These days, safety is a topic of every conversation, especially when it comes to horseback riding. We talk about jump safety, horses’ health, rules that help ensure we’re as safe as possible when competing, and more. So, let’s take a minute to talk about our brains and head safety. Riding helmets are carefully designed, engineered and tested to maximize safety. But this can be jeopardized if a helmet is not used or cared for properly.
Helmet Fit
An improperly fitting helmet won’t protect you correctly in the event of a fall or impact. Your helmet should be snug around your skull and sit within the width of one finger above your brow. If you turn your head upside down without the chin strap buckled, the helmet should stay on snugly, and it should fit evenly around your entire head. The chinstrap should sit just under the chin and gently touch the bottom of the ear lobe, avoiding the throat. You should be able to put a finger between the strap and your chin. Where the front and back straps meet and where the slide is should be directly below your ear. The best way to ensure the perfect fit is to be professionally fitted by a helmet specialist at one of the local tack shops.
Riding Helmet Certification
Helmets designed for other sports, such as skiing, cycling and motorcycling, do not offer the same type or area of protection that a riding helmet does. Riding helmets are certified to much higher equestrian safety standards. The more standards a helmet is certified to, the wider range of accident scenarios it protects against.
Ground Rules
We all know horses can be unpredictable. You are as much at risk of head injury while handling them on the ground as in the saddle. Wearing a helmet while turning horses out, lunging, and grooming provides an extra level of safety for all equestrians.
Ownership
Your helmet is designed to mold to your unique head shape. If another horse rider wears it, it will change and break in to fit their head. Next time you wear it, it may be too loose and come off if you then have a fall.
Riding Hairstyle
For best protection, your hair should be worn down and not tucked in or folded under your helmet. Having your hair inside your helmet not only affects fit but adds another layer between your skull and your helmet that can move and shift when you ride. When you do put your hair up, make sure that the hair tie is low on your head and not inside the helmet to avoid any pressure points.
Riding Helmet Replacement
Always replace your helmet after a fall or impact. Every impact, no matter how small, causes the microbubbles in the expanded polystyrene (EPS) layer of the helmet to burst. This is what protects your head the most in the event of a fall. Helmets are designed to take one impact, and when it comes to your brain, it’s not worth the risk of assuming “it was just minor.” Even if you haven’t had a fall in a helmet, its protective properties degrade over time. After five years of life, a riding helmet is no longer deemed safe and should be replaced.
Cleaning
Helmets with removable liners allow you to wash and refresh your helmet, keeping your helmet cleaner and maintain its fit. If you have a helmet that doesn’t have a removable liner, use spray cleaners and deodorizers specifically made for riding helmets to help maintain your helmet. Over time, sweat and wear will compress and degrade foam padding in helmets, and often the pieces are not removable or replaceable. This compromises the fit and protection and is a reason to replace these types of helmets every couple of years. Here are few easy steps on how to clean a riding helmet.
Storage
When you’re not riding keep your helmet safe by storing it in a cool dry place, ideally in a special helmet bag. If it’s wet after a ride, leave it out to dry fully before putting it away to avoid mold and rust. Never leave a riding helmet in a hot car or in direct sunlight. Extreme heat risks melting the high-grade polystyrene layer inside the helmet. Likewise, extremely low temperatures will cause damage to the helmet.
Most importantly, always ride in a helmet! Any ASTM/SEI equestrian approved helmet that fits YOUR head and is comfortable to you. The best helmet in the world is no good if it doesn’t fit you properly or you don’t wear it.
