Riding hats- get your head around it!
As a horse rider, a riding hat is one of the most crucial items of safety equipment that you can purchase. Riding is a risky sport and head injuries present the most serious risk to riders; therefore it's crucial that an approved form of protective headgear is always worn while riding.
One leading riding hat brand, Champion, has a tremendous safety heritage and the brand has been a driving force in the design and development of protective riding wear for over three decades. Companies such as Champion have invested heavily in research and development over years and dramatic advances in design and technology now mean that riding hats are lighter, more comfortable and provide more protection then could have ever been imagined two decades ago
Riding hats are designed to provide protection on two core levels- through protection from penetration and also through shock absorption. The hard protective outer shell is designed to help prevent penetrative injuries from sharp objects, such as parts of a jump or a fence should you fall against it or the studs of a horse if you were unfortunately stood upon by your horse. The shock absorbing polystyrene also provides vital concussive protection for the head should you fall or be kicked by a horse.
Many hats, such as the Champion Evolution and Champion Ventair are built using light-weight glass reinforced shells and a high-tech shock absorbing polystyrene liner. New ventilation systems also help to keep the head cool, making modern hats extremely comfortable to wear.
So which sort of hat should you choose?
It's important to ensure that your hat is up to the standard specified by your riding organisation, whether it's the Irish Pony Club, Eventing Ireland, Show Jumping Ireland, or any other organisation. The most important current standards to be aware of are BS EN 1384:1997, PAS 015: 1998 and Snell E2001, as recommended by the Pony Club.
Hat manufacturers may also submit their products to the British Standards Institute (BSI), where the tried and trusted Kitemark is awarded. Kitemark awarded products offer additional safety reassurance as they are tested on a continual basis, with samples from every batch produced passing through the BSI's rigorous testing system. There are four main areas of testing: penetration, shock absorption, harness strength and stability and by purchasing a riding hat that displays the Kitemark approved tag, you can be assured that it will consistently perform to the standard it was built to.
Does your hat fit?
In order to provide you with the level of protection that it is designed to offer, you must ensure that your hat fits correctly. All good tack shops will offer a fitting service free of charge, so there is no reason not to have your hat fitted correctly; after all they are generally non-refundable products.
After you have had your hat correctly fitted by a trained hat fitter, there are a few checks that you can do yourself.
• You should be able to nod and shake your head briskly while the chinstrap is undone and the hat should stay in place.
• When you remove your hat, a slight feeling of suction is normal and also a slight lifting of the eyebrows as the skin moves.
• You should be able to talk comfortably while wearing your hat- insert an index finger between the strap and your chin, it should be firm but not prevent your jaw from moving.
Replacing your hat
Remember that if you do not take care of your hat, your hat will not take care of you. If your hat has suffered a severe impact or even just been dropped from the tack room shelf, it should be thrown away and replaced. Damage to our hats is not always visible and the polystyrene layer may be damaged unknowingly. After all, it's easy to replace a hat…
For more information on the Champion range: check out the Champion website or Tel: 0113 270 7000
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