Purchasing Your Own Riding Equipment

If you plan on becoming a rider or taking your riding seriously requires some financial commitment. The minimum is purchasing your own hat (approved), gloves, boots and riding crop.

Some riding establishments have rental helmets available but you don’t know if they are new, how many times they have been dropped (which, by the way, reduces their effectiveness). Safety is the primary factor and if you plan on riding then purchase your own gear.

What to learn more about helmet safety?

Look in the base of your helmet and it should have the information.

It should be:

• ASTM Certified – this means it has undergone testing to satisfy certain tests. Take a look at this here – ASTM testing and what they test for.

The ASTM, American Society for Testing Materials is responsible for testing and designing tests for materials, and products. If your helmet has no ASTM sticker on it then it has not been tested and may not offer the required protection.

Is a Bike Helmet OK?

A bicycle helmet for example may be ASTM approved, but, may not be approved for riding a horse.

Protective helmets including sport helmets for hockey, football and bike riding as well as equestrian, must pass a standard ‘flat anvil test‘(dropping the helmet from 6 feet onto a flat surface) and other tests as determined specifically by the sport.  The equestrian helmet must also pass a “curb anvil test“.  Take a look at the testing procedures done on this helmet. You can see the construction and safety put into the helmet and the standards which helmets must meet.

This video explains the ASTM/SEI testing.

Fitting a Riding Helmet

This is the most comprehensive helmet fitting I have seen. Helmet fitting.

Never purchase a riding helmet second hand. It may have taken a fall, even fallen off a shelf onto the floor and may have lost its shock absorption ability.