What percentage of horse riders actually wear riding hats?

Question

I need statistics on horse riding hats, how they are used, how they are manufactured and how well they sell!

Answer 1

i know everyone is saying 99.9% etc. but id say that this is wrong even without considering western riders. i have been riding for 20 years in the UK and would say that at least once a week i end up on a horse with no hat. even if its just for 20mins or so esp. in summer we always end up jumping on bareback when we are supposed to be doing other things and just going for a gallop round a field or so. in the UK on the road, in lessons and in shows(other than higher dressage as the above has explained) it is illegal to not where your helmet(though this law is ignored for travellers). even when i worked at big riding schools if they needed someone to jump on and show the rider what to do id always just jump on without a hat or so.

however i rarely go for rides without a hat on purpose only when its spontaneous do i not wear a hat. hats have probably saved my life quite a few times. i have been knocked out a few times and had a pony rear and land on my helmet(it broke but i was fine-amazing). i have also had a very very green horse gallop under a low bridge- i was told that my hat saved me from having the top of my skull sliced off!(though not extreme whiplash and a fractured vertebrae) they are a good invention but even the but can be too hot and just annoying.

anyone over 30 or under10 almost definitely wears a hat all the time as does anyone who has known anyone to have a serious accident. then you have to count all the western riders, so id say your left with it being 50/50 as everyone i know on the continent also never wears a helmet unless competing or at a very posh riding centre. but i'd say that around 85% own a helmet and many own more(i have 3). also people buy new ones quite often depending on how often they are used(me-every year or so). hope this helps.

Answer 2

Personally I'd say that 99% of riders use hard hats and anyone that doesn't is stupid and asking for trouble.

Horses are unpredictable animals and you can never be 100% sure that they won't do something that will cause you to fall off and injure yourself.

In GB it is against the law for a child under the age of 13 to ride a horse on the public highway without a hard hat.

In all horse related sports (racing, showjumping, eventing, etc) it is compulsory to wear a hard hat, although the standard of safety varies from country to country.

Try the following link, it will take you to Charles Owen's website.  They are manufacturers of riding hats and may be able to provide you with facts and figures:  http://www.charlesowen.co.uk/en/index.ph...

Answer 3

I have never seen any one ride with out a proper riding hat. I have always worn them. I have been around horses for 20 years+.

My best friend had a very bad accident while riding 11 years ago and if she had not been wearing her hat, she would have died.

Answer 4

i should say 99.9% lol you will allways get the odd stupoid 1 that doesnt lol good question though ill blow you a kiss mwah x

Answer 5

The great majority of participants in most of the English style disciplines usually wear helmets as part of their REQUIRED safety gear, with one notable exception- namely, international and upper level dressage. Once a competitor gets above 4th level, a silk top hat is required in competition for both men and women ( unless they are on active duty in their country's armed forces or the national police force, in which case a military style uniform and dress hat are acceptable ) and points are taken off for wearing a helmet. This has led to some disasterous consequences at times, because ANY horse, no matter how well trained they may be, can spook, buck, bolt, or rear, for ANY reason, or NO REASON at ALL!!!! Most if not all of the dressage riders I have seen subscribe to the myth ( and yes, it is a MYTH) that the better trained and the higher up the levels the horse is, the less the rider needs to wear head protection or a helmet. This nonsensical, careless attitude has gotten people hurt and KILLED. Head injuries are FATAL a good percentage of the time, folks. The other group of riders I have to mention that also will NOT be caught dead wearing safety gear or a helmet are the Western riders. The chances that you will see a rider in most of the Western discplines with a helmet on his or her head is virtually NIL. Helmets aren't "cool" and don't fit with the rugged "cowboy" image that many of these idiots aspire to maintain. Again, this often leads to preventable tragedies- there was an obituary in one of the horse publications a few weeks back for a young 13 year old girl who died when her horse bolted in the show ring and she fell off. She was wearing a helmet ( the USEF requires helmets for everyone under age 18) but the safety harness wasn't adjusted properly and she suffered a basilar skull fracture.( This is the same kind of injury that killed NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt, for all you fans out there.)

Helmets should be mandatory for everyone who rides or competes on horseback, no matter what style or discipline they choose. This includes adults as well as kids- helmets SAVE LIVES, FOLKS- there is just no getting around that fact. As adults, those of us who ride have both a moral and ethical obligation to set an example for the younger generation. When kids see adults riding without helmets, they naturally think that it is okay for them to do this too- and they don't stop to consider that they could be permanently paralyzed or killed if something happens that they don't expect and their horse throws them. That is why adults MUST wear a helmet if they are mounted- to do otherwise is extremely dangerous and sends the WRONG message to young people. As for how well helmets sell, I can only say that some brands and types are regarded more highly than others. It pays to read labels- there are still companies out there who sell hats ( jumping HATS, no less) that are only items of apparell, and which provide no protection to the head whatsoever. Any helmet, regardless of who makes it, must fit the rider's head correctly and the safety harness ( called the chin strap in some circles) MUST be fastened and adjusted correctly at all times. And, as a final note to Crestor, I will also say that you have just been extremely lucky not to have been seriously injured or KILLED in a fall before now. ALL of the lesson barns and stables that I have worked at REQUIRE the use of helmets by everyone- usually, the rule is that if you are mounted, you must have a helmet on your head, and it makes no difference if you are standing still or you are actively riding or moving. This is as it should be- because I have seen too many cases where people who should have known better get themselves into trouble just because they won't take a few extra moments to ensure their safety and the safety of others by wearing a helmet when they ride. Helmets are lightweight, and most are vented for comfort on hot days now, and there is no reason not to wear them.  These are just my thoughts on this issue, and they come out of many years of experience as a horse professional and riding instructor.

Answer 6

I will go with 90%. Most do.

Answer 7

I have been riding horses for over 28 years, and I have never worn a helmet.  I do see many of the new young riders wearing them.  There are states that require that you wear them if your riding in parades, but I'm not certain as to which ones they are.

Answer 8

Much to their detriment, the western riders that I see rarely seem to wear one. The professional trainers you see on T.V. never do. What kind of signal does that send to the public - that they are so good with riding unbroken/green horses that they never need one - If your horse is broke then you certainly don't?

(lol at answering a question with another question gives you any answer...!) I guess their "image" is everything.

Most lesson centers require them.

You're supposed to throw them away if they have received any impact. Don't know how many people do that.

Personally speaking, when I was a kid I had a helmet kicked off my head, as the horse unseated me (read that "bucked")when I ducked under a low tree branch on a trail. The horse's hind foot kicked the helmet off as he passed me at a canter.

Don't know where I'd be now if I hadn't had that helmet on!

Ride safe, ride smart - includes a helmet!

Your brain won't need the shade of a cowboy hat, if they are on the ground....!