That happens sometimes, too!
What we do in the hunter ring has evolved directly out of what was (and is still) done in the hunt field and what is done in the hunt field speaks directly to safety (and traditionābut it still comes from what was believed to be safe back in the day). So, we tuck our hair up into helmets because the last thing you want on a five mile run through the woods following hounds at full cry is for your hair to get caught in a branch and either yank you out of the saddle or yank your hair out of your head. The ear flapsā¦well, I suspect that actually was about warmth, as traditional hunting in the UK happens in the colder, wetter months. 
I solved the problem by chopping off my hair and never looked back, but I know thatās not something everyone is willing to do. Personally, I think itās unsafe to have your hair packed up in there effecting the way your helmet fitsāin both the hunter ring and the hunt field.
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Hair nets. Only Americans stuff hair up into helmets. And weāre used to our wet, mild climate so ear flaps arenāt an issue. You guys foxhunt in far more extreme weather than we do in the British Isles.
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How do you use the hairnets? Americans usually stuff their hair up into the helmet WITH a hairnet. Do you just use it over the top and leave the rest out?
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UK showing rules usually say āhair neat and tidy, tied backā. Children can wear plaits. Teenagers and ladies generally in a bun with a hairnet. So yes, over the top and rest holds the hair outside the helmet.
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I would never leave my ears exposed to the sun - itās true the ear patties are more than just a look and that they protect your ears from sunburn and the cold! You definitely donāt have the extreme sun that we have in GA and I personally love covering my ears in winter as I hate being cold. For me itās always been a convenience thing.
It is entirely possible that the ear patties/hair in helmet evolved in the US hunt circles and was, indeed, a response to our climate and vegatation, which is very different from the UK. It seems we will never know as this debate has been going on for some timeā¦
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Indeed, for centuries between hunts, disciplines, fashionistasā¦ but the world would be a duller place if we all did the same thing.
Not to mention, didnāt women just wear their hair pulled back over their ears for a period? Perhaps the Victorian Era? It could also have just stemmed from that.
Most old-time hunting prints show womenās hair neatly secured in a bun at the nape of their necks. Iām always a little amused at people who wring their hands about women not putting their hair up in a helmet, given that ācrash capsā werenāt always ubiquitous hunting, especially for women. Also, during the Victorian era, some women had absurdly long hair. It would be completely impractical to stuff it all in a hat.
I heard that the mania for āhunter hairā started in the show ring, with the publication of Hunter Seat Equation, with the model who had silky smooth, baby fine blonde hair that perfectly tucked up in her helmet around her ears.
For me, itās just not possible for my coarse, textured hair to ādoā that, so I go with the neck-nape bun. The no-knot hairnet also works for me. Regardless, as the horse world begins to prioritize safety and inclusivity, thereās got to be more acceptance of unconventional hair. Although, ironically, I think the Victorian bun would probably work for lots of people!
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Back in the dark ages, when I was in my twenties, I wore a derby hunting on formal days, and a good looking Patey style hunt cap without a harness on others. I did a low bun at the nape of my neck with hairnets for the derby (usually had to do my hair twice, never got the bun low enough the first time) and the hunter ear patties, all hair under the helmet look for the hunt cap. The derby with the bun was WAY more comfortable.
At that time, the safest helmet was a jockeyās Caliente helmet, which was the precursor to the Charles Owen skull cap. I wore that for everything BUT hunting and showing. (Weird that I somehow believed that I was immune from a TBI while formally dressed.) 
That Caliente helmet probably saved my life or at the very least, my ability to count and feed myself.
Then came the requirement that juniors wear a helmet with harness in the show ring, first the brown leather ones, then the clear plastic ones, then people starting showing up in the hunt field with helmets with harnesses. There was also a period when the safest headgear was bulbous and made everyone look like mushroom heads. Thereās been a steady evolution over the years in the technology and a switch in emphasis from the traditional look to safety. At each step, there was hand wringing and moaning from the traditionalists.
My hunt requires safety headgear (with harness) while hunting. For the formal meets, you are welcome to wear a top hat, derby or Patey style hunt cap at the meet for photos, but you are expected to swap it out for safety headgear before leaving the meet.
So I expect that āhunter hairā will be phased out because it does affect the fit of the helmet. But I hope the emphasis on neat and tidy stays. I see some riders in the jumper ring and some of the female Olympic pentathletes with long hair in a loose ponytail and I think it looks sloppy and overly casual. Just my grumpy old traditionalist opinion.
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I doubt it will be phased out completely, since there are lots of people who have hair that fits under a helmet with no trouble. And if most of us are still wearing long sleeve shirts and coats to show when itās 100Ā° out, I donāt expect the hair fashion to change any time soon. Even if the helmet and coat materials are more modern these days.
I knew somebody many years ago who had a buzz cut or almost shaved head, depending on how recently she had done it. But she left long tendrils around the bottom so that when she put on a helmet, she could make it look like she had hunter hair.
She was somebody who definitely followed the beat of her own drummer, but she still wanted to have the appearance of traditional hunter hair. Lol.
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@MHM,
I didnāt say it would be phased out quickly! 
Traditions change in the hunter world at a glacial pace!
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Here there is one girl who shows with her waist length hair loose. It makes me clutch my non existent pearls. I mean, I wear my hair in a ponytail or low bun to compete (I ride in Europe) but looseā¦.
Am I the only one who can not seem to figure out how to make a bun work low on my neck that does not cause my helmet to push around when I look up or turn my head, or get snagged on my collar, etc?
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Nopeā¦ I canāt either.
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I think it depends on which helmet you have. Samshield have a dressage option for their helmets that cuts the back higher so you can wear a bun, both of my helmets have that option so I have no problem.
I have one of those heads that makes it hard to find a helmet that fits the size and shape, so fancy options are not typically an option for me.
I wouldnāt expect them to have any issues with causing problems with having a low bun.
Judging from the helmets worn at the Olympics by dressage riders wearing hair in a bun, there must be a lot more options besides Samshield.
I couldnāt do the nape bun when my hair was longer due to my conformation. Maybe it was also the helmets available at that time which were the mushroom variety.
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Definitely as everyone over here wears hair in a low bun for dressage and the jumpers wear it in a ponytail. But Iām sure the low cut helmets that are great at covering the bottom of your hair for hunters could be problematic.
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