What do riding hats do?

Your riding hat is one of the most essential pieces of kit you own and you should ALWAYS wear one while riding and preferably when handling your horse or pony from the ground, too! Accidents can happen in a split second and it’s far better to be safe than sorry. Afterall, you want to ride as much as possible and not be laid up with an injury, right?

Head injuries are the most common reason for horse-related hospital visits so it’s super-important your safety helmet is well-fitting and up to standard. But do you know how your riding hat works and what actually happens if you have a fall and you hit your head?

Your riding helmet protects in two ways

1. It has a reinforced hard outer shell which is made from an extremely strong and yet lightweight material that is designed to reduce penetration by sharp objects.
2. Inside the shell is a high density expanded polystyrene shock absorbent liner. This material is extremely lightweight and yet is able to absorb an enormous amount of energy in the event of a blow to the head during a fall, essentially absorbing the impact of a blow before it gets to your head.

Earlier this year Gracie Tyte, AKA Pony Nuts, had a nasty fall while schooling cross country. Poor Gracie ended up in A&E and needed stitches in her mouth, but fortunately she was wearing her Champion skull cap and body protector, which prevented her injuries from being far more serious.

Champion took the Ventair Sport helmet that Gracie was wearing into the Champion lab for analysis, to see just how much impact it had sustained. Although her helmet seemed pretty much unscathed on the outside, the impact that it protected Gracie from was all too evident on the inside. Hear what Gracie had to say about her fall in her youtube video.

As Gracie’s experience shows, if you have ever had a fall during which your riding hat or helmet sustained an impact, it should be replaced. This is because it has already done its protective job and although the helmet may look fine on the outside, the internal polystyrene shock absorbent liner may have been damagedand will not be able to provide the same level of protection in the future.

It’s also important to remember that eventhough your riding hat may not have sustained an impact, it is still important to replace it regularly. This is because the protective materials it contains will gradually deteriorate with exposure to heat and repeated use – than means it won’t offer you the same level of protection as it did when it was new.

If you ride daily, Champion recommends you replace your hat annually and occasional riders to replace their hats every two to three years and ALWAYS replace your hat after a fall in which your helmet has sustained an impact.After all, it’s easy to replace your hat and there should be no compromise where your safety is concerned.

Stay safe and happy riding!

 

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(Please don’t swipe or read if you aren’t good with blood and gore!) Yesterday was a really tough day that certainly reminded me of the dangers of the sport. Bella was a really good girl doing some XC schooling however unfortunately towards the end of the course we misjudged the stride to a brush with an open ditch, meaning she fell through it and I went flying head first into the ground, and managed to drag my lip across the grass so hard it ripped it off down to the bone 😱 I got back on and jumped some more and luckily Bella doesn’t seem to have lost any confidence, but after a 4 hour trip to A&E, injections, and stitches in my mouth I’m feeling pretty sore this morning!! I have to admit I really do just feel so lucky, I’ve never had a fall like this, to hit the ground so hard head first and then be tangled up in Bella’s legs for so long as she tried to regain her footing is just a terrifying thought and I cannot believe I walked away just a bit bruised because it so easily could have been a lot worse. I can’t even imagine where I’d be right now if it wasn’t a brush fence that she could brush through. I’m so grateful for my hat and body protector from @championequestrian as I don’t actually think I’d still be here if it wasn’t for them – and of course I’m so grateful to Bella who somehow managed to avoid standing on me! I’m not posting the video at the moment as it is horrendous and it’s still really raw, but I wanted to share with you all what happened x #myspiresanotherstar

A post shared by Gracie Tyte 🇬🇧 (@pony_nuts) on Feb 9, 2020 at 1:19am PST