Need to replace my helmet. I currently have the Tipperary Windsor with mips. I like the look of that but it was rated so low on the Virginia tech study I’m hesitant to get another one. I’ve always used Tipperary or Charles Owen so I don’t have much experience with other brands. Any ones you love, hate, etc? I’m guessing its worth it to get mips but the very popular samshields don’t have mips I believe. Also not trying to spend $800 on a helmet lol
I’ve been happy with my Uvex helmet and they have some MIPS offerings at the ~350 price point.
They’re big in the downhill ski world, so I was happy to see when they branched more into equestrian options.
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Pretty sure the Samshields also did poorly in testing or didn’t want to participate (can’t remember but DO remember that when asked they said they had no plans to integrate MIPS because, essentially, “why would we spend more money to better the safety when the helmets currently sell like hotcakes”). I don’t have the screenshots but remember their overall responses about making their helmets safer left a shitty taste in my mouth. People buy them because they’re popular not because they are safe.
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Please remember that while the Virginia Tech study was groundbreaking, how the helmet fit the dummy’s head was not a variable that could have been accurately accounted for in every test. (If this is incorrect, please tell me!)
Go with a helmet that fits properly! If you like how your Tipperary Windsor fits you, get another.
I personally find that it pinches the sides of my forehead, meaning I’ve got myself a round noggin and it’s supposed to fit more of an oval head shape.
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X2.
Love Uvex. The most comfortable of all for my head shape. Great ventilation. Designed and made in Germany. Quality product at a great price, unless you go for the super expensive blinged out version.
I bought a Charles Owen Kylo with MIPS during safety awareness week and sadly only was able to wear it 3 times before falling off. It’s the only time I’ve fallen in a MIPS helmet, but after that fall, I won’t ride in a helmet without MIPS. I went through Charles Owen to replace it with another Kylo and the new one just came last week. Sadly I haven’t been able to ride in it yet because it won’t stop raining.
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I switched to a Kask earlier this fall and have become a huge fan. Having said that, like I tell every customer who steps foot in my tack store: the best helmet is the one you like and that fits your head properly, which can be wildly different for so many people. MIPS and the Virginia Tech study are interesting data points but I don’t know that they should truly influence most people’s purchases.
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The Trauma Void EQ3 is nice. It scored well on the Virginia Tech Study and is pretty affordable.
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The Charles Owen Ayr8 helmet, which is not a MIPS, did reasonably well in the Virginia tech ratings, better than the CO MIPS offering that they tested. I know that one shouldn’t over-rely on the VA Tech ratings, but I thought that was interesting.
I had a a OneK Defender MIPS helmet that I was wearing when I fell. I did not have a concussion (per the ER doctor), although I was dazed. I replaced it with the same model, and it was only a year after I’d purchased the original one. The second helmet never felt like it fit well–it seemed loose and the smaller size was way too tight.
I ended up buying the Ayr8 to replace the OneK. I’d had Chas. Owen helmets before and I’ve always found that they fit me well. (I’ve also fallen while wearing another Chas. Owen and had no concussion then, either).
So I think whatever fits you well is going to do the best job of keeping your brain intact.
Just as a clarification, the Samshield Shadowmatt original (not the wide brim popular with H/J folks, me included) was tested by VT and came out 25/48. Not great, but certainly not much worse and quite a bit better than many popular helmets, including the Tipperary Windsor, which, ironically, I had purchased for its MIPS technology two years back. It really hurt my head, I had to get rid of it, bad headaches, but was very attractive.
Please remember that the best helmet for YOU is one that fits YOUR head.
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To be fair, the test itself didn’t sound [quote=“Tha_Ridge, post:7, topic:791844”]
MIPS and the Virginia Tech study are interesting data points but I don’t know that they should truly influence most people’s purchases.
[/quote]
This.
I personally have fallen in two different samshield helmets. Once, I broke my arm and landed completely on my arm/side and hit my head. No concussion. I fell a second time and broke my back. My neck hurt for exactly one day, but no other pain after or concussion symptoms.
CO is my second choice based on a pro who uploaded a pic of a stud in the side of their helmet after falling and the horse stepped on their head. They ended up sending that helmet to CO for studies.
Hmmm. I bought the Tipperary MIPS based on the fact it was the most comfortable option for me. I do.some long trail rides and want to forget I’m wearing a helmet.
Before that, I’d had a CO AYR8 and then the matte version. The matte didn’t fit as well, so I’d been thinking of switching to OneK which felt fantastic in the shop.
But then MIPS came along and because it’s a total redesign of the helmet structure, all the Mail’s models fit different from the original ones. I wanted to prioritize MIPS, and neither the CO or OneK MIPS felt right. But Tipperary did.
Now I’m a recreational/ dressage/ back country rider, if I was a serious jumper there might be a different calculation about “not if but when” I land on my head.
I’ll also add that I think the single biggest thing that’s kept me from hitting my head in my last two falls has been my airvest. Having that extra “padding” behind my cervical spine has certainly slowed the rate in which my head approached the ground.
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I agree - the fall when I broke my arm was the catalyst to me purchasing an air vest. The fall when I broke my back - I was wearing the air vest. I wholeheartedly believe my accident would’ve been FAR worse if I hadn’t had it on and think it absolutely softened the whiplash when I hit the back of my head.
At the end of the day, I think all things involving horses is a crapshoot and we just do the best we can. As long as your equipment fits and it’s what you feel is the safest, it is.
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Good effort underway to involve scientists, as well as helmet manufacturers representatives;
Agreed. I think fit probably trumps everything else. I personally have a Tipperary Windsor with MIPS, purchased before the study was released. I went to every tack shop in my area and tried every MIPS helmet available at the time. The one I bought is hands down the one that fit me best. Even after the study results, I still feel like it was the best option available to me.
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I ride in a Tipperary Devon (not rated in the study, but I’m assuming it’s similar enough to the Windsor). I bought another one the last time I fell despite the low ratings in the study because it fits me so well and it did protect my head in the fall, so I figured I’d be safer sticking with what I know works. I think the study was great for putting more data on the table and hopefully encouraging all the helmet brands to step up their game, but right now I don’t think it’s comprehensive enough to really sway my purchasing decisions.
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Lynx trauma void is cheap and safe. (It is pretty ugly however).
The study actually rates the Samshield shadowmatt in the middle of the pack, not great, not terrible, relatively, and in my case, better than the MIPS helmet I had purchased to replace it, thinking it more safe. This is just one study, but might as well be accurate about the results.
For what its worth, I’ve fallen directly on my head in a Samshield twice, and once I did get a concussion, getting knocked unconscious for a brief moment, and the other time, had no noticeable problem afterwards. I have fallen partly on my head wearing a Samshield twice while also wearing an air vest and have had no perceived head injury. I absolutely think that the air vest has decreased my injury in falls and never ride without it. I’ve inflated it about 5 times in the past 3 years.
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