Choosing & Using Riding Helmets
There are two different types of riding helmets: Schooling and showing. Showing helmets need to be black or of a dark color and may be covered in velvet. We don't allow the use of bicycle helmets. All of our schooling and showing helmets are approved by the AHSA and conform to the ASTM F1163-00 standard for protective riding helmets.
Schooling Helmets
Schooling helmets need to be safe and correctly fitted. They can be different colors, have vents to keep your head cool, and you can put a cover on one. You tend to ride in your schooling helmet a lot. Then when you are done riding, you throw your helmet in your locker or tack box. Schooling helmets tend to get pretty beat up and used looking!
Showing Helmets
When showing, you need to look clean, neat and well put-together. Therefore, you want to keep your showing helmet tight-looking, neat and clean as well. You must look your best at shows and that includes your helmet! Juniors eighteen and under must wear an approved helmet for showing, which means it's approved by the AHSA and conforms to the ASTM/SEI standards. When you buy a helmet from a tack store, be sure to ask if it is approved. The folks there will know. You may ride in a showing helmet for schooling, but we suggest using a schooling helmet instead.
Helmet Shape
Regulation helmets are completely differently shaped than the older schooling non-regulation helmets. They sit lower on your head. The brim is usually hard. The straps come from the back of the helmet rather than from right behind your ear, and the strap is attached to the outside of the helmet, instead of attached to the inside. If the straps on your helmet are removable-if you can take it out or put it back in with snaps or Velcro-the helmet is not approved. All regulation helmets have straps that are staying on for good. There are different helmets that people think are more fashionable than others, but now that the rules have changed, you need to find the regulation helmet that fits you the best.
Helmet Fit
Your helmet needs to be fitted correctly. They come sized very closely together, separated by an eighth of a size, so you should be able to get a helmet that fits your head. They come in different shapes, too-they come in long oval; they come in regular; they come in short oval, depending on the shape of your head. Several companies now offer adjustable helmets that can accommodate two sizes with an adjustable dial.
Your helmet needs to go over the top of your head; don't put it on from the back or the front. When it's on and you move or shake your head, your helmet should stay in place; it shouldn't shake around or swing or fall back. Your helmet needs to be comfortable, but they need to be snug around your head, and the strap needs to be snug around your chin; it should not be loose or hanging down. If you do fall, you want your head to be protected. But, if the helmet is pushing into your head and making a really hard or bright red stripe and hurting, then you need to get a bigger size. But it still needs to be snug. Buy a new helmet from a reputable tack store. Never buy a used helmet. Ask the people who work there to help you make sure the helmet fits. They know every helmet that's approved and not approved, and they should know how to fit them.