Riding Helmets - Why Do We Value Style Over Safety?

Earlier this week I posted on my Facebook this very interesting article where a final year Industrial Design and Technology student at Loughborough Uni has designed a new polo helmet prototype with new and improved safety ideas. You can read more about what he's up to in the article or his blog. But it got me thinking about a variety of safety problems in equestrianism and thought i'd write my thoughts.

Photo by Robin Spicer

 From what I understand the HPA don't require polo helmets to abide by any British safety standards (Kite marks etc) but see it as the riders responsibility to wear a hat that they want and be responsible for their own head.

Also from what I understand (kindly explained by my friend Becx) that UKPA at Polocrosse tournaments check that your hat meets current safety standards and fits properly otherwise you're not allowed to compete. They sticker your hat with a sticker so that you don't have to have it checked each time, great idea!

I am under the impression that British Eventing and British Showjumping associations do 

similar (by all means correct me if i'm wrong as we don't compete under either) in that they check your hat meets current kitemarks and regulations and if you don't then you cannot compete.

I am absolutely all for these regulations. I've heard time and time again people say "but it's my head and I should decide" but have they really thought it through, who's going to look after them and take on that huge responsibility if they were to be paralyzed or suffer brain damage!?

Another thing that came to my attention of safety was back protectors. Recently I read this article from Horse & Hound  after the death of Canadian eventer Jordan McDonalds. The inquest into his deathfound he was not wearing a body protector that would not meet British Eventings standards. 

When this article was posted on the Horse & Hounds facebook I read some comments saying that some riders who are competing at CCI 1-3 levels have been personally adjusting and removing parts of the back protector to make it more stylish and comfortable!

Yup, you read that right, they're adjusting the back protector and in doing so are compromising its effectiveness in doing so. 

Showing is another realm that safety comes into play. Don't get me wrong, I love traditional dress in showing. To me top hats and beaglers looks absolutely awesome, but I would never ever wear one while riding a horse as the risk is just too great and unpredictable to risk my life for the sake of looking cool. 

Same with polo, I think i'd much rather wear a Charles Owen polo hat which is safety regulation compliant than risk a brain injury. Here Horse & Hound published an article in which a study found that nearly 50% of polo players valued look over their safety when buying a new helmet. Yes, we get it, you wanna look hot playing polo but you can still do that safely!

So how does change in values regarding safety happen? Myself and others while discussing it have said that in order to get these things changed it comes down to the manufacturers and the high profile people wearing them to make that transition and lobby for better standards.

Would it take top polo hat manufacturer Casablanca to make a hat that was safety regulation compliant and that reduced the severity of the impact injury? I'd say probably so. And if they did, it would no doubt take the high profile professional high goal players to wear them just to get the amateurs and low to medium goal players following suit. Again, I think it probably would.

Polito Pieres, polo's showman. Would it taking him or another higher goaler wearing a safer helmet to make you change?

Photo by Images of Polo 

But why is that? Well I think it comes down to everyone looking up to and having someone they aspire to be like. At any age we all have someone we'd like to ride like, whether that be a high goaler, an eventer, a dressage rider, or even a top show rider and what they wear does shape (whether consciously or unconsciously) what we want to buy and use. Why do you think manufacturers have sponsored riders and ambassadors? For just that reason..

It took Charlotte Dujardin in dressage to stop wearing a top hat for other professionals and amateurs stop wearing them to. I read that Mary King said she stopped wearing a top hat when performing the dressage stage at three day eventing because she was following in Charlottes example. If both those high profile rider choose to compete at the very highest level of dressage and eventing and not wear the traditional hat then amateurs thought why can't I? and opted for a safe reg hat with a harness.

With all that said, with showing still being so traditional in it's dress, as little has changed in the turn out of a horse and rider for the ring, it's very hard to go against the masses. 

Riders are reluctant to go against that traditional turn out in fear of being penalised and miss out on winning their class. I've known people purposely use a double bridle or pelham on their show horse, knowing their horse goes better in a snaffle for fear that the judge would mark them down for it. So they're compromising on way of going all to suit that tradition. That is how stuck these things can be and that's just one example.

Photo by Nico Morgan

Riders in ladies side saddle hunter are still wearing top hats to compete because they want to keep to that very traditional style of turn out of top hat, veil, habit and tails. Yes, a smaller amount of people are hunting and showing in proper hats as they don't want to compromise on their safety, but should the professional producers stop wearing them, and will that help the masses be persuaded to look after their safety more?

I hope so, but sadly I do not have these answers.

All that associations and governing bodies can do is to put rules into place and enforce them, we cannot physically make someone wear a safety reg hat. But by putting rules into place and making sure people abide by them is one way in making sure that events are as safe as they can be.

I applaud these high profile riders for going against these traditions and choosing to be vocal in their change, as that is how change happens. By someone feeling passionate about that cause and helping to change people's mindsets to ensure better safety.

Photo by Dressage News

I hope I haven't offended anyone reading this post. All the views expressed are mine and if you disagree with them that is fine

Look after your body, bones break and some heal and fix themselves but some things cannot be fixed like a spinal cord or brain stem so I urge you to always wear a proper hat and if jumping, then a back protector too

Sophie x

Riding hats. Why we should always wear them and the arguments for and against

Although to some, this post it going to be a little frustrating and maybe what I am going to write will be a tough pill to swallow.

This week alone i've seen two very scary hat related stories I wanted to make you all aware of so there they are -

First is this Race Post photo that is of Edgar Prado's helmet after falling off while racing..
Just look at it for a minute and let that sink in...

Then today a good friend of mine and fellow equestrian Alix sharing this -

All of these in one week.

Now I know that in the world of showing and hunting, a lot of people still wear beaglers, bowler hats, and top hats. They are 'correct dress' traditionally and are still 'correct dress' and allowed in the show ring.

Less and less people are choosing to wear them though due to stories about the above. Plus a lot of show societies are not allowing them in classes anymore.

See this article by Horse & Hound about SHB (GB) after they banned hats without a strap here

Now, don't get me wrong, I think that top hats, bowlers and beaglers look absolutely beautiful, they really do. They're traditional and all. But, saying that, I do think that whenever on a horse you should wear a riding hat up to safety standard which cannot come off your head if you were to fall off..

The above photos are from two completely different situations one is a professional race jockey, the other a amateur rider. There have been dressage riders who have had accidents. Even Charlotte Dujardin said in this interview that she has suffered from a fractured skull from riding without a hat and won't ride without a helmet on again. Same for Courtney King-Dye who rode without a helmet, the horse tripped and took her with it, she also suffered a skull fracture..

So with a top hat, bowler or beagler, just how much would they actually help in a fall while wearing one? Who knows, and i'm certainly not going to try and find out..

I've seen this video with someone showing a Charles Owen Beagler coming off and a Patey staying on, then again I've seen photos of a Patey coming off in a fall too! So really with the risk of it might come off, why do people continue to wear them? As the H&H article above writes, is it vanity or tradition, or both?

My vibe I get from reading more and more on the subject is that non safety standard hats are on the way out. See here and here for examples of questioning why everyone should wear safety standard hats.

Many a time in facebook debates people have argued "It's my head, my decision" in the sake of argument in wearing a top hat, beagler or bowler but had they stopped and thought of the long term of who would look after them if they were to suffer a debilitating fall which left them disabled and unable to look after themselves? 

The stories i've read are that those who have had accidents have had husbands and family to look after them, but what if they didn't? And what if they had been killed, leaving family and friends behind.

I think it's definitely a thinking point to ponder on... So on that one, I'll leave it there