I will note too, they wear a thin head covering to protect their as well. Maybe not the safest, but their helmet hair and then there is helmet hair.
I don’t think people are expecting helmet manufacturers to come up with a solution overnight, but just to start doing research into safety.
I mentioned above, the squishy helmet liners might provide a solution. Maybe a larger helmet with a plusher liner that sealed around braids might be one possibility. It might not be okay for all hairstyles, but still some more than exist today.
IMHO helmets still need to evolve just in general–I know some people with small heads who can’t find helmets, and even I’m pretty limited to Charles Owen, which is fine, but still it shows that more work needs to be done.
Also tolerance of greater hairstyles. Heck, even as a white lady with curly textured hair, when I rode at a hunter barn, they complained when my hair wasn’t in my helmet covering my ears, but because of humidity, that’s very unsafe–the helmet gets loose when it’s dry weather, because my hair “shrinks” if I buy it to fit my hair up.
Equity and safety is always an issue that needs to be discussed–even in drug trials, which used to be disproportionately made up of men, for example, and car safety, which need to be tested on a variety of bodies.
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It isn’t as easy as expecting the manufacturers to come up with a redesign to accommodate hair styles while meeting existing safety standards. There used to be traditional black velvet show hats in catalogs like Dover. They were clearly lableled “item of apparel” because they weren’t protective helmets that met any safety standards. I still have mine, circa 1960, on a top shelf about 6 feet from where I am sitting.
The big change with the MIPS helmets is their abililty to better protect the brain when blows are not at 90 degrees to helmet. Bike helmets have had MIPS for several years. Equestrian and bike helmets are very similar in construction. The biggest difference is that bike riders go straight forward and land on the front of the head. The BO at our barn specifically prohibits riding in bike helmets. Equestrian helmets have to protect your head in all directions. And it’s not just smashing into the ground, it also could be a hoof to the head, or something unimaginable at a jump. And if you are galloping along at 25-30 mph on a 16-17hh horse. well…
We know that helmets are supposed to fit over the forehead and the strap fastenend tight enough to keep the helmet in place. I’m a white woman with short hair. Not a problem finding a helmet that fits well and is comfortable on hot days. I have returned two helmets following falls. One had a broken brim. The report returned with the new helmet said there was damage to the liner that was not visible. The other one had no visible damage to the shell but the liner had significant damage in one area.
Could equesatrian helmet manufacturers engineer new designs that accommodate various hairstyles? Most likely yes. Would they market them if they don’t meet existing safety standards? I doubt very much they would - “items of apparel” are too risky. Could they seek a safety rating? Certainly, but it may or may not succeed. Part of the challenge is how much hair you can cram under the helmet before your head is not adequately protected.
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There are some people here who don’t get that it’s not ok for Caucasian to be the default design standard and everything else to be an afterthought / modification because to them it IS ok. There’s no point in wasting your time trying to have a discussion with people like that. I do appreciate you trying though!
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If they don’t meet safety standards most places wouldn’t let you use them anyway.
As helmets are designed to fit your skull, are you stating that Caucasian skulls are different to other non-C skulls?
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We are talking about hair, not skulls.
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Arent helmets supposed to protect your skull , not your hair?
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If helmet makers suddenly said there’s been new research that has discovered the only truly safe way to wear a present-day helmet is on a shaved head, would you be on board to shave your head or would you expect them to pull up their pants and do some research into making helmets as safe for people that didn’t want to shave their heads?
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Thank you! I was trying to come up with a scenario that could make people understand, but it’s so hard when everything is built for them 
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Years ago, before I bought my first protective vest, I spoke with a customer service person at one of the manufacturers. She said that there was no chance that they would make their safety-certified vest in fat-lady-size because it costs a lot of money to get them certified and they weren’t going to spend that kind of money for something that will have such a limited market and that they would never sell a non-certified version in those sizes because of liability concerns.
And as an aside, how many of the people railing against helmet manufacturers in this discussion would have just told me that obviously, my problem would be solved if I would just lose some weight, so why didn’t I go on a diet?
It’s all economics. Helmet manufacturers need to do the research, which costs money. If you want them to manufacture helmets to accommodate various ethnic hairstyles, it has to be financially viable.
Why don’t some of you folks start up a Go Fund Me account to raise money to pay an academic researcher - maybe the folks at VT - to do the basic research? That would certainly lower the cost for manufacturers and maybe make it economically viable for a manufacturer to start producing those helmets.
It’s really easy to come on here and rant and rave and lecture everybody about their insensitivity to the needs of riders of color. If you’re that concerned about it, why don’t you do something about instead of sitting at your keyboard getting outraged because “somebody” should be doing something about this?
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I absolutely would not have told you that.
And don’t assume that just because we are adding our voice here, that we aren’t working on other areas. There is something called performative allyship and it’s not great. There is also something to be said about raising your voice louder then the racism and voices that just say inclusion isn’t their responsibility
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Personally I wouldn’t tell you to lose weight and yes you should be able to find riding clothes that fit. Everyone should. I’m not, I don’t think, a particularly heavy weight relative to my height but I’m 5’8 and wear size 12 jeans, size 32 in breeches. It always seemed like I was right at the cutoff before the plus sizes for breeches and I’d see way more size 22-28 breeches available.
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This is a discussion board. The whole point is to discuss. How do you know if anyone on here is or isn’t taking action?
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We can care about needing to make riding apparel available to riders of all sizes AND all hair types.
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Unfortunately I’m not even sure there is a “men’s size” helmet. I wear a 7 5/8 size helmet - largest you can buy off the shelf without a special order. I have been finding it even more difficult to find helmets in my size. I hate playing “order and return” if something doesn’t fit. I can’t even imagine trying to find something to fit with braids. Most I can manage is a low ponytail. (I’m white FWIW.)
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I would love to see USEF spend some $ supporting the research needed to create these larger helmets. I think that would be a great way to make a statement about expanding the base of equestrian sports, and we’d actually get a clear result/benefit from the $ spent. If done in a way that all the manufacturers could benefit, this would be a big help to the whole industry and create a positive outcome for all.
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Oh for crying out loud. Most of the world doesnt give a flying rip about your authentic self. The equestrian world does care about equestrians’ safety.
What would you say about a dressage rider who whined about wanting to compete in a top hat and being required to wear a helmet? If a horseperson is so egotistical that they want to “display their authentic self,” let them display their good sense by displaying their horsemanship and sportsmanship and dressing according to the conventions.
How far is this issue removed from that of little white h/j girls and their mommies putting such big bows on their braids that the judge can’t see their number?
Both are equally immature.
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Very, very far removed indeed. Bows = an easily removed attachment that has nothing to do with culture or race.
Can you imagine if a rule came into effect that said because it has been proven that helmets offer the maximum safety to wearers when the wearer’s head is shaved clean, all riders must have their heads shaved to compete?
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Somehow, someway, football helmets accommodate the hairstyles of black men. I wonder why.
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Bold of you to write such an inflammatory thing so seriously.
To be clear, we are talking about Black riders’ natural hair. Not a bow that can be removed or a simple french braid that can be taken out–their natural hair. All riders should be able to find a helmet that fits them without having to pay money to get it chemically altered just to fit into the helmet made for a white person.
Intentional or not, your statement is straight up racist.
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Well.
We have one ethnicity of human beings who are more apt to have incredibly curly, incredibly voluminous hair than other ethnicities. People from this ethnicity have specific ways they style their hair to prevent damage, breaking, etc.
Yes, sure, these people could ALL cut their hair short so it fits in a helmet (but I don’t see anyone insisting a person with less voluminous hair that maybe isn’t so curly do the same if their hair affects helmet fit. Because there are already helmets that fit the presumed majority of people.) but they shouldn’t have to, to participate. I don’t think it’s unreasonable for someone to be able to find a helmet that fits over common hairstyles seen in this specific ethnicity, especially as helmets that fit over their hair exist in other sports.
It isn’t harming anyone to encourage companies to expand size ranges to be inclusive, for all body types AND all hair types. And it wouldn’t strictly benefit people from a single ethnicity, either, even if that group is the primary beneficiary. Last I looked, curly, voluminous hair wasn’t limited to one skin tone.
EDIT: As the poster above me has pointed out, this is naturally how someone’s hair is growing, not purely a stylistic choice.
EDIT 2: Do you know any Black equestrians? Or any other people of color who are equestrians? Because I know a few Black equestrians via some work I’ve done AND I follow them on social media and this is absolutely something they have touched on as a problem with getting specifically their fellow Black equestrians to wear a helmet.
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