Any downside to a MIPS helmet?

[MissusS]

I have a GPA Easy 2x in 7 1/4 (59). I only started riding a year and a bit ago and it’s my first and only helmet. I would like to get a helmet with MIPS but my local tack stores carry a very small selection (when I went to try mid-summer one had none with MIPS and one just had CO). I tried all the CO MIPS options available in close to my size range and nothing fit.

I also tried to measure my head on my own and ordered a OneK with MIPS this summer when they first came out but it didn’t fit and the price of shipping/returns discouraged me from trying multiple. I was hoping to get to a show so I could check out booths with multiple vendors but… covid. I part-board a schoolie and ride 3x per week (all flatwork - I have zero aspirations to jump lol). For this I am very comfortable in my GPA without MIPS.

I bought an OTTB this September that I fell absolutely in love with (I had been working with her all summer on groundwork etc and we bonded very closely). She is taking the winter off as a pasture pet - with some regular groundwork sessions every week together (she’s been off the track already for a year and her last year she trained but didn’t race) and I will send her to the trainer for a few months in the spring. When she comes home I plan to have a friend (excellent rider) continue to put training rides on her every week.

However… I know full and well that it was very dumb for my first horse to be an essentially green OTTB. I learned very quickly here the saying green + green = black and blue. I have purchased a safety vest (merry christmas to me) and am going to buy a MIPS helmet for when I do start riding her. From this thread other posters that seem to have “GPA shaped heads” recommend the Windsor. Based on my GPA size I suspect I would need a Large.

Does anyone have other recommended brands/styles for me to try? I really wish I had a local tack store with a variety to try on! Sorry if this is a thread hijack!

[Llew_Wayfarer]

Cross-posting from another MIPS thread but since I commented here I thought I’d add this info:
I just weighed my helmets- OneK Defender (no MIPS)/medium/long oval was 557 grams and the TraumaVoid Lynx/medium was 599 g
@tagsalong posted on that thread that their OneK w/MIPS is 591g

[tagsalong]

@Llew_Wayfarer

Cross-posting from another MIPS thread but since I commented here I thought I’d add this info:
I just weighed my helmets- OneK Defender (no MIPS)/medium/long oval was 557 grams and the TraumaVoid Lynx/medium was 599 g
@tagsalong posted on that thread that their OneK w/MIPS is 591g

Mine is a large long oval, so that may account for some of the weight difference!

[DW]

Interesting. Just as another point of view. I had a terrible fall resulting in a concussion and brain aneurism while wearing a new but very popular non MIPS helmet and my neurosurgeon, who works on our area NFL team and their head injuries said that how my fall happened that the MIPS technology could very possibly have prevented the aneurism. I have a TV and a Charles Owen MIPS and I personally prefer the Charles Owen because of fit and the brim. It’s super comfortable. I couldn’t tolerate the heat in previous CO versions I’ve had but this one is great in hot Tennessee summers.

[dynamite0319]

I fell on my head on a coop while foxhunting and could literally FEEL my MIPS helmet work as my head twisted in the helmet. Thankfully my accident wasn’t that bad and I only had a very mild concussion, but I KNOW that had I been wearing a traditional helmet it would have been worse because it would have been more blunt force.

[EmilyM]

i have a tipperary windsor, and i do not notice it to be much heavier than the GPA first lady.

i think any drawbacks are far outweighed by protecting your brain. and for sure the tipperary i cheaper than any GPA or samshield I ever owned.

[IPEsq]

Following as another person who needs a deep and oval helmet. It is so hard to find a good fit—traditional CO ones work (and have saved my head in some falls including a horse who face planted then rolled on his side before either of us knew what was happening). Some of the lighter more breathable ones like KASK and KEP (oval) aren’t bad but could fit deeper on me. But I can’t seem to find the right fit with MIPS options either like others on here…clearly our heads aren’t that unusually shaped.

[Bending_Line]

How long did it take for you to feel back to normal after your concussion? How long did you wait to ride again? I recently fell in my MIPS helmet too

[Willesdon]

@Bending_Line

How long did it take for you to feel back to normal after your concussion? How long did you wait to ride again? I recently fell in my MIPS helmet too

Concussion is a very personal and a VERY SERIOUS thing. Follow the advice of your medical team rather than random strangers (like me) on social media. MIPS doesn’t prevent concussion but does reduce severity. As to how long: longer than you think or you wish.

[dynamite0319]

To my benefit there was an ER doc at the foxhunt when I got hurt. She gave me a once over and determined that I didn’t need to go in to a hospital/urgent care that day. I felt off for probably 24 hours. I was with friends and we had a 15 hour drive the day after I fell, which was a benefit for me because I just sat in the passenger seat. I was riding again within the week and never had a headache after that. It has been over a year since it happened and I don’t feel like I have had long term effects.

I agree that if you fall hard you should definitely see a medical professional for guidance. And listen to your body for side effects. What might not seem bad could be worse than you imagine. I kept a diary for a week or two afterwards to track if there were any other additional symptoms. My husband also helped “track” if I seemed off.

[Xctrygirl]

Come join the MIPS Facebook group. We have a lot of helpers and Kimberly Chick from Fair Hill Saddlery does online Zoom fittings for helmets.

She is flat brilliant and has helped many many people who thought “nothing” fit them.

You’re better off with a knowledgeable helper for the fitting.

Em

[Bending_Line]

I went to ER and had scans right after it occurred, and got a certain amount of feedback from the ER doc, but it was fairly vague in the discharge instructions. I followed up with a NP a couple days later who was a little more helpful on general timelines (she said 70% of people will feel back to normal in 1 week, and 90% in 2 weeks). Wanted a rider’s perspective from a similar fall so thank you to Dynamite

[Willesdon]

Good to get that medical check up! From personal experience, I wait until I no longer have any symptoms: headache, vision issues, difficulty concentrating, fatigue. The last time I woke up in ER, it was about six months before I felt able to ride again. However, one other symptom of traumatic head injury is poor decision making so it is also a good idea to ask people who know you well if they think you are safe to climb on board again.

These days I go straight to my McTimony chiropractor after any fall for any reason: she rides and treats horses and so understands.

[DMK]

I worked my way through a few options before I settled on one k long oval with a long oval liner.

[Always_WIP]

Try Champion! I had the exact same issue - nothing was oval enough (and deep enough). Toklat just started distributing them in the US in 2019 so they’re harder to find (you can get them straight from Toklat if all else fails). They’re Charles Owens main competitor when it comes to helmet safety in the Europe. Plus, everything is certified PAS015 which is a more rigorous safety standards than ASTM.
I have the Ventair MIPS and love it.

[KendraLW]

The only possible con I’ve been told is that the MIPS doesn’t work properly when your hair is up in the helmet. I still wear my hair up in my Charles Owen MyPS because it’s too big otherwise. I hope it’s still doing its job…

[erinmeri]

@KendraLW

The only possible con I’ve been told is that the MIPS doesn’t work properly when your hair is up in the helmet. I still wear my hair up in my Charles Owen MyPS because it’s too big otherwise. I hope it’s still doing its job…

I recently (when I bought my new MIPS OneK) started wearing my hair out of my helmet. It still feels sacrilegious, but I had read that hair up in ANY helmet is not advised, so I made the switch. Upside? It doesn’t matter how long or short my hair is for my helmet to fit!