What are your thoughts on hunting with these instead of the kind that have chin staps? I really like the way they look.
Nowadays I think any rider, particularly a beginning adult rider, is CRAZY if they don’t wear an ASTM approved helmet for riding.
It is the most basic safety precaution a rider can take.
Even a mild fall can result in severe head trauma. I’ve seen people with head injuries - and I’ve seen one struggle to learn how to say his wife’s name again. Even after a year he was unable to work, drive a car, or be trusted to remember to turn the stove off.
Stick with a proper helmet and it may save your life.
Our hunt will not allow them. Everyone mounted must wear an approved helmet with harness.
And I agree with JSwan.
Yes, they are nice looking and I was considering one myself until a few weeks ago. I was in the hunt field walking along a hillside that was not steep. My horse’s legs suddenly slipped out from under him in an invisible slick spot and he landed on his side. The whiplash slammed the left side of my head into the ground so hard that my ASTM certified helmet split. At a walk. On a nice sunny day. And oh my God did my head effing hurt for the next 6 hours. I bee-lined it to the tack shop and bought myself another one and pushed any thoughts of a “cute” uncertified helmet somewhere they will never be seen again. It messes with my mind to think of what my head would look had I been wearing anything else.
Great for hound shows…
No way I’d use it hunting: I’ve had many non-HR former head injuries. I love my classy Charles Owen helmet.
Love them!
They’re great for hound shows, halter classes, walking out, grooming, and other applications when you have two feet on the ground and have no plans to get on a horse. If you actually plan to ride, change headgear and put on a certified helmet with a chin strap. Never ride without one. Never.
[QUOTE=JSwan;3885866]
Nowadays I think any rider, particularly a beginning adult rider, is CRAZY if they don’t wear an ASTM approved helmet for riding.
It is the most basic safety precaution a rider can take.
Even a mild fall can result in severe head trauma. I’ve seen people with head injuries - and I’ve seen one struggle to learn how to say his wife’s name again. Even after a year he was unable to work, drive a car, or be trusted to remember to turn the stove off.
Stick with a proper helmet and it may save your life.[/QUOTE]
Totally agree, but just wanted to add, EVERYONE, no matter how experienced should be wearing an approved helmet.
You never know when something bad is going to happen, that’s why it’s call an accident.
Agree with the ASTM helmet with chin strap. I was somehow conked in the head two weekends ago while trying to remount in the field–ended up with a cracked helmet, cracked nose, concussion, and black eyes–hate to think what it could have been like without the protection of a helmet that stayed on at the critical moment.
Not to hijack, but to hijack…what do y’all recommend for hunt cap for hound shows, jogs, etc. I am starting hound shows this year, and I would like to have one… should I look for a used CO Ascot? (I’m a poor college student, so I can’t spend that much). Thanks!!
What size do you wear? I have a black CO Beagler I’d part with, it’s never been used.
[QUOTE=wanabe;3885837]
What are your thoughts on hunting with these instead of the kind that have chin staps? I really like the way they look.[/QUOTE]
Cheap and nasty.
[QUOTE=SidesaddleRider;3892030]
What size do you wear? I have a black CO Beagler I’d part with, it’s never been used.[/QUOTE]
PM Sent 
Okay, but how do Western riders survive without anything but a cowboy hat?
Not all of them do - I know two people who have been killed and a few others brain damaged from falls.
[QUOTE=wanabe;3893115]
Okay, but how do Western riders survive without anything but a cowboy hat?[/QUOTE]
Sometimes they don’t.
Or they end up like my old farrier - eating baby food and calling their nurse, “mama”.
I’m not sure what you want from us. You’re a beginning adult rider, middle aged, and you just started hunting. You don’t know the difference between a canter and a gallop and you’re jumping.
You should be wearing a certified helmet. I grew up wearing hunt caps, and plenty of people still wear them. If you want to wear one - fine. Do it.
It will not protect you in the event of a fall and you may be killed or permanently disabled. Quit asking for advice and then quibbling or ignoring it. An approved helmet is the most basic safety precaution a rider can take. Hunting is a very dangerous sport. If you haven’t had a bad fall - you just haven’t been out enough yet. You’ll have one eventually.
nurse weighs in here!
Agree with all previous! And remember, even little clunks on your head cause some level of brain damage. It might be microscopic and teeny but all concussions cause damage. Concussions are a lot like being fat…there’s a myriad of degrees. So if over your lifetime; you’ve had lots of little concussions…sooner or later it can show up. Usually as an absent minded-ness, lack of common sense, lack of sense of self preservation, lack of saftey awareness or an Alzheimers kind of forgetfulness and impulsivity. “Crazy Horse Ladies” are often horsewoment with cumulative head injuries over time. Wild & crazy riders (who lack common sense safety measures) like some jockeys, foxhunters etc. are also common victims of a lifetime of head injuries however teeny. Unfortunately a lot of us admire fearlessness and don’t recognize it as impulsivity. The loss of our higher level of cognitive functions is the FIRST and most important sign of brain injury.
So…helmets decrease the DEGREE or SEVERITY of any injury. They are not totally preventative. When you wear one you are decreasing your risk degree so…do you want to do that? We have to assume as horsemen that we are going to fall off as a consequence of our sport. Why gamble?
Oh…and caring more about your looks than the real aspects of foxhunting is quite classic of newbie’s. You are screaming that you are a beginner. OR…that you’ve already got brain injury and are already lacking common sense. And who cares about western riders or dressage queens or mule riders or whoever else gets on a horse.?? We are talking about foxhunting; a dangerous form of riding over varied terrain at speed. We are not responsible for those others. We must take care of ourselves. I only have one brain and brain injuries don’t heal. I’m already showing signs of too many clunks on my head, thank you very much.
Now…where are those damn car keys? Oh crap…I left the hose on in the trough again…Did I leave the lights on in the barn AGAIN!!! Those danged horses musta turned them on!!.. Well I meant to turn the stove off…My memory problems must be menopause…
And so it goes!!
PS: 13 yrs in a Rehabilitation hospital specializing in treating traumatic brain injuries qualifies me to make the above statements. We saw lots of horsemen there; some I knew.
Just wanted to note, that lots of times there is a misconception that helmets will prevent more than they do.
I’ve definitely had concussions wearing an approved, skull cap; but had worse falls in a hunt cap and been completely fine. That’s besides the point. The point I was trying to make is that I know a wonderful man, who I idolize his spirit, who was wearing an approved helmet the day he had a bad fall. He is currently quadrapalegic, but an inspiration for most people, especially those from the horse world that knew him before and after the accident. I tell people his story, and they say “I hope he was wearing a helmet!” But, while he was wearing a helmet, the helmet didn’t make much of a difference in the actual injuries that resulted.
I think anyone should have the right to choose what they put on their head, as long as they are over 18, and have the experience to make the wise choice.
In the case of the OP, I would agree with JSwan, I would not recommend him wearing an unapproved helmet. I’ve seen many too many peopel who are older, novice riders, who overface themselves and get hurt. I don’t wish that upon anyone.
Sorry if I implied that an ASTM will prevent head injuries.
They don’t. They only help absorb some of the impact. You can still sustain a concussion and never even hit your head (raises head) just from the whiplash effect. And you can still be injured or killed even with the ASTM helmet.
It’s a personal decision but with novice riders, older beginner riders, and folks starting out hunting - no doubt in my mind. Wear the damn ASTM helmet and it may save your life.
I wish those bowler helmets were less ugly because we should all be wearing bowlers anyway - unless we are hunt servants. 
I thought you were clear, I didn’t read any implications. I just wanted to clarify because I get a lot of people who think that helmets are the end all, be all; and that nothing bad can happen if you wear a helmet.
I agree with the OP - those Munich hunt caps DO look nice, if you like a traditional mid 20th-century look.
But, so do plenty of the safety-approved helmets. Check the Charles Owen website, for example.
If you have the option of giving your brain a little extra protection, or not - why chose not to? It’s kinda like jumping out of a plane without a parachute - you MIGHT be OK, but why risk it?
