Helmet help

D

Deeza

New Member
May 7, 2023
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Hey guys. Ive just taken up horse riding and am in need of helmet advice please.


Ive tried a few and the only one that really fit properly was the Charles Owen Fiona hat. All the others were loose on the sides or dug into my head (esp some adjustables)

Since its an older style (but a new helmet) it doesn't have the newer safety standards but it is BSEN: 1384 and Kitemarked.

More info here: https://www.redpostequestrian.co.uk/clothing/riding-hats/charles-owen-fiona-riding-hat--black__71471



The lady at the tack-shop said that velvet helmets are generally not that safe and only used for showing.

Do you think this is a decent helmet for riding? I just want something thats safe for chilled riding and I dont plan to do any shows - Im a long, long way from that! Haha!

There is a newer Charles Owen 'Fian' hat but im not able to find it anywhere locally.
 
No one on the internet can check a helmet fit for you. But generally speaking modern helmets, especially those with a choice of liner size, are easier to fit than the older models were.
The advice of the shop assistant is correct. Helmets with a fixed peak may be designed for traditional showing but are not usually regarded being as safe as helmets with a removable peak, or a helmet worn with a hat silk which has a peak.

I myself always wore a Snell approved helmet but I bought a new hat a couple of weeks ago because research into the impact of helmets and skulls in falls has changed thanks to the development of bicycle helmets and understanding of what is known as rotational movement both of your brain and of the skin round your skull.. A cycle helmet is not suitable for horse riding. But the research that has gone into cycle helmets can now be aplied to riding helmets.

I had a look at the ad for the Fian helmet and it is marketed as suitable for hunting and showing, that is, it is a traditonal hat made to moderrn safety standards. But for normal every day riding you probably dont need to buy that particular hat. Charles Owen have a range of other hats with non-fixed peaks and better ventillation. They may be lighter too.

I would ask your store to measure your head and order in a hat for you to try on. You should then place the hat on your head, as instructed for that model. My previous hat was put on from the back. The new one from the front. You should then wear the hat in the store for 10 or 15 miutes to make sure that the close fit (which is correct) is not too tight or uncomfortable after you have been wearing it for a while.

I am all for tradition in riding and in tack but when it comes to safety, the latest developments are usually best.
 
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It's better than nothing, but I'd keep looking. Maybe go to a bigger store where you can try on a wider range of brands and styles? Shapes vary, a hat can be the right size but the wrong shape for you, but one that feels loose is probably too big.
 
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Years ago the 1384 was the accepted standard.
Personally I wouldn't touch anything that wasn't also the PAS. 015 or duel standard.
But, it's going to depend on the shape of your head. You want a hat that's similar fitting to the one you tried, just with the extra standard.
A hat that fits, is better than no hat or one that doesn't fit.
 
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Thanks for all the advice. Its a pity I cant find any other Charles Owen hats near me as I think the shape fits me well and I def want to fit on to make sure its right.

I tried on Samshield, GPA and KeP and all the styles I tried had gaps at my temples and so many felt like a mushroom on my head. Maybe because I tried on the sleek velvet hat, the others looked and felt ridiculous. But my biggest concern was that they felt loose, like I could lift the hat off my head real easy by just lightly pushing the side in which case whats the point, right?
 
If they feel that loose then the chances are they're too big, a new hat should feel snug as with wear the padding will bed down a little. It sounds like you need to get to a shop that stocks a wider range of makes and sizes, it maybe a nuisance but for something as important as a hat it's time well spent. If that means some travelling it would be worth ringing up in advance to check they have a decent range in your size to try on.
 
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What I noticed was one store hed a vast array of hats, but they were all in the £300 plus price range. They were based at a competition yard so stock for their client base.
The other had stock for the everyday rider and that's that's the place you want.
 
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I don't want to thread hi jack but I have always had the Charles and Owen young riders hat and thought (maybe wrongly?) that because they were aimed at kids they'd be safe? I bought one from an online tack shop two years ago, because I know exactly the size I need, having been fitted for my first one 20 years ago. Okay there's probably a clue there; 20 years on things will have changed with regard to safety standards as technology improves.
However, I have no desire to go and bin my latest Charles and Owen hat, (I had it tucked away in the box in my wardrobe for two years during the covid) but now I'm a little concerned that it's not that safe. It does have a kitemark and something else (I binned the card and paperwork that was with it on the tag) Sorry for waffling a little but I do find it extremely comfortable and well fitting. But, bit bothered now. To the original poster, sorry if I've butted into your thread! I hope you find one that you click with and that's safe.
 
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If its not been used @Trewsers why would it not be safe?

My previous Champion was Pas015:2011. That's the up to date standard for competing. Not that we are.
If we were doing xc, HT, hunting, I would look into the more up to date hat though.
 
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newforest said:
If its not been used @Trewsers why would it not be safe?

My previous Champion was Pas015:2011. That's the up to date standard for competing. Not that we are.
If we were doing xc, HT, hunting, I would look into the more up to date hat though.
Click to expand...
I was just getting worried because of all the new safety standards etc and wondering if I should buy a newer better standard one. There's so much information I get confused. I don't really want to buy another hat, I know this one is super comfy and it's been stored properly in my wardrobe. Just with reading about all the newer ones - and I actually went on Charles Owen's site and noticed they didn't maket his model anymore. I've emailed them to ask their advice on it. I'll only be pootling in walk, but as you know - accidents can happen. Just want to be as safe as I can really.
 
newforest said:
What I noticed was one store hed a vast array of hats, but they were all in the £300 plus price range. They were based at a competition yard so stock for their client base.
The other had stock for the everyday rider and that's that's the place you want.
Click to expand...
Trewsers said:
I don't want to thread hi jack but I have always had the Charles and Owen young riders hat and thought (maybe wrongly?) that because they were aimed at kids they'd be safe? I bought one from an online tack shop two years ago, because I know exactly the size I need, having been fitted for my first one 20 years ago. Okay there's probably a clue there; 20 years on things will have changed with regard to safety standards as technology improves.
However, I have no desire to go and bin my latest Charles and Owen hat, (I had it tucked away in the box in my wardrobe for two years during the covid) but now I'm a little concerned that it's not that safe. It does have a kitemark and something else (I binned the card and paperwork that was with it on the tag) Sorry for waffling a little but I do find it extremely comfortable and well fitting. But, bit bothered now. To the original poster, sorry if I've butted into your thread! I hope you find one that you click with and that's safe.
Click to expand...
@Trewsers you havent butted in at all 🤣. I think we share the same concerns with all the updated safety standards. Im wondering whether buying a hat that fits (its a new hat from the tack shop and spending £200) is worth it if it doesnt have the new safety standards.

But then again it fits and feels secure compared to the others I tried. Im currently using the riding school's hats which freak me out even more because I have no clue what they've been through.

Its very annoying. Would love to know if Charles Owen replies to you as I also thought of mailing them to find out about the outdated Fiona hat.
 
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The foam in a hat including the foam round the edge which stops the edge of the hat cutting into you, deteriorates after 4 years, so it is pointless to keep a hat in a box unused.
My new hat is a Charles Owen MS1 Pro with MIPS and cost about £160. It fits more closely to the top and sides of my skull than my previous one,
The previous had a lining like bubble wrap and when one fell off onto the hat, the bubbles burst reducing the impact.
The new technology is completely different and £160 doesnt seem that expensive,.
According to an on line ad. the standards it meets are
ASTM F1163-15, PAS015:2011, VG1 01-040 2014-12

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Skib said:
The foam in a hat including the foam round the edge which stops the edge of the hat cutting into you, deteriorates after 4 years, so it is pointless to keep a hat in a box unused.
My new hat is a Charles Owen MS1 Pro with MIPS and cost about £160. It fits more closely to the top and sides of my skull than my previous one,
The previous had a lining like bubble wrap and when one fell off onto the hat, the bubbles burst reducing the impact.
The new technology is completely different and £160 doesnt seem that expensive,.
According to an on line ad. the standards it meets are
ASTM F1163-15, PAS015:2011, VG1 01-040 2014-12

.




​

​

Click to expand...
I wish we had more Charles Owen options in South Africa. Seems to be only the old technology I can find here. Even the box was worn as the hat has been sitting in the store for so long.

On another note, I see the MS1 Pro is a skull cap. Maybe I need to find more skull cap options and then get those lycra covers with the visors instead of an all in one type helmet. I really hate the adjustable ones as they dig into the back of my head.
 
You don't want anything that's been sat around in a shop for years, the materials degrade with time.
 
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I was under the impression that you visited Redpost and that's why you linked their site.
If you are not even in the UK, you want the accepted safety standard for your country.
 
newforest said:
I was under the impression that you visited Redpost and that's why you linked their site.
If you are not even in the UK, you want the accepted safety standard for your country.
Click to expand...
Sorry that was the only link where I could find specs on the Fiona as its no longer on the Charles Owen site 🫣.
 
I stopped riding for personal reasons during the covid and my Charles and Owen has been stored in a cool dark wardrobe, I doubt if the foam will have come to much harm - of course I could be wrong. I'm interested to see what C & O tell me. I would think that most riding hats in big tack shops "sit around for quite some time as they do carry a lot of stock of the same model - from my own experience, for example, Robinsons used to carry what looked like a couple of hundred of the model I'm waffling about. Of course they would have a high turnover sales wise, but I don't think they were flying off the shelves like buns or anything. The riding school I purchased my first hat from, their tack shop had quite a few hundred of them in stock too. Hmm. I think if the foam had deteriorated to a bad degree then surely it would feel loose? It feels like it fits snugly and comfortably, it feels "new". Pity we can't x ray them!
 
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