Use your Head

Published in the SA Horseman, 2010

2014-06-08 11.59.39

When attending a recent endurance ride, the number of riders wearing cycling helmets as opposed to riding helmets surprised me. It seems that many riders are still under the impression that a good cycling helmet provides sufficient protection. Unfortunately, this is not the case!

Quite simply, the design is totally different. Even if the cycling helmet has one of the best safety standards in the world, it is not designed to protect a horse rider. The dynamics of horse riding and cycling are not the same.

When cycling, most falls happen forwards (over the handle-bars) whereas horse riders tend to fall backwards or sideways. Also, when falling off a bicycle, you are most likely to hit smooth surfaces, such as pavements. On a horse, you are more likely to encounter sharp objects such as rocks or shod hooves. As such, the helmet is designed differently. A horse riding helmet is specifically designed to protect the base of your skull and, by simply looking at the shape of a cycling helmet versus a riding helmet, it is clear that the riding helmet covers the lower part of the skull better.

Mountain bike helmets will be more likely to protect against sharp objects as these cyclists also ride off-road. However, the height of a bike is quite different from the height of a horse!

Although you may debate the lightness and superior air vents on the cycling helmet are ideal for endurance riding, providing greater comfort for the rider, the protection offered is not sufficient. Reading the small print that came with the helmet should help you decide – it will normally only specify cycling as an approved use. This means that, in an injury where the cycling helmet is faulty, you will have no claim against the manufacturers as you were using it incorrectly. Life insurance and medical insurance policies may also become stricter about paying out for injuries or death resulting from the rider not using the correct safety equipment.   In fact, some policies already consider horse riding as a high-risk sport (along with mountain climbing, bungi jumping, etc.) and it needs to be declared.

By now, I hope to have convinced you that a cycling helmet is simply not an option. The endurance rides under FEI rules are already ensuring that cycling helmets are not used. ERASA rides will start enforcing this rule more stringently in time, especially if avoidable injuries occur.

Which helmet to choose?

It is better to get used to riding with an approved helmet and investigate the various international brands that are available – some have a similar appearance and colour range to cycling helmets but the shape is different. Specialist Endurance helmets are lightweight, colourful and have multiple vents. These are not readily available in South Africa and we may need to lobby our local tack suppliers to start considering endurance riders more seriously and import the specialist gear that is available.

The next confusion arises over the various safety standards available – how do you choose the most appropriate safety level considering the price differences can range quite dramatically – from just over R400 to over R4,000!

The safety regulations applicable are:

Safety Rating Description
BS EN 1384:1997 This is the British standard of the EN 1384: 1996. Any country testing may add the prefix to the initials eg. DIN EN 1384:1997.   In theory there is no difference in the ratings however, the British standard is often considered to be higher and the testing more rigorous.
PAS 015:1994 Also a British standard and although older than the EN rating, it has a higher protection requirement for the crown and intermediate areas (which account for 75% of general riding impacts). These helmets tend to be slightly bulkier as a result.
PAS 015:1998 This is the revision of the above British standard which removes the differences but addresses crush resistance and edge-surface impact injuries as well as helmet stability
ASTM F 1163 American standard for riding helmets. This allows for more ventilation slots in the helmet, which is highly debated.   They are also tested using a hazard anvil (which has been incorporated into the PAS 015 standard.
SNZ Australian and New Zealand safety testing standards
CE, SEI, BSI and Kitemark Voluntary testing standards that basically tests whether a manufacturer’s products lives up to their claims. Quality control systems need to be in place and designs need to be approved.

Some manufacturers claim certain safety standards but, unless actually printed on a label inside the helmet, these claims may be false or the product may fall below the required standard. In formal international competition, you may need to display the labels to the judges to confirm that your helmet meets the required safety ratings for the event, so don’t remove these stickers from the helmet.

Although I was convinced before that a riding helmet is the only option, watching another rider knocked unconscious by her fall whilst wearing a cycling helmet convinced me that the dangers are not clearly understood and that too many riders believe that a cycling helmet is “good enough”.   Invest in the best helmet you can afford, fitted by a professional – it’s the first investment you need to make once you start riding. There is simply no compromise.

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