I work p/t in a tack store and the thing I always tell my customers is that the best helmet for you is the one that fits your head. All the MIPS protection in the world won’t matter if the helmet doesn’t fit you right in the first place. That being said, the wonderful thing is that there are a lot more of those MIPS helmets on the market today than there were a couple of years ago. I was super excited when the Trauma Voids came out with it but hated the feel of the helmets on my head. One K’s round fit helmets were what fit me incredibly well and then Charles Owen came out with their MYPS helmet in a round fit and I’m pretty sure the heavens opened up and the angels sang when I tried that one on. As others have noted, just because a helmet is pricey doesn’t mean it’s going to protect your head any better. Also, keep in mind that if you try on a MIPS helmet, it’s going to wiggle ever so slightly on your head because of the inner shell part though it will still need to fit snugly around your head and not create any pressure points. A non-MIPS helmet shouldn’t have much if any, motion on your head when you try to wiggle it.
I’m at my replacement date right now. I absolutely LOVE my CO AYR8 Leatherlook Custom piping helmet. LOVE IT SO MUCH!! I attempted to get the new tipperary MIPS helmet, but unfortunately the fit was round and I am oval.
I’m debating buying another CO AYR8 custom as I love it so much, so comfy, I wear it for hours even after riding while I tinker in the barn. But the cost is easily over $500.
It all depends on how it fits you. A helmet isn’t safe if it is going to pop off your head when you fall or if it squeezed your forehead. I liked my Uvex helmets for years, but they are really too loose (in the correct size) and Samshield fits me better. I also ride in KEPS for show and those fit me much better than the GPAs I had before that.
I am not sure about those study results. How did they conduct that testing?
there is not one helmet that fits all so i higly recomed you try a variety of different brands and models with someone who knows how to fit helmets and i highly discourage you for buying online!
If you have to replace a helmet after a fall, most manufacturers have a program where they cover 50% of the cost
MIPS technology may be new to Equestrian but it’s not new. There is lots of research available showing why it offers significantly better protection against concussion and TBI.
I had said all along the only way I would pay for a higher end helmet was safety. Now that MIPS is out and not necessarily expensive, I’m happy to be safer. I’ve now retired two helmets in a row due to age, but I still want to be safe because things happen with horses. Last year my mare caught a toe and almost rotated on me, bloodying up her face and knees to catch herself and stay upright. A tail wind might have been enough to prevent her getting up with me still on her back, so I consider us lucky.
I now have a Trauma Void EQ3 which I like a lot. I had tried a Lynx and hated the too round fit, and the EQ3 is more oval. It’s also weird (I hope someone else chimes in if this is the case for all MIPS helmets) because when you use your hands it feels like it moves on your head. However, the flip upside down with it unbuckled test showed it would stay on. It also has a shorter rise, which I like because every helmet I have ever had went too far down my head.
I hate dial fit helmets and will never get one if I have no dial options which fit, because they sure feel like they are digging in and aimed right at your brain stem. I imagine if they really were that they would not exist due to lawsuits, but it’s how they feel to me.
Thank you so much for starting this topic and all the excellent discussion within it.
I’m definitely in the market for a new helmet as 1. my last one is lost in space with the rest of my old horse stuff 2. it’s over 5 years old 3. Want a fresh start.
My heart was set on the gaudiest Samshield they would allow to customize, but that doesn’t seem like a top safety decision based on those rankings. :no:
This is a fantastic topic!
Roughly a year ago I had a horse fall (at walk!!) onto me and the road, I fractured my skull and I am very lucky to be alive! The horse is also fine 
What wasn’t fine by me; I was wearing a brand new Samshield, which I had professionally fitted as well. The helmet doesn’t look like anything has happened to it but the neck brace and huge hospital bills say differently. I contacted them and they didn’t really care about having the helmet back and offered me 25% off a new helmet. Needless to say I went back to Charles Owen, which I have worn for as long as I could remember. I bought the MIPS one they do and I school in it virtually every day now. I will never wear a Samshield again or ride on the road haha. I often wonder what a different helmet would have meant but the accident isn’t something I plan on recreating any time soon!!
I would say the best helmet is the one that fits you and you feel the safest in.
