When it comes to one of the most iconic components in equestrian elegance you just can’t underestimate the importance of the riding hat. It’s up there with the very best. This is not debatable.
Listen, like in any other sporting activity, safety is the name of the game and as far as horseback riding is concerned. You seriously can’t talk about it without considering the pivotal role of riding hats.
They are very important pieces of an entire puzzle.
“A helmet saved my head 20 years ago during a lesson. The horse spooked and threw me off a jump. He went left.. I went right. landed on my but.. back, and then the back of my head hit the ground… I was wearing a helmet… Man, I was sore for 2 weeks in my upper back, but my head was fine.”
(The Myamax)
Research shows that on average 12000 people got head injuries due to their neglecting to wear riding hats and helmets during horseback riding. Do you get the idea?
So we now get the whole idea about how important riding hats are, but the question at hand is this, how often should someone change his riding hat? How long can you keep a riding hat?
Okay, well read the next paragraph.
Most equestrian pioneers recommend one to use his/her riding hat for not more than 5 years only if everything remains constant, however, you should be eligible to change your hat every time once it receives severe impacts to continue keeping up with recommended protection level.
“The lifespan of a riding helmet is five years. You should replace your helmet when it expires or after any kind of impact or fall.”
Suggests Charles Owen on when you should replace a riding helmet article.
How do I know if my helmet is damaged?
Here at Saddle Up and Ride we get asked this a lot and our response has always been like this, the perfect way to know if your helmet is damaged is through inspection, checking it all over and seeing if there is some cracking or other discrepancies is an ideal way to do so.
And after inspection, whenever you found some minor crushing it is when you should take some initiative to find another Riding hat in order to avoid some avoided injuries.
“If you have a major fall you may notice cracks on the helmet’s outer shell and it’ll be obvious that it needs replacing. However, in most situations, the real damage will be invisible to the naked eye, whether through ageing or any impact.”
Charles Owen
Can I use a cracked helmet?
You absolutely can’t do that. For a word is too risky for your entire head safety. Wearing a cracked helmet during riding is like trying to watch a titanic movie and expecting it won’t sink this time! You will always end up losing the plot.
I have said it once and I will say this again, riding a horse is one of those unpredictable activities, you absolutely can’t predict what will happen next when you are in the saddle. Anything can happen in a fraction of a second.
"When you get in a crash, the forces will be concentrated at the tip of the existing crack, potentially causing a catastrophic failure"
Says Mtbr in it's article, Small Crack In Helmet: How is this Dangerous.
“If a helmet is visibly damaged – a cracked outer shell, crushed or cracked foam liner or any other damage – don't use it.” Eric Ritcher. Having a solid riding helmet, Riding Boots and Body Protector is how you stay organized and safe.
Takeaway Message:
When it comes to how often you should change your riding hat it is very vital to pay attention to scientific advices, listen people who have thick skin in the game to stay on the safe side of things, don’t be too rigid, the only way to get ahead in life is to have better access of quality information and products.
