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RIDING HATS HAVE COME A LONG WAY IN RECENT YEARS, AND THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS MEAN THAT DRESSAGE COMPETITORS CAN COMBINE STYLE WITH SAFETY, JANE CARLEY REPORTS.

The contribution to safety made by the latest headgear is now widely accepted in the UK, confi rms Claire illiams, Executive Director of the British Equestrian Trade Association (BETA), with 98% of riders stating that they wear an approved standard hat.

Over the last 10 years or so, the most signifi cant research into hat sa ety has been in relation to rotational motion and the eff ects this has on the brain, suggests Helen Riley, brand manager or Cham ion a ety.

“Development of test methods to measure rotational motion have sadly lagged behind, which may have caused a delay in bringing products to market which protect from this ty e o in ury. owever, at Cham ion we have been researching and testing for this type of accident scenario for quite some time and have recently added a new layer of protection to our existing high performing helmets, in the orm o the latest I technology ulti Im act rotection ystem and all research and testing data indicates that it is highly benefi cial or rider rotection.”

The Revolve range of helmets from Cham ion are tri le certifi ed to A , , A F and carry the itemar and I mar as well as incor orating I technology.

Charles wen mar eting director Ale ure e lains e launched our fi rst helmet s ecifi cally designed to include I technology 18 months ago and researched the technology for many years previous to this in our in house testing acility. he I system was invented in in weden by ans von olst, a neurosurgeon and Peter Halldin, a researcher from the Royal Institute o echnology. I is designed to add protection against rotational motion (or kinematics) transmitted to the brain from angled impacts to the head, which is how most riders fall. Rotational motion is a combination of rotational energy (angular velocity) and rotational forces from angular acceleration that both aff ect the brain and increase the ris or minor and severe brain injuries. I added rotection system has been proven to reduce rotational motion when implemented in a helmet by redirecting energies and forces otherwise transmitted to the brain.”

I ta es the orm o a slim additional hidden liner that is incorporated inside the riding helmet, Ale e lains. his low friction layer enables your head to move mm in all directions, which has been proven to reduce the rotational movement to the brain and therefore injury (particularly concussion and traumatic brain injury). The core idea behind I is to simulate and enhance the brain s own rotection system, which uses the principle of the brain being able to slide a little bit against the s ull.” hile I has been available in other ty es of helmets (such as cycling and snow sports) for some time, it is still a relatively new concept in the e uestrian fi eld, Helen points out.

“Education is paramount to help consumers understand the benefi ts that this extra layer of rotection off ers on top

ABOVE: THE LATEST GENERATION OF SAFETY HEADGEAR FOR RIDING INCORPORATES MIPS TECHNOLOGY, WHICH OFFERS ADDED PROTECTION AGAINST ROTATIONAL MOTION TRANSMITTED TO THE BRAIN IN A FALL. RIGHT: THE CHAMPION REVOLVE RADIANCE MIPS HELMET.

o the more well nown linear im act, crush, enetration, stability and harness strength testing that we at Cham ion carry out on all o our A tandard helmets. hile u ta e has been good so ar, more needs to be done to give the consumers the confi dence to ay a remium or this higher level o rotection. e are roud to have been one o the fi rst to mar et to off er this higher level o security and rotection and we have introduced a I layer to hats in our range, giving consumers more choice and even greater eace o mind.”

Ale ure comments he Charles wen y helmet off ers three certifi cations to three international e uestrian sa ety standards, A , . , A F , lus I technology. Charles wen has embraced I technology as a way to to u the sa ety o some o our already tri le tested, tri le certifi ed riding helmets. he ado tion o I rovides urther rotection to reduce brain shear in riding accidents involving alls at s eed.”

FIT FOR SAFETY o be eff ective, hats must fi t the wearer well, oints out Claire illiams.

“Fit is absolutely key to the protection off ered, so it s im ortant to have your hat ro essionally fi tted be ore urchase, and avoid sharing hats with other riders. ven with interchangeable liners, sharing can aff ect the fi t.” he erce tion that certain brands fi t diff erent head sha es has largely been countered by manu acturers off ering a wider range o models, Claire e lains. iff erent hats within a manu acturer s range will fi t round or oval sha ed heads, so once you have ound a sha e and model that fi ts, it s best to stic to it. ome hats also rely on the fi ne ad ustment o the harness to fi t recisely, which is another reason to have your hat ro essionally fi tted.” ats are also hand fi nished, so each individual hat will vary slightly, she adds, so you won t get a er ect fi t i you try a hat on at a show, and then subse uently decide to urchase it rom the internet or by mail order at a later date. A trained hat fi tter can off er micro fi tting by adding a ad or twea ing the harness. anu acturers off er their training or their individual brands or retailers can go on a general fi tting course off ered by A.” hile modern sa ety hats diff er greatly

The angle helmets are tested today The angle you are more likely to fall

from the now-outdated snug ‘beagler’, no com romise to the fi t is necessary when designing helmets with higher levels of rotection, says elen. e have a wide range o styles, which overall off er a range o diff erent fi ts to accommodate most head sha es and sizes. And there is no reason why diff erent sha es to fi t diff erent heads cannot still be achieved when incor orating any new technology, including I . It may ta e a little longer in development, but the end result or Cham ion in bringing roducts to mar et is always to off er a com lete and recise range o sizes to suit all consumers.”

STYLE AND SUBSTANCE Classic ressage is the su lier o as helmets which meet the C . and A F with I A standards, and are designed and made in Italy using com onents rom the . he as design eatures an inner shell made with e anded olystyrene with three levels o densities or shoc rotection, com ort and lightness.

Classic ressage s manager ulia ornig comments ni ue to A is the nec cradle attached to the bac o the helmet which off ers increased sa ety and wearer com ort. For urther com ort A uses a honeycomb li e aeration grid that is built into the olystyrene to create a cooling air ow, and since , the helmets have a merino wool liner which is removable and can be hand washed at degrees.” ulia adds As riders become conscious o the im act o the sun, A is selling more o its tar ady wider brim helmets. ere in the we are still selling mainly the ogma ight standard ea helmets but our sales are e anding in both styles.” rands to suit a range o re uirements are on off er rom retailer Classic ressage ne is an interesting helmet as it uses a uni ue air um to fi ll out the s ace in a helmet liner, so it s er ect i you want to ad ust your helmet during the day. is the only helmet with a de th adjuster, as well as the dial ad ustment at the bac o the helmet. ne o our best selling models is the amshield hadowmatt which is slic , elegant and aerodynamic loo ing ” hile dressage has remained a most notoriously traditional disci line, style has in recent years seen some relaxation from the top hats and bowlers o yesteryear, suggests elen. As consumers become more sa ety conscious through education, and rightly so, tastes have develo ed and a demand or alternative styles has emerged. evelo ing good loo ing helmets which will a eal to the masses is the holy grail or all sa ety manu acturers and at Cham ion we believe that there should be no compromise – stylish can, and should, always be sa e. very Cham ion helmet carries the I itemar , which means that each and every batch roduced is inde endently tested by I to ensure they re u to scratch and with so many gorgeous designs now available in itemar ed hats and helmets, there s no trade off between sa ety and style.”

ABOVE: LATEST RESEARCH HAS TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT THE ANGLE OF THE HEAD IN ‘REAL LIFE’ FALLS RATHER THAN IN LABORATORY TESTS. ABOVE RIGHT: MANY STRIDES FORWARD FROM TRADITIONAL RIDING HATS, MIPS HELMETS SUCH AS THE CHARLES OWEN MY PS ARE NOW MUCH IN DEMAND. LEFT: KASK HELMETS ARE MADE IN ITALY AND OFFER A NUMBER OF SPECIAL FEATURES FOR COMFORT AND SAFETY.

PRODUCT WATCH

HATS & HEAD SAFETY

SAMSHIELD MISS SHIELD Safety is paramount for Samshield – we focus on quality, trusted materials to ensure the highest level of protection, along with adding elegance and style with hundreds of customisable options, as seen in the Miss Shield, to make your Samshield helmet completely unique.

All of our helmets are ASTM SEI/ EN CE certifi ed and eligible for BD, BS, BE (D and SJ), BRC and PC.

RRP: FROM £355 | samshield.com

REVOLVE RADIANCE VENT-AIR MIPS PEAKED HELMET Coming soon from Champion, the brand new Revolve Radiance Vent-Air hat combines style with substance, for an eye-catching and elegant look that also offers unbeatable protection. The Radiance incorporates MIPS, the brain protection system that offers added protection against angular impact and damaging rotational forces, together with a highly ventilated airfl ow system for maximum comfort. The Revolve MIPS Vent-Air is triple certifi ed and meets PAS 015 2011; VG01 01 2012; ASTM F1163-15 Standards and is kitemarked to PAS 015 2011. Available November 2020.

RRP: £250–£300 (depending on size) | championhats.com CHARLES OWEN AYRBRUSH REFLECTION New for 2020, the AyrBrush Refl ection blends the latest technology with a sophisticated exclusive design that pairs gloss and matt fi nishes with the option of crystal piping, or pinstripe in chrome or rose gold. Meets standards ASTM F116315, PAS015:2011, VG1 01-040 2014-12

RRP: £412.50–£495 WITH CRYSTALS

charlesowen.com

SAMSHIELD SHADOWMATT With ultimate safety in mind, for many years Samshield has designed and created a range of helmets to offer quality and performance as the paramount objective, certifi ed to ASTM SEI/EN CE, with a huge range of customisation available. Available in navy, black and brown.

RRP: FROM £256.00 | samshield.com