamante and crocodile skin has been seen on the heads of showjumpers, and frequently the more embellished and eyecatching, the more expensive they cost! In a sea of blue and black jackets, showjumpers are definitely using helmets to stand out from the crowd.

 

Eventers, being ‘jacks of all trades’ require a selection of helmets, but for the cross country phase the highest standard possible is wise. The Gatehouse HS1 jockey skull also reaches SNELL E2001 and is growing in popularity, but BSEN:1384 and PAS 015 are also accepted. Fixed peak hats are not allowed in the cross country phase and jockey skulls can be easily adorned with covers to match the riders’ colours.

 

Choose wisely

 

Although fashion can dictate which hat a rider chooses, in reality it is only by trying them on that a rider can choose properly. Shapes, depths and sizes do vary between makes, and what fits one person may not fit another. For assistance with hat fitting, consult a specialist equestrian retailer – one displaying a British Equestrian Trade Association certificate has been properly trained. It is never advisable to buy a new style of hat online as each fits so differently, however this would be fine if you are just replacing one correctly fitted with another identical one, for instance after a fall.

 

Ideally a riding hat should be replaced after it has been dropped or involved in a fall – even if there is no visible damage the internal structure of the helmet that absorbs the majority of the shock could be impaired.

 

Kids’ helmets

 

The law states that children under the age of 14 must wear a helmet when riding, and most are brought up understanding the importance of safety. Hats for very small children are tricky, as they must offer the right amount of protection without impeding vision or being too heavy. Once again, check that helmets offer an approved level of protection and never allow children to wear ‘hand-me-downs’: heads are precious and worth protecting with a good quality, new helmet.

 

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