Ever wondered about helmet safety standards and if your hat is safe and up to date? Below we will hopefully explain the standards and show you what to look for to make sure your helmet is doing the job of keeping your head safe in the event of a fall.
There are 3 international equestrian safety standards or marks: PAS015:2011, VG1 01.040 2014-12 and ASTM F1163:2015. Some hats carry just one of the standards and some are produced to meet all three of them. Here at Discount Equestrian we only sell hats which conform to one or all of the safety standards.
Each standard tests different impacts and accident scenarios involving a horse and typically they test impact on a flat surface, impact on a hazard edge, having a spike hit the hat (such as a stud) and crush resistance (having a horse fall with you and land on your head)
The most common safety standard in the UK is PAS015:2011 and you will find that in helmets from the likes of Charles Owen, Champion and Gatehouse. In order for a hat to meet the PAS015:2011 safety standard it must pass the following tests
3 x impact onto a flat surface from 1.8m
1 x impact onto a hazard edge from 1.3m
3 x impact from a spike at 75cm
crust resistance of 800 newtons
Perhaps the second most common standard is VG1 01.040 2014-12 and hats which have been tested to this standard are also tested to ASTM F1163:2015 The main brand we offer which has both of these standards is KASK
In order to meet these standards the hat must pass the following
2 x impact onto a flat surface from 1.8m
2 x impact onto a hazard edge from 1.3m
2 x impact from a spike at 50cm
crust resistance of 630 newtons
In addition to these impact tests in order for a helmet to receive certification it will also be examined to see how much of the head the hat covers, how a helmet moves and how severe an njury riders can expect to receive from a fall. All of the certification schemes require approved helmets to pass an initial design test.
The BSI Kitemark (PAS015 and VG1) checks one of every 200 helmets from a batch of 800 to 3,200 before they will issue an approval label. If the helmets do not pass the standard, then the entire batch must be destroyed.
As all riding accidents are different - if the fall is on grass or concrete, if the horse falls on a rider, if the horse is wearing studs and kicks the rider in the head after the fall. This means that the more tests a helmet goes through the more scenarios it is likely to protect against.
The final and most comprehensive safety rating is SNELL certified to E2021 and this is typically found in cross country helmets. The SNELL foundation establised after the tragic death of Pete "William" Snell who suffered massive head injuries during a Sports Car Club of America racing event is dedicated to research, education, testing and development of helmet safety standards. Since its founding in 1957, Snell has been a leader in helmet safety in the United States and around the world.
In order to meet the SNELL standard the helmet must pass the following
2 x impact onto a flat surface from 1.9m
1 x impact onto a hazard edge from 1.3m
4 x impact from a spike at 100cm
1 x impact on a round suface at 1.5m
crush resistance of 1000 newtons
Charles Owen created the first 4 standard helmet in the 4Star which added SNELL to the other 3. Champion also have a SNELL certified helmet - the Pro-Ultimate Snell
If you would like to know if your helmet has the correct safety standard please feel free to call us 01429 864112 or pop down to our store in Elwick with your helmet and we will check the safety standard for you.
