I saw this photo on Eventing Nation.
I swore I saw photos of Phillip wearing a helmet in dressage at a recent event. Why does he swap back and forth?
USEF vs FEI classes?
I would have thought that, given recent events and that he’s close with the Martins, he might have reconsidered the top hat.
[QUOTE=faybe;7513578]
USEF vs FEI classes?[/QUOTE]
I wish h would stick with the helmet. Not only does it set a good example, I think he looks totally bada$$ in the helmet with the new shades and beyond doofy in the top hat.
I will always still love the look of the top hat
Yes, the top hat is a lovely look.
I agree he looked funny with the top hat and yellow sunglasses. Stick with the helmet.
Top hats - especially the silly tall ones beloved by the Brits (and British based kiwis) look so silly - they make their wearers look like chimney sweeps or faded royals.
1 Like
Helmets are required for horse trials but not for FEI events. I don’t really get the top hat thing personally.
I think top hats look sily. If you want people to take what you do seriously then ditch the top hat.
Considering that wearing a helmet just saved Sylvia’s life, and what a big supporter of helmets the Martins are, I’m disappointed that he chose to not wear a helmet.
I always find it quite silly that as busy as somebody like PD is at an event, he bothers to take the time to swap out his helmet for his top hat for FEI classes. I was quite pleasantly surprised to see most of the riders in the CIC3* wearing helmets though. The only ones who wore the top hats in the pictures on EN were PD, Buck, and Marilyn Little.
I will never understand the appeal of the top hat anyway. I think they look silly.
I drive by TPF quite often and it’s not unusual to see riders hacking without a helmet. So apparently it’s not something Phil feels strongly about.
His head, his choice. I wear mine, that’s my choice. I think it is totally silly to be “disappointed” in him for wearing a traditional top hat.
If eventers wore decent looking top hats instead of those awkward stove pipe things they seem so fond of, well … there MIGHT be a choice…
That is, in a world where horses never did silly things.
It’s amazing how quickly our eyes in the dressage world have become used to the sight of helmets with shadbellies. Even at CDI competitions, those wearing top hats are now a very small minority in the US, and helmets are becoming far more common in Europe.
[QUOTE=Angelico;7514160]
His head, his choice. I wear mine, that’s my choice. I think it is totally silly to be “disappointed” in him for wearing a traditional top hat.[/QUOTE]
Yes it is his choice to wear a top hat but his idolized by many young riders-I think they should set the example for them. Unfortunately it is going to have to take a horrible fall for some of them to realize it. I would love to see the FEI require helmets…
I don’t care how his top hat looks. I only care that it offers no protection to his head, and that it sends the message that it’s okay to sit on a horse without certified head protection.
It’s never okay to sit on a horse without a helmet. Never. Never. Never.
Yes it is his choice to wear a top hat but his idolized by many young riders-I think they should set the example for them. Unfortunately it is going to have to take a horrible fall for some of them to realize it. I would love to see the FEI require helmets…
Completely agree with this statement. Yes he is an adult and can do whatever he wants with his head, but I’m a nobody and even I care about setting a good example for the Pony Club kids. See the “Why I don’t ride with a helmet” thread for an example of why we need good role models.
[QUOTE=JER;7514270]
I don’t care how his top hat looks. I only care that it offers no protection to his head, and that it sends the message that it’s okay to sit on a horse without certified head protection.
It’s never okay to sit on a horse without a helmet. Never. Never. Never.[/QUOTE]
Spot on, as the Brits would say. All the more incredible given Silva’s recent head bonk while doing flatwork.
