If all helmets have to meet the same safety standard, does it matter which one you buy or how much it costs? I know people are fond of saying “well how much is your brain worth” but honestly?
I cannot find any difference between the lowest cost and the highest cost in terms of meeting safety standards. I know that the higher-end helmets can have more “features” and/or be more “worthy” of the show ring, but beyond that?
I need to replace my helmet and I would really like to know.
You are correct, most helmets on the market meet USA Safety standards. Helmet safety is a very personal choice, and there are many choices available. I made my choice based on fit and technology. I ride everyday and dressage/stadium in a Trauma Void because of the excellent fit and because I believe in the technology. I wear a GPA Jockup Three 4S xc for the fit and because it meets both USA and International safety standards. I would certainly consider fit an important part of your decision, but it’s up to you to consider if the technology available is worth the price.
I am no safety expert, but my understanding is that fit is the most important factor. So if a $50 helmet fits you well (doesn’t come off when you bump it, even when the chin strap isn’t fastened) then it should be just as safe as a $500 helmet.
And it is also important to replace a helmet after every fall, and if you purchase a helmet you find cost-prohibitive to replace, you might find yourself justifying not replacing it in a fall where you might have hit your head.
I replaced my first troxel with an IRH (~$150), and I still had to really talk myself into replacing the IRH after I had a fall when I probably did hit my head, but I wasn’t 100% sure I had.
I did consider replacement cost when I was helmet shopping, and the IRH really fits me like a glove, so I went with it again, but if I can at all avoid it, I’ll never buy a helmet that’s any more expensive than this one.
No. Any ASTM/SEI approved helmet, new and undamaged, will work. Pick the one that fits the bets, and the one you’ll actually wear. Treat it gently, and replace it if you drop it, leave it in a hot car, fall off, have it more than 5 years, etc.
There was a study out last year or the year before that ranked a few models based on different impacts, but other than that, there is really no comparison testing out there. Trauma Void uses a different technology than the others (MIPS).
On the 5 year rule. I brought it up at my horse club meeting once, these are mostly western riders but enough people do wear helmets. I told them that if their helmet was over 5 years old from date of manufacture to replace it as the protective materials start to break down. One person thought I had made it up. Sure, yeah, I made it all up just to see what you’d say. Sheesh, what a jerk.
Bolding my own, above. All helmets legal for equestrian competition have to meet ASTM/SEI standards. However, there are additional optional safety standards out there that are more stringent than ASTM/SEI, and are only be met by a small selection of helmets on the equestrian market. For example, Snell is a more rigorous level of safety standard, and while there are few equestrian helmets that meet this level of testing, there are not none.
This is a quick overview of the Snell standards as they pertain to equestrian helmets: https://www.smf.org/standards/E/E2016/E2016.pdf
A more technical explanation of the standard: https://www.smf.org/standards/E/E2016/E2016Cover.pdf
A list of equestrian helmets that meet the standard: https://www.smf.org/certlist/std_E2016
You’ll note, none of this has to do with price. The helmets that are Snell approved are fairly mid-range when compared against the prices of all equestrian helmets on the market. It appears that price is mostly a function of fashion - certification is a function of performance.
@Marigold - thanks for the links. I notice Charles Owen is on there, I did find some safety standard info on their website.
Also, is anyone familiar with the Champion helmet? It’s on that list above too. Never heard of them.
I have fallen off and hit my head (at least since I started wearing helmets, which has been nearly 30 years now) only once. That was recently. I hit hard enough to be knocked out, I did get a concussion, albeit mild (thankfully). So, that plus my helmet is probably at the 5-year mark now, it’s time.
A friend wears a Charles Owen, perhaps I should try hers on and then go from there.
No problem! Do be careful though - it is only certain models from each brand (for Charles Owen it is the 4 Star), and often certain models fit differently (so trying on a GR8 will not necessarily tell you how the 4 Star will fit you). Certification will be marked on the inside of the helmet as well. Snell has a big distinctive logo (orange and rectangular) that can be found on their website.
The Champion helmet I know less about but I believe @MsRidiculous has one. She may be able to tell you more?
All helmets in the US must meet a minimum standard. So there’s some merit to saying that you should just buy the one that fits you best. However, that doesn’t mean that all helmets protect equally. We just don’t have good data to determine which ones work better.
There is very little independent testing done by helmet manufacturers that is shared with the public. I’m sure they all do it, but years ago, when a study like that was published in the UK, the helmet manufacturers made a huge stink about it and it was removed from public access. I used to have a copy of that study and from what I can recall, price was not the deciding factor in helmet safety, although some brands (Charles Owen is what I remember) did very well. Another thing that I remember is that larger sized helmets did worse in many of the tests than smaller ones. Too bad if you have a big head!
I found one independent study when I was purchasing a new helmet last year: https://equineink.com/2018/08/26/independent-testing-of-helmets-by-swedish-insurance-company-shows-significant-differences-in-protection-among-models/
Obviously, this study includes brands not available in the US so it’s value is limited. I ended up buying the Trauma Void helmet because 1) it fits me and 2) there’s a good chance that the MIPS technology will help protect my head better. I bought the first MIPS helmet when it was released by Devonaire some years back and it’s a technology that is used in other TBI-causing sports. Is that directly transferrable? Not sure.
My conclusion after lots of thinking about it? Buy a helmet that fits you well and wear it.
As said by many above, the one that fits and you will wear is the right one to buy as they will meet safety standards regardless of price. The BETA website www.beta-uk.org has information about helmet safety standards etc
Champion is a well respected brand in the UK, seen in all disciplines, from racing to eventing and hunting and showing and is probably just as popular as Charles Owen. I have one currently that was the replacement for a Charles Owen skull that I needed to replace after a fall. It was the best fit and had better ventilation. Champion have several new models that look interesting and they meet all the various current standards. If you have a look on their website www.championhats.co.uk remember that we in the UK use riding ‘hat’ for the velvet thing and ‘helmet’ for the jockey style so look on both pages!
If you get a helmet UK or anywhere else be sure it is approved here in the USA. My XC helmet is approved for both in case it’s checked.
Champion is a well respected UK brand. Toklat Originals recently announced that they will be distributing them in the US. I’m looking forward to having another option to try.
Champion and most Charles Owen are going to be your safest. I was just at a trade show talking with reps from both of these companies, and the thing that stood out to me, was that with the Kite mark which test to a different standard than the US includes making the helmets able to withstand up to 2,000lbs of crush.
Also- Tipperary has a new line of helmets coming out that are super attractive, and also contain the fiberglass type material that will make them 2,000lb crush proof as well. They will retail at $189, and look similar to the Samshield/One K style. I tried one on, and it was super comfortable and flattering.
Yes I have several helmets, including the Champion Pro-Ultimate skull cap, which is also SNELL certified. I was planning to review it on my blog on Friday. I had a Charles Owen 4-Star before (also SNELL certified) but it didn’t fit me as well as the Champion does nor was it as well ventilated. Riding Warehouse just started carrying several Champion models. https://www.ridingwarehouse.com/Cham…ml?from=900fbp
My advice to anyone would be to research the safety standards as much as you can. Read the details of what’s included in the different tests, and watch videos of how the tests are performed. I think most people would be very surprised to see how relatively lax and incomplete many of the standards really are. It’s not that hard to meet them. To me it’s more a question of which helmets are meeting them and which are far exceeding them. We don’t have a good measure of that.
If the question is safety, I personally put more weight in SNELL and Kitemark. I do think that the Swedish study that tested oblique impact (something that many standards do not include in their testing) was very interesting, but is really just a starting point.
Here’s the referenced study, conducted by a company in Sweden, using 15 different riding helmets. Most helmets are designed to protect from impact, but very few protect against rotational forces. The ones with “MIPS protection”, which has been used in skiing/dirt biking/etc helmets for years, protect against rotational forces and scored the highest in the study. There’s also a chart that ranks them and includes their price; super interesting that price doesn’t necessarily reflect a “better” helmet.
My thought has always been that if we have to wear a helmet (I’ve literally never been on a horse without one, maybe I’m a pansy; I mean “have to” in the sense that it’s required at competitions) I can’t come up with a reason to wear one that provides anything less than the best protection. Like… if my head is going to get all sweaty and gross regardless, I’d at least like it to do its job well :lol:. And, as you can see from the study, they really aren’t all created equal.
Not saying anything that hasn’t been said already. I just find it so fascinating that they all meet “standards” but the protection level is so different. It kind of makes me wish they’d re-evaluate the standards. I just worry the standards lull people into a false sense of security, thinking a helmet is OK because it meets the standard, when in reality, the standard is just a baseline and there are other helmets out there that offer better protection.
To each their own, though, obviously. I get that it’s a personal choice. And TBI’s also happen to people while wearing helmets. I just love horse people and I want them all to be as safe as possible. 
Just an FYI: if you like the Champion helmets, UK online shops like Derby House, Rideaway, and others carry them for about 1/3 the price (and a lot more model choices) than Riding Warehouse. Shipping is cheap.
Riding Warehouse has free returns though, if you aren’t sure whether or not it will fit. 
Totally 100% agree!
And some of the more expensive helmets are some of the worse-performing in certain tests, too.
Thank you all for so many responses!! I really appreciate it. I will get to a reasonably local tack shop that carries some of the upper-end stuff and try helmets on before I order… dealing with returns is a PITA.
Oh I love coming on these helmet threads, thinking I will find hope of something fitting…but no…the only thing that fits my ridiculously long-oval head is an IRH long-oval. I wish I had options. Even the Trauma Void rep at Rolex said I was a big no for their helmet fitting .
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