I know I’m an old fuddy duddy, but I just don’t love the look of the loose pony tail. Surely there’s got to be a way for the hair to be neat and secured and NOT under the helmet compromising fit. A braid would be better.
Was it a Pony Club rule that your hair had to be secured so it didn’t catch on tree branches, etc., while riding in the woods? Or just an old instructor’s rule?
I don’t remember it as an official rule in Pony Club, but that was quite a while ago by now. Lol.
Isn’t that Anna Jane White(-Mullin)?
I don’t know. I haven’t looked at the book in a long time, and I would not recognize her without reading the captions.
Mine annoys me down - and clumps and knots and refuses to stay sleekly behind me. And for some reason, no matter what elastics I try, they always seem to come out of low ponies and braids. I’m sure other people have mastered it better but when I do it, a bun feels like an awkward lump back there.
My mom was always asking me why I didn’t just cut it short (in the old days when I was showing) to which I was like, “so I can do the [hunter] hair” 
…
If it is a rule in Pony Club, it is not a rule that is enforced or even brought up where I am. Tidy and neat is required.
I would think a pony tail has less chance of getting caught on a tree branch than a braid does, since if a tree branch catches a pony tail it will just pull thru.
Dang, this was a crazy discussion. The helmets were designed to be fitted to the skull as closely as possible. That’s how they were designed, that’s how they were tested, that’s how the forces are redirected so your brain isn’t turned into jelly. Adding even more unnecessary layers WILL affect all of that, that seems like it should be common sense even if you aren’t schooled in physics.
If you want to wear your hair in a helmet, fine, you do you. But don’t act like it’s perfectly safe just because you haven’t seen studies that prove its not. If you aren’t using the safety equipment as designed, you assume you are taking on risk. If you want to be safe while having your hair in a helmet, invest in something more substantial than a flimsy hair net to compress your hair down, especially if it’s thick.
And no, saying that putting your hair in a helmet isn’t as safe is not being racist (which was the original comment made that sparked a lot of the debate). If you have extra thick hair, you compress it as much as you can under a helmet to comply with equipment instructions. That goes for all hair types. It’s not rocket science (I should know). If your hair is creating a squishy cushion between your head and your helmet, you are taking a risk that the helmet will not work as intended. Whether you accept the risk or not is on you (general). But pretending the risk is not there is incorrect.
Oh and I saw one comment about studies being done for other sports so it doesn’t apply to equestrians. Which is a bit of a ridiculous argument too, if having your hair in a helmet while skiing is unsafe, you can sure as hell bet it’s unsafe for riding.
One more general comment. If an expert says something along the lines of “you need to trust the experts”, it’s not because they don’t want to explain or think you aren’t smart enough. It’s because the concepts you need to know to understand likely require at least several undergrad and grad courses worth of further education and you won’t be able to fully grasp it from a quick blurb on a bulletin board. Not because you are dumb, you just don’t have that level of instruction on the subject. If you are only doing cavaletti, you have a lot more training to do before you are jumping 1.20m courses. Doesn’t mean you are a bad rider. Also doesn’t mean you need to go ride in a clinic with 1.20m riders yet.
@ TwiSedai,
I don’t think anyone is arguing with science OR arguing for hair being put up in the helmet.
Hair out of the helmet is clearly safer.
I am discussing a ridiculous fashion aspect of what to do with the hair worn outside the helmet; and gave the completely unscientific opinion that a loose pony tail isn’t a good look for the very staid and traditional hunter ring.
Foxhunters, on whom the conservative traditions of show hunters used to be based, in my limited experience, pretty uniformly wear there hair netted outside the helmet and I was wondering why that hasn’t caught on in hunters.
@McGurk, I assumed @TwiSedai was referring to some posts earlier in the thread where people did claim that saying having a helmet fit close to your head makes it safer is racist, etc.
I’m am sure you’re right. I went back and read the beginning of the thread from three months ago after I posted.
I made the mistake of thinking TwiSedai was respoonding to the recent posts.
I admit I have not read all the posts.
I have shoulder length hair
I wear a ski helmet for skiing
A bike helmet for biking
hoping to learn to ride a motorcycle and off course will wear a helmet
I wear my hair in a pony tail or braided and outside the helmet.
Why would I make an exception for riding a horse?
If you care about your brain wouldn’t one pick Safety over “Fashion” any day?
Just my opinion.
Haha sorry, I was replying to the earlier posts. Probably way too late, but I couldn’t resist.
This is insane. All this blathering about hair.
I should be so lucky that my horse and my riding are so fabulous the Judge gives a big fat rats hairy arse about my hair.
FWIW, I do a low pony tail and then twist it and make a bun and pin it, then use two hair nets .
Or I use one of those tube ones that you just pull up.
If your hair is fluffy or ethnic or thick or whatever, just figure out a way to make it neat and workmanlike looking.
That is the whole premise of fox hunting turnout, on which show hunters are based.
Actually, this is the earlier (60-70s version) “horse show hair”. The model’s hair is out of the helmet, and corralled into a hairnet.
And right, I think we should all get a kick out of this thread! All about hair… good for a laugh.
Here’s an interesting article regarding ethnic hairstyles and helmets that reminded me of this thread. Is the author kidding herself thinking that it is possible to design a helmet that will provide adequate safety to the wearer while also acommodating ethnic hairstyles including braids and dreadlocks, or are helmet designers and manufacturers ignoring this segment of the population because they simply believe it’s not profitable for them?
It’s an issue in any sport requiring a helmet, but some of the solutions could be educating retailers and buyers on good fit, adding ways to adjust for changes in hairstyle, and possibly expanding the size range for more oval or wide shapes. I’ve seen some nice wraps that cyclists use to help fit hair under helmets without damaging the hair, too.
It’s not necessarily a race specific issue - I had to replace my riding and bike helmets when I went from shoulder length, thick hair to a buzz cut, and even as a kid, I needed a long helmet to accommodate my daily hairstyle, but the average tack store probably is familiar common helmet fits for white girls with ponytails. It is, however, an under-served and ignored market (especially in areas where helmets aren’t commonly worn by anyone), and it is a barrier for entry for newcomers when they can’t find helmets to fit or people who can answer their questions.
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