Riding Hats Are The “Safe Horse Riding” Essential Item
Riding hats are no longer boring affairs. They come in a stunning range of designs, colours, costs and comfort. They’re so impressively designed in respect to ventilation that they’re actually cooler than hats. They also provide sun protection along with safety from the potentially serious consequences of a fall. One should select a riding hat that is ASTM/SEI approved. Riding hats are available in all head sizes and are a great asset which will last for many years.
I’ve known many western riders who shy away from wearing riding hats. It’s not within the western “macho” image. I must admit that it also took ages before I started regularly wearing riding hats. Back then the only times one would spot a riding hat was at English hunter and dressage shows. Riding hats used to be hot, uncomfortable and expensive and completely unfashionable. In those early days, I and I guess most horse riders never bothered to read up about the prevention of riding injuries.
How times have changed… nowadays, more safety awareness prevails. The internet has made information freely and instantly available. It goes without saying that non riding hat related head injuries are the highest affliction, and the level of rider experience does not make much difference. While fractured bones can be set, head injuries can be disastrous with severe life-long consequences.
Simply because you are an expert horse rider does not suggest you can successfully avoid falls. Horses can suddenly slip, stumble and tumble together with you, or shy, buck and do hundreds of unexpected things at the most inopportune moments… why take the risk, rather sleep comfortably in the knowledge that you wear a quality riding hat.
