The Equestrian Helmet: Essential Equestrian Wear

About three years ago I fell of a horse, landing head first. It wasn't one of my own horses, and I wasn't even going very fast. The impact was such that my riding hat broke: a round piece of the hard protective part of my hat was actually forced inwards…if I had not been wearing a hat I would have been dead.

Equestrian helmets serve a purpose beyond making people look good: safety. Competitive horse riding is a sport that can be extremely dangerous. This is the reason why today's riding hats are designed and standardized to make sure that a rider does not suffer serious cranial injuries when injured during riding.

The riding helmet itself has a hard outer layer of plastic, which absorbs impact and prevents injuries in the case of a nasty fall.

The brim of the helmet is simply designed to protect the eyes of the equestrian form pouring rain or the sharp glare of the sun. However, the brim is made of a different material than the "shell" of the helmet. It is more likely to crumple during an equestrian accident; this makes the riding helmet safer in the event a rider lands on the brim.

The inside of the helmet should be designed with both comfort and safety in mind. The design is also very sport-specific: one of the reasons why an equestrian helmet is easily recognizable.

There are now even some varieties of equestrian helmets that have been adapted to feature a more "western" look. These riding helmets, however, are yet to be accepted by rodeo riders(where they are obviously very much needed).

Standardization varies form country to country. A horseback rider who enters a competition must have a standardized helmet or he/she will not be allowed to compete. Experts who have performed a "conformity assessment" will judge whether the specific riding helmet is up to the required standard.

United Kingdom

Product Approved Specification (PAS) 015 is one British safety standard for equestrian helmets.[12] It defines test methods to evaluate shock absorption, penetration resistance, strength and effectiveness of retention system, durability of quick release mechanisms, and deflection of the peak. The other standard is BS EN 1384:1997[13] The EN 1384 and PAS 015:1998 are now essentially the same.[1] Conformity assessment in the UK for the EN 1384 and ASTM F1163 standards is performed by INSPEC [14]

Europe

European Normes EN 1384 (Helmets for Equestrian Activities) and EN 14572 (High Performance Helmets for Equestrian Activities) are standards published by the Centre for European Normes in Brussels, and widely used for purposes of conformity assessment in Europe.[1] The codes for EN standards is sometimes prefixed by other codes to indicate adoption by national standards organizations. For example, the acronym "DIN" is used to indicate the Deutsches Institut fur Normung, and "BS" indicates a standard adopted in the UK.

The conformity assessment is a series of tests that show how safe the helmet is. Some assessments involve various tests that simulate a rider falling from a horse and even getting kicked by a horse in the head.

Even if you feel that equestrian helmets are uncomfortable and hot, you should always remember that these helmets will keep you safe when you most need it.

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