When they were introduced more than two decades ago, shock-absorbing helmets for equestrians were praised by safety experts who saw their potential for reducing skull and brain injuries associated with falls. Riders, too, recognized the benefits, yet many found the bulky headgear awkward to wear and decidedly unattractive. For all the good they could do, the earliest models only vaguely resembled the headgear that riders were accustomed to wearing.
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- In addition to traditional black, today's protective show helmets come in gray, navy and brown.
"They started out almost like a pot on your head--safe but with no styling," says Frank Plastino, president of International Riding Helmets. But in the ensuing years--especially in the last decade--helmets for riders have come a long way in their evolution and popularity. "They've gotten smaller, lighter and more attractive," Plastino continues. "And we're constantly looking for ways to improve on that."
Indeed, today's helmets not only meet specific safety requirements but offer innovative design as well. They are low profile and lightweight. Their ventilation systems facilitate airflow to keep the wearer's head cool. A variety of styles, colors and decorative features provide more options than ever before.
Many manufacturers believe that the more choices they offer, the more appealing protective headgear becomes to prospective buyers. In addition, most riders' perception of helmets--and what it says to wear one--have changed. While tradition-bound equestrians may once have discounted riding helmets largely for their looks, today's riders are increasingly choosing models with stripes and colorful shells to protect their heads in case of a fall.
Critical Components
Whether traditional or trendy, safety helmets feature three fundamental components:
- an outer shell to help spread the impact of concussive force
- a dense foam liner to distribute the energy of a blow, reducing the force of trauma to the brain
- a retention system to keep the helmet in place.
"The brain has the consistency of Jell-O, and it moves inside the head," says equestrian safety expert Dru Malavase. During a fall, "it will move if the impact is great enough, and there's no way to stop that movement. The helmet liner slows the impact of the brain in the head. It buys you milliseconds, which makes all the difference."
"The material found in riding helmets--expanded polystyrene--is the same material used to protect television sets in their boxes, only it's lighter and much more dense," says Richard Timms, MD, chief executive officer of Troxel Performance Headgear. "But the concept is the same. If the box is dropped, the material keeps the TV from breaking." In the case of a rider tumbling from a horse, it safeguards the skull and brain. "Because of the height of a rider on a horse and the force of the fall, you need a material that's pretty hard," adds Timms.
"The helmets in our sport are designed specifically to address the height that you fall from, more so than the direction in which you may fall," says Malavase. "The height is higher than that of a bicyclist," and unlike bike helmets, riding helmets are designed to cover the back of the head, where impact often occurs.
Certification Standards
More than 50 different styles of riding helmets--produced by manufacturers in the United States, United Kingdom, Italy, Switzerland and the Netherlands--have been approved by the Safety Equipment Institute (SEI), which applies the standards of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). A not-for-profit organization, the ASTM sets manufacturing guidelines for equestrian helmets to ensure that they meet specifications to protect against head injury.
To earn ASTM/SEI certification, a riding helmet's shock-absorbing capacity is tested by dropping it on two different kinds of anvil, Malavase says. One is flat to simulate the general force of falling; the other has a 45-degree angle designed to mimic the edge of a horseshoe or the corner of a jump cup. A separate test determines whether the harness strap will hold the helmet in place.
Helmets are retested for concussion and retention after exposure to temperature extremes. "The helmet is baked for a set period of time, frozen and immersed in water or sprayed," says Malavase. "This is to make sure the helmet isn't compromised when it's left in a car in the summer and that the plastic won't shatter in the cold."
Once a helmet receives ASTM/SEI certification, samples are periodically tested to confirm that the manufacturer continues to meet safety standards.
Style Specifications
Knowing that a helmet meets the industry's requirements for safety is the most important criterion a rider can use when selecting a model to buy. Several style-related factors are worth consideration as well, including whether a helmet primarily will be used for recreational riding, schooling or showing.
