Warning! I am climbing up onto my hobby horse… Order via your reasonably local tack shop otherwise it will not be there in the future. Or pay them a consultation fee, since you have sought their expertise and tried their stock, before you order online.
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I ride and show in Tipperary sportage(s). I have one I school in and one I show in because I’m too lazy to clean the schooling one.
Maybe I don’t look as “fancy” as other people, but I don’t care.
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:lol::lol::lol: I am mostly going in there because they have brands I won’t find at the local feed store, not because they are experts at helmet fitting. Besides that, with their clientele, they are in no danger of going out of business.
And I do need a new bit anyway, along with a half pad.
I will acknowledge the truth of your statement tho. Used to be you could find everything you needed and get “hands on” with it before you bought it. Not anymore.
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They have a helmet called the Lynx that, until now, has only been available overseas, but they allegedly are going to be available in the US in February. They are adjustable, which is supposed to help with the round/oval problem. And, the best part is that they’re actually the only helmet that received a 5/5 on the Folksam test, so they’re even safer than the regular TraumaVoid.
Interesting… When I tried them on at Harrisburg Horse Expo, they fit my head perfectly, and I was told they are more oval shape as a standard than they are round. I wear a long oval OneK now and love the fit, but love that TV has come out with long overdue safety technology. I am keeping my eye on the next big sale as I want a blue helmet. I wish they had a skull cap version out for XC.
@MsRidiculous Im curious to know if hte Champion skull caps would fit a long oval, or slight oval head, or are they built like CO helmets and only fit round heads? OneK makes long oval in everything but their skull cap, and I really want a skull cap for XC. Im glad this thread got brought up as I saw someone post on Instagram about their new partnership with Toklat and the Champion helmets and I’m curious after reading about their safety ratings. I’m due for a new everyday helmet this year.
My review of the Champion Pro-Ultimate SNELL skull cap is here:
https://the900facebookpony.com/2019/01/18/review-champion-pro-ultimate-snell-skull-cap/
I put a picture of it next to the Pro II so you can see how the shape looks in comparison. To me it’s definitely more oval. Riding Warehouse does have free returns though, so if it didn’t fit it’s easy to return.
My experience with Charles Owens helmets is that they fit oval heads well; they do make a round fit in some of their helmets, but I have an oval head and the COs fit memuch better than other brands I’ve had.
I’m currently riding in the AYR8 which I like a lot.
I’ve always been impressed with Charles Owen’s attention to safety issues, and their promotion of safety as an issue.
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@Willesdon - okay, you can feel satisfied. 
I did end up buying my helmet at the “sort of local” tack shop. There were 2 young gals working yesterday who were so darn nice to me, and helpful, and patient! Customer service was alive and well yesterday!
I ended up with a One K Defender, in brown matte. 
I tried on, and wore around the store for awhile, a CO AYR8 Plus, which I liked but it didn’t quite fit along the sides of my head, and I had a feeling after an hour I would be cursing it. The regular AYR8 didn’t fit right at all.
I also tried on a Trauma Void. It was pretty good, but not great. I may have just gone with it had we not found the One K.
Anyways. That’s over now for awhile.
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I also ride in a CO AYR8 and am on my third one (from age and wear, not falls). That said, the fitter described my head as a “Charlie Brown” head, large and round. Seriously, I cannot borrow anyone’s helmet, they never fit.
My point is “round” or “oval” is very subjective. I see the OP found a helmet but I cannot stress enough to try on helmets with someone who is knowledgable. One person’s (or brand’s) “round” is another person’s “oval”.
I fit helmets and the CO AYR8 is not round, it is very oval. Even more oval than the One K Defender in long oval. I also wear one and I have the most oval head in history. CO did introduce Round Fit helmets last year but before that, most COs lean oval and in my experience the AYR8 is the most oval of them all. Round or oval aren’t subjective when one fits helmets for a living!
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I tried the Trauma Void when we first started carrying them, and they are a HUGE no-go for me. I’m oval, but not overly so, and the TV in my measured size crushes the front and back of my head and I can fit three fingers up the sides. If I go to a size that fits front to back, it slides around like a salad bowl on my head. It is definitely shaped for a very round head.
As as far as safety of larger sizes, the new ASTM-SEI standard requires that companies have to test every shell size now. Generally, a manufacturer uses 3-4 shell sizes with the guts of the helmet providing the exact fit (ie one shell would be used for 6-3/4, 6-7/8, and 7 or something like that). Now each size has to be tested, whereas before manufacturers only had to provide one size. That happened about three years ago now.
Regarding extra testing, for example the CO 4-Star got its name for being tested to four standards: ASTM-SEI, CE (European), BETA (kitemark), and Snell (crush capability). Most of their other helmets have the first three tests. A lot of helmets only have one; but that doesn’t mean they may not pass other standards they just haven’t presented them to test. I was moderately surprised by the results of the Swedish study, where several high-cost brands did not stand up as well as more affordable models. Price isn’t everything.
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I wore my new helmet yesterday and I have to say it was quite comfortable. I didn’t feel in any rush to remove it.
Now, how I will feel about it when it is summer temps, might be a different story! LOL.
@WNT - thank you for your comments. It’s nice to know there’s more going on than just a stamp that says it meets ASTM.
I do think that if you are considering eventing- which im going to assume you are due to the category- you will probably want a skull cap, especially for cross country, as it provides a significantly more amount of visiblity! it really does not matter about the price
I learned the hard way not to go x country in a helmet with a fixed visor. I know it’s not illegal in the US but I’ll never do it again. Bashed my nose in with a One K. Skull cap for me !
