Helmet Help!

[hunter98]

On Friday I am finally getting a new helmet! I am very excited. My trainer wants me to get a Charles Owen. (She’s also the coach of my high school equestrian team, so I pretty much have to get a CO.)

I was looking mostly at the JR8 ($150) and the GR8 ($300). (I looked at an old topic on here, but it didn’t exactly answer my questions.)

I ride in C-rated shows right now, but I am hoping to head up to a B-rated show next summer. At that level, would I be okay showing with a nylon harness, like the JR8 has?

A friend of mine told me that the JR8 and GR8 have the same skull cap. It seems to me though that $150 is a steep difference just for the nicer harness on the GR8. Does anyone know if this is true? I ride everyday and I am a junior camp counselor in the summer. On certain days, the counselors will get on and we get to ride this psycho horse. All the people who have been on him more than twice in my barn and have been thrown off him, so I really need a good helmet with superior protection.

Sorry for blabbing on! I just want some opinions.

[Appsolute]

What fits your head? I have a CO - and I never use it. Very pretty helmet, but way too “long oval” for me. Pinches at the sides and gapes at the back. Lesson learned, and now I have an expensive helmet in my closest.

What are you riding in now, how does it fit?

[ElisLove]

You can wear either helmet all the way up to the highest level of showing.

[hunterrider23]

They do fit differently though. I would not say that should warrant such an extensive price difference, but you’re best off seeing which fits you better. The JR8, GR8, and AYR8 all have different shapes. The gr8 and jr8 both have zero venting and the jr8 is intended for children hence the jr.

[BeeHoney]

Ok, you need to go with FIT to choose which helmet is right for you. Those two helmets fit differently. Different brands fit differently, too! There might be a helmet in the CO brand that fits you great, but there also might not be. So be open to trying different brands and styles to find what fits YOU best.

[equisusan]

You shouldn’t get a CO just because your trainer suggested it. The helmet has to fit you and there are lots of different helmets and brands out there. Make sure whatever helmet you get fits your head. It shouldn’t move around forward or backward or sideways and it shouldn’t squash your head or give you a headache. I dont like the helmets that aren’t available in real sizes either… no sm, med, lrg versions. I just think they leave too much of their protection to padding instead of fit. COs don’t fit me so I have a GPA which is an amazingly stupid price to pay for a helmet… BUT it fits me, it’s well vented and darn it looks cute. Ha ha.

[Dewey]

OP, the jr8 is perfectly appropriate and is just as safe as the gr8. What others have said about the fit is correct: they are not exactly the same. The jr8 has a slightly “shallower” fit (for lack of a better term), perhaps because it is aimed at kids. If it fits you, though, it’s very nice looking in the show ring. My daughter is 20, and she wears one.

You might also want to consider some of the IRH knock-offs. They also look very nice in the ring and may fit you better. In addition, I believe they are very reasonably priced.

[ybiaw]

I tried the CO helmets and hated them. They fit me weird. So yeah, you have to go try them on before you decide. There are lots of nice helmets out there to choose from.

[tua37516]

I wanted to like the CO’s… but sadly my head is not meant to fit into them

Look at the One K helmets, they are priced between the two CO’s you mentioned and the memory foam liner is like wearing a cloud. Try ALL the brands and buy WHATEVER fits you best!

[KateKat]

get a helmet that fits. Also, if you’re expecting to be tossed off a horse like you put in your OP, get one that isn’t $300 because you will need to replace it if you fall on your head.

[laweryka]

Do yourself a favor and go to a tack store with people trained to help fit your head properly. Different helmets within the same brand family will fit differently so you have to try them on. CO’s tend to be more on the oval side, GPA’s more round. Both are the “standard” in the show ring and I am seeing the International knock-offs starting to creep in there as well. Knock-offs tend to be higher profile (ie thicker foam/bucket head-ish) and the bigger brands tend to be more refined.

Both CO and GPA have crash replacement policies, often with discounts associated to help you replace your helmet - so that is something to consider when purchasing your safety gear. Personally I know people wearing both CO’s and GPA’s that have had their lives saved by their headgear - but if it doesn’t fit you correctly it doesn’t matter what you’re wearing whether it’s $20 or $500.

[BITSA]

Get what fits and spend a little more to do it. My head is oblong and not round–the CO is the only thing that fits. I went from another helmet (headache every time I rode and distraction), to a CO. Try them on and get one that fits your head shape.

[tua37516]

I might also add-- try on everything and buy what fits… from Dover. I wish I had! Dover will even refund you the money you spend on the crash replacement if the helmet was purchased within 3 years… so you get a brand new one for free!

[Belmont]

CO’s don’t work or fit everyone. I’m part of the “everyone else has a CO so I need one too” clique, and that of course did not work out for me. I wound up selling the helmet on ebay and am stuck with my old one, currently saving for an IRH Elite EQ.

[NancyM]

I just tried on a Tipperary helmet, and liked it better than the Charles Owen. Has anyone else tried one of these? I also am in the market for a new helmet.

[tua37516]

I’ve tried them a few times and found them to be just OKAY. They only come in XS, S, M, L and felt awkward to me, like wearing a bicycle helmet (but I don’t like the styrofoam feeling helmets at all). I know they meet safety requirements but I can’t imagine them being as safe as the helmets with tougher shells. If you are on a budget and need a schooling helmet they’re not bad but I would not use them if you plan to show in the future.

[tua37516]

[QUOTE=NancyM;7160156]
I just tried on a Tipperary helmet, and liked it better than the Charles Owen. Has anyone else tried one of these? I also am in the market for a new helmet.[/QUOTE]

I’ve tried them a few times and found them to be just OKAY. They only come in XS, S, M, L and felt awkward to me, like wearing a bicycle helmet (but I don’t like the styrofoam feeling helmets at all). I know they meet safety requirements but I can’t imagine them being as safe as the helmets with tougher shells. If you are on a budget and need a schooling helmet they’re not bad but I would not use them if you plan to show in the future.

[NancyM]

LOL I can’t image any of these Styrofoam things being safer than what I am using now, but they are evidently required. The Tipperary ones are now required at racetracks at some tracks in the US, and it was the racetrack model that I tried on. A medium. Felt less like a bike helmet than the CO. But they did not come with a brim at the track, only skull cap. I think I need a brim, so I hear there are other models that do have that, and are the same otherwise.

I use a fiberglass jockey skull cap, high speed impact rated. It has a cover that has a brim on it. It’s not stylish, but I can drop it in the tackroom and not have to worry that it may be damaged from such a fall, and that I am putting it on in a compromised condition without my knowledge. It was made before the rating system used by show horse people became common in non-showing disciplines, so it does not have a stamp in it. It recently was criticized at a horse show as a result. I didn’t think it mattered since I am an old timer, not a junior rider. But had to sign a “legal release” at the show. If I was to buy a Tipperary, it would be used only at horse shows, to be “legal”. I do not think it is as safe or tough as my old helmet, which has not been involved in any high speed crashes.

[tua37516]

Their higher end T Series helmets in the all black option would probably be appropriate for lower level hunters and any jumper classes. Their styles are generally geared more towards the event riders and are a little less conventional for the hunter ring. This one you could probably get away with if you find it is the perfect helmet for you: http://www.doversaddlery.com/tipperary-t4/p/X1-36307/#ProductTabs

If you’re looking for something for the show ring I am a die hard One K fan: http://www.doversaddlery.com/one-k-defender-helmet/p/X1-36387/?ids=z2ue2x55avj22i3qsb4bkxaa It comes in a suede option, too.

[2ndyrgal]

Amazingly enough the ONLY off the rack helmet that fits me is the CO

I have a truly l O N G oval head. My Patey fits, bought if right before they decided to make them illegal in the show ring. Wonderful. I’ve done a complete airborn flip and crash and the thing stayed on and did it’s job.

The CO is the only thing close.