Reccomendations for a riding hat please?

[JOJOBA]

I am having trouble finding a new riding hat.
Mine is ancient, Ive needed a new one for ages. I think it got swapped at some point because it now tips right down to my nose. It kind of just floats about on my head - falling off on it would be about the same as falling off without it, only with more shrapnel :p

So I went to our local tackshop and tried all the Charles Owen ones, and I hated them - they look like a great big bucket on my head.
I eventually tried a Showjumper 2000 which was the best of the lot (since when do hats have so much padding in them???) and only made me look slightly stupid. However it costs 88 pounds. I went home and thought about it and decided to buy it, went back to tackshop, tried it on and lady refused to sell it to me :mad:. She said that the size 60 (7 and 3/8) was too big, despite the fact it was about as tight as I could bear and putting loads of pressure on my temples. She could get her fingers up the back, and said that the padding would give a little and it would no longer fit. I tried the next size down and got an instant headache. She said she would sell me that one if Id pad it up more and I said no.

My problem is that my head is wide (side to side) but not very long (back to front), so hats that pop my eyes out on my temples have loads of room at the back. She said the Showjumper 2000 was quite a narrow hat, and Id be better looking at a rounder hat like the Skull cap. However I really do hate them. Everyone else has normal looking hats, but whenever I try one it looks like someone's put a mixing bowl on my head - I decided this time I would pay more and buy a decent one but even hats that look okay on other people (know a couple of people with the Showjumper) look totally stupid on me :( .

So does anyone have a reccomendation for a hat to fit my headshape, that isnt ridiculously expensive, and is nice enough to show in (Im determined that this hat will be visiting a show), and preferably not padded so much that it overbalances you when you walk :rolleyes: ?

Thanks for any help. Feeling very dispirited about my stupid shaped head :p

Jo
xxx

[eventerbabe]

well, i have 2 hats, the Charles Owen Adventura skull cap and the JTE riding helmet. i'd recommend either of them. I had a slight problem with my adventura being wide enough but a bit long, and this resulted in it smacking me in the nose when the horse took a violent stumble. Charles owen provided me with "rock blocks" free of charge to fit inside the hat and its been perfect ever since. but both are pricey, i got my JTE for £50 but i think full price they are about £75. the Adventura also is about £70.

[No_Angel]

I liked the champion euro hats, I had 2 of them. I have a just togs hc1?? hat for showing and just got a robinsons own vented riding hat. That one is nice- I had their own riding hat but it fell over my eyes when I jumped, now I have padded it up.
I was always OK with a 56cm hat, it was a bit big, but I think my head has shrunk, I have had to pad the robinsons one to about 53cm, but it comes with pockets to add extra thickness shims in it.

[~Perdita.M~]

I have recently bought a charles owen j3? jockey I think its called. They have a lower profile than most other jockeys so dont have that mushroom effect. They also come up smaller size wize.

[Mehitabel]

tery champion, if CO don;t fit you. i'm the other way round - i have a CO shaped head, i had a champion hat for a while and it never really gave enough and moulded to my head. champion. do a velvet one too, and if you can fit into the kids one you don't pay VAT.

my champion hat - http://historicalfact.com/~es/pony%20pictures/canterright30april05.jpg

CO one - http://historicalfact.com/~es/pony%20pictures/walk-5-6.jpg

even from those pics you can see they're quite different shapes.

[dancing-horse]

I know you said you want a cheap one, but the more expensive ones are higher quality and are certified, so I think it would be much safer and much more worthit for you to buy a more expensive one then buying any cheap old helmet just because it IS cheap.

With that said, I would go for a troxel. I live in the USA, but I used to live in england, so Im familiar with the exchange rate and stuff. I have a troxel gold series velevet show helmet and it's very good and breathable. It cost me $80.00, which in pounds would be about $45. However, the prices may range at the tackshop you are going to. Troxel has all different sorts of helmets that you can invest in. I woud defintely go for troxel.

Maybe u can find some cheaper ones on these websites.

www.statelinetack.com
www.troxelhelmets.com
www.sigma.com

Im not sure about sigma, but you can still look. If u go to the troxel website, they may have them cheaper directly from the company, or you can visit it to see the kind of price range between this helmet and other helmets. What about going to s used tackshop or something?
hope this helped.

[JOJOBA]

I dont necessarily want a cheap one, just not one that costs hundreds of pounds!
Im definitely buying a new one too. I was thinking of going to a bigger tackshop but dont want to follow a pipe dream if there's nothing out there for me.

xxx

[Mehitabel]

price isn't always about safety though - my CO kids own (£40 ish) has the exact same specs as the SJ2000, which is over twice the price. the SJ has the leather look straps and is all round smarter, that's the difference.

some of the sellotape hats are quite small, i think. i don't know about the sizing or shapes though, but have you tried any on?

[JOJOBA]

My head isnt really very small - I need a 60 side to side, so I doubt Id be able to look at any kid's hats. My head is actually quite large! It's just not very long...


xxx

[ajhainey]

My champion junior is great and cost ~£35. And I don't have a small head! Its a 58 I think...I'll check the exact ones I've tried and discarded when I get home....the ventura (not aventura) skull was certainly wide if that helps??

I found my choice by trying on other peoples hats at the yard - gives you more of a feel for how the hat might 'settle out' padding wise - also (assuming good mates!) you can have a bit of a ride in it/take it home and wear it so you get to find all the niggles...

If you want a small one the decathlon velvet is very svelte btw...I had mine for a while and despite appearences(it looks to thin to work!) it did the job when I took a real crack to the head (fell at fast canter into a fence) They are only £23.

aj xx

[jowyles]

my name is jo too i have a showjumper 2000 hat and they didnt want me to have it but i insisted lol, i have the same head shape problem but they gave me some things to put it in to make it fit better, tho i lost them lol. Once i went to have a hat fitted at a horse show and they said i needed a size 11/2 which ive never worn in my life! i was wearing a size three, aslong as you can see and its comfortable id say have it. Showjumper one is amazing by the way ive had mine 2 years now and it still looks good as new! and its been rained on lots

[JOJOBA]

Are the decathlon ones up to standard then? My friend works at our local decathlon so I might pop over... on the net they dont have any of their horse stuff :mad: so I cant look at it.

xxx

[Horsesarelife]

I've got the CO sj xp, which is more expencive again i think, but i'd deffinalty get one again (the main reason being its the only one that would go on my head). I've always thought Co's were quite long and thin in shape in comparsion to other riding hats which in my experience tend to more round :). I've had other makes of hat (dublin which were quite wide i think), and I tried on some of the just togs one with a leather harness but my co is a 60, and the 60 in the just togs one was about 5 sizes to big :o.

Anyway, in a round about way I'm trying to say that i've always concidered Co's to be quite a strange shape, but they fit me well :)

[chewitmonster]

I have just bought a Harry Hall elite plus hat:

hat (http://www.equestrian.co.uk/tackshop/store/hats_and_silks/sn769.asp)

It's probably a little big for me so when mum finally decides to order herself one she'll go for a size smaller and I'll see if I fit better in that one...I think it's perching a little bit:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v712/chewitmonster/Silver0513.jpg

[Mehitabel]

the kids ones come in normal head sizes too. as it happens i do have a pinhead, but the kids versions just don't have VAT on them and have cartoons in the lining.

[Pickles]

An old saddler I used to go to used strips of sticky backed padding to adjust the fit of a hat if it was the best fit he could find.

They were very thin, but made the hat fit snuggly all round, he also checked and altered the fit whenever you took it back in, as the padding in hats does flatten out over time.

Don't know where you would buy them if you wanted to use them though.

[ajhainey]

The decthlon hats are en1384, not BSEN as they are tested in france or spain (iirc), it's the same standard though, just a non uk testing centre.

I was never refused a ride using mine but I have to say until I took the fall in it I was a bit doubtful (so cheap! so thin! Surely can't be the same as the big £100 mushroom hats!) but it held up fine and must have helped as the rest of me was in agony and I didn't get even a trace of a headace/vision probs/soreness/confusion etc.

Most of the folks at my stables start out in them and I've never heard of any problems first hand. Although I will say I do occasionally hear horror stories (dropped it on the floor and it fell apart etc) but they are always 'my friend says she heard of this girl who...' and I don't place much credence in them I think it's more to do with people preferring posh gear than there actually being anything wrong with them...

aj xx

[RachelEvent]

I have a Champion rather than Charles Owen shaped head. I have a euro deluxe skull cap - fits really well and is very comfy. Charles Own hats really don't fit me. If you can try some champion ones, do, as they are not any more expensive :)

[nicolaj]

I'm a bit sad when it comes to safety, always buy one that has the British Kite mark, as we in the UK tend to test to a higher standard than just the European standard, which is why the Charles Owen and the Champion tend to be quite bulky looking.

Have you tried the Dublin Onyx, that looks a nice hat and is kitemarked, doesn't look too bulky, think it is designed as being 'low profile'.

When it comes to your head, you only get one chance to protect it, it's too late afterwards.

[drookitsheep]

I have recently bought a charles owen j3? jockey I think its called. They have a lower profile than most other jockeys so dont have that mushroom effect. They also come up smaller size wize.

I recently bought a CO J3 and it is THE most comfortable hat I've ever worn. Fitted like a glove from the start without giving me headaches or feeling like the padding was going to give to much. My head is quite round/wide so maybe the J3 is worth a try? Go round as many tack shops as you can and just try on as many as possible and see which suits you best - took me ages to stumble across the J3. Weirdly, I've heard people say the CO J3 sizings are particularly "ungenerous" - I actually came down a size with it. Happy shopping!

[Esther.D]

I have a Champion shaped head too..I changed to a Charles Owen and it was never as comfortable as my Champion. I have a huge head and yet can still get kids hats and usually do (seems daft to pay VAT for the same hat, the kids version just has a cartoon on the inside..well no-one will see the inside anyway ;) )

[Pickles]

Ha, ha, my hubby and I both have cartoon ponies dancing about inside our hats, not sure what make they are though, just the ones that fitted the best.

I guess some youngsters can have large heads as I take one of the biggest sizes but can normally find a vat free one that fits.

[Holly B]

I'm a bit sad when it comes to safety

It's not sad, it's good that you always buy a hat that's a proper standard. I would never actually buy one that wasn't PAS 015, just to be on the safe side! I can't stand it when I see an idiot without a hat, no matter what they are doing.

When it comes to your head, you only get one chance to protect it, it's too late afterwards.

Exactly, well said! :)

[Kanuma]

i have a CO and 2 champion ones (they all fit) i feel safer in my CO then my champions, but the champions look less bulky!
anyway for showing you want a velvet one with a leather harness!

[Greta]

I own a Horka which is very good!!!! I've never owned one, but from what I read in UK magazines, Charles Owen has good hats!!! :) :) :)

[Skib]

Charles Owen dont fit me either.
One problem is that our tack shop which sells Charles Owen doesnt sell any other make. They claim CO has so many sizes they can fit anyone but that is not true in my case.
One needs a good shop with lots of different makes. So that one can try on a lot of different hats and find one that fits.
And is the strength you want.
Mine is a Gatehouse High Spec and I have a black velvet cover.
But it might not be right for you.
The helmet ones that look like pudding basins can be covered with a silk, or velvet cover that makes them look just like a riding cap.
My friend in Texas has a Troxel which is very cool in hot weather. So I plan to try one on.

[ridingstar]

They claim CO has so many sizes they can fit anyone but that is not true in my case.
One needs a good shop with lots of different makes. So that one can try on a lot of different hats and find one that fits.


I agree. A Charles Owen helmet has a particular shape which does not suit everyone, so you may need to try a variety of different brands. I am lucky that my head is CO 2000 shape as I love it's traditional style, especially the leather harness. The only thing I don't like about it is that it looks so large, but that's because of the extra protection the current helmets provide, so I mustn't complain.

[RiderGirl]

Hm...I tend to go for the Aegis helmets but the Charles Owens aren't too bad.

[crazzyscotty]

i am a new rider and my first ever hat is a charles owen gr8 cost £110 but its well worth it for comfert and safty and i tryed a few others in stock but i found the gr8 best sueted me and its not bad for a first hat lol

[sidesaddlelady1]

Sorry if someone has already said this - The hat should not be uncomfortably tight but should lift your eyebrows when removed straight upwards (does this make sense). Go to a trained fitter and be prepared to shop around until you find the right make for you.

Durrr - The thick padding is to protect your head in an accident such as slapping your head on tarmac!

Replace your hat every two years or when it has received a blow such as a fall from a height, whether your head is in it or not. My skull cap was broken when it was dropped 3 feet onto a concrete floor so it's easily done.

I have a rather prominent forehead and find Champion Skulls fit me well but very few velvet hunt caps do.

[ponylover88]

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