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“HATS?? ONLY WEAR ONE IF I HAVE TO.”

“HATS?? ONLY WEAR ONE IF I HAVE TO.”

The same used to be said about seat belts.

What happens when you drop an egg? A mess - unless it's in a padded box.

It is the same for your head if it hits the deck - unless protected by a hat. Not any old hat grabbed from the tack room shelf, but a hat which fits well AND – most important – a hat which meets any of the following standards:-

PAS015 & kitemark

ASTM F1163 & SEI

SNELL 2001

EN 1384

The Fit

If the fit of the hat is too tight, the headache it causes means it won't be worn. If the fit is too loose then the hat can drop over the eyes and break the nose or can leave the temples (the thinnest part of the skull) exposed.

When rocked back and forward or gently lifted from the head, you should feel your skin move.

Remember to DO UP THE HARNESS properly. Tug it to check.

The Position

The rim of the hat should run in a line horizontally approximately half an inch above the eyebrows round to the knobbly bit at the back of the back of the head.

NB The majority of head injuries involve impact to the temples. Some incidences of very serious brain damage have been the result of falls at WALK on GRASS surfaces. You have been warned.

LIGHTWEIGHT VENTILATED HELMETS - NEWSFLASH! 

ARE THEY SAFE FOR CROSS COUNTRY RIDERS?

This question was put many times to Rosemary, who was sloshing around in the mud at Badminton last week with the MDIRF trade stand. Her answer was, and always is, as follows:-

Lightweight ventilated helmets certified to PAS015, ASTM-F1163 SEI feature among the top ten most protective of all types of helmets in the Transport Research Laboratory's recent independent research into the safety levels of over 50 different riding helmets. Even more recent research from Northumbria University shows that insufficient ventilation to the head impairs efficiency. Hence the order to 'cool it' when 'hotheads' boil over!  Apart from the obvious benefits of remaining as cool as possible when under duress, there is no scientific evidence to support the old shibboleth that wearers of lightweight ventilated helmets are in danger of having their heads pierced through the ventilation slots by studs, branches or even natives carrying pitchforks and spears. If anyone can produce verifiable evidence - not just hearsay - of injury resulting from objects penetrating the head through ventilation slots  then please contact the MDIRF immediately in order to assist us in our continuous research into improved safety for all riders. Otherwise stop listening to old wives tales, continue riding more efficiently with cooler heads, keep your temper and above all... HAVE FUN!

PONY CLUB HAT RULE FOR 2004

'Hats with long ventilation slits are not allowed for for members over nine years old'.   

This rule precludes the use of all lightweight ventilated helmets by Pony Club Members with the exception of children under nine years.  Medical advice states that neck muscles have not developed adequately to support a heavier helmet until that age. The Pony Club have not responded to any queries regarding the safety of lightweight ventilated helmets and is unaware that the ENHAP independent tests undertaken by the Transport Research Laboratory show that out of the 60 certified helmets presented for the tests only 10 were awarded the top standard 3 stars and that 5 of those were lightweight and ventilated. Furthermore, the Pony Club states the PAS 015 & Snell E2001 as meeting higher impact criteria but omits the ASTM-F1163 (SEI) from its list of acceptable minimum standards. It is unaware that the ASTM (SEI) would meet or exceed the test requirements of all other standards. The SEI is equivalent to our BS kitemark, but operates a different, and some would say a more independent, system of certification.

In the interest of safety as well as freedom of choice, if you or your children use lightweight ventilated helmets please contact the Pony Club immediately to ask for the evidence on which it has based its extraordinary omission.  We all need to know! Incidentally, recent research by Dr Neave of Northumbria University shows that heat generated from wearing standard closed helmets may affect cricketer's batting skills essential for successful performance... all because their heads get too hot!