A Riding Hat safety Idea.. opinions?

eishi

eishi

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Just wrote a little letter to the editor about this but decided to ask some opinions!

I bought a new HS1 4 weeks ago, on saturday I was catapulted off while eventing and landed on my head.. the video on my mum's phone clearly shows my head impacting the floor first although we were SJ on a surface so it could have been worse!

After the last couple of articles in HH about replacing hats I'm now in a bit of a pickle about what to do! On one hand it's a new hat only fallen on once.. but it was a direct impact so it could be damaged.. but I'm a poor student and I can't afford another £120 for a new one really!

So as I lay in bed recovering from concussion I was thinking, there should be a system where if you think you have damaged your hat you send it off to be checked by the manufacturer (for a small fee) . If they believe it to be safe, you get it back, everyones happy.
If it's unsafe you are offered a discount on a replacement hat, eg 25% off or something!

sound good idea?

Or is it just the ramblings of a concussed nutter?
 
I'd say if you're concussed, you're more likely to need a new one than if you weren't. I have only broken two in my life where they creaked horrendously on being squeezed, and both times was concussed after the fall, lasting several days.
 
Ehmnn, yerrrsss, agree re. checking of hats, BUT don't see how the manufacturers could do it really, and it would probably be just as expensive as getting another one.

You're not gonna like me for saying this, but .......... (you know what I'm gonna say!!!) - sweetheart, do yourself a favour and somehow or other beg steal or borrow some dosh to get another hat. If you've taken a direct impact on your head, then you really should, you know you should.

What price your safety?
 
as above. bin that hat, it has done its job once, and £120 to NOT be in a coma (or worse) is very cheap. Sorry, I know that's hard hitting.
years ago I had a brand new crash cap, let one of my helpers borrow it the next day, she fell off and concussed herself badly. i was SO annoyed, i couldn't believe she'd written off my new hat on the first day, and she couldn't pay to replace it either. Ggrrrr. btw, I bought a new one...
Don't forget that OT's hat from his Kentucky fall looked fine on the outside but had very significant damage to the polystyrene...
 
Hmm I do sort of know I've got to replace it.. but so so frustrating!
Espescially when it's not even been a month since I bought it..

Kerilli- it was picture of OT's hat that made me decide mine probably needed to go.. and someone else writing off your hat sounds even worse!

sounds like we'll be asking the parents for a new hat..
 
I believe that some of the manufacturers do offer that service. I'm sure I either read about it or the local tack shop owner told me it.

I too have done the fall off and damage it days after you bought it. Very annoying, but apparently not as annoying as my sentence "What happend? Did I fall off? I've only had this hat 2 days" which I repeated endlessly for the whole afternoon - and yes I was concussed and I did go to A and E (for only the 2nd time in my life)
 
Britestar said:
I believe that some of the manufacturers do offer that service. I'm sure I either read about it or the local tack shop owner told me it.

I have no idea if they do, just that my younger brother does motocross and they do it for those helmets so it seems to make sense!
Click to expand...
 
Charles Owen will do I was talking to them when i bought my current one (had a fall so bought a new one) however was gonig to get a new on as the catch was randomly comig undone. I spoke to this and said had I not have fallen off could i buy a new catch as the hat was fine, there reply was yes but it would have to be sent to them to fit it as they have a duty of care and cant just send me the part and that they would also check the hat for impact prior to fitting it and if they had seen damage they would not replace it
 
Buy a new hat! And really only fashion dictates what you have to spend, there are perfectly safe hats out there that are not £120! :)
 
Charles owen system sounds good..
It's not so much fashion thing tbh!
After having a HS1 I wouldn't have anything else, it fits so well as I have a bit of a wierd shaped small head! Also It's really comfy and doesnt get hot like my champion did, oh and parents like it as it's only hat to pass both safety standards!
 
Definatly replace your hat. I had a nasty fall on Sunday in my HS1, where my horse landed on me. Although not concussed my forehead has a big bruise on it, hence I have emailed gatehouse to ask if they want it back to do tests on it to see the damage. But i'm going to have to go hat shopping again.

(My HS1 has a slight scuff to the rubber around the edge, but no other visible damage.)
 
Charles Owen do offer a service where they will check whether the hat has incurred any damage. Its free of charge apart from the cost of the postage, they will also offer a price on refurbing parts of the hat such as harness, recovering etc. I imagine they will only do it for their hats though :-)
 
The problem is that hats are designed to absorb the shock from the fall. They can only do it once. If you ended up with concussion then I'm afraid you have to thank your hat for doing its job and then throw it away.

I remember a talk a few years ago now from a rep from the MDIRF (who do such a fantastic job). They had received a letter from the father of a rider who was left in a coma after a fall at Burghley(? I think it was Burghley, and I think it was a Canadian rider but not certain on my facts).

Basically the letter said that the rider had had a fall a month or so before Burghley in her hat. She hadn't replaced the hat and it was felt that her coma may have been avoided if she was wearing a new hat (or rather a hat that hadn't already been in a fall and done its job). A harsh reminder. Her father asked for them to use this case to remind people to replace their hats after a fall so they could avoid the same awful accident.

Their advice:
http://www.mdirf.co.uk/Helpsheets/HELSPHEET-Hats-09-07-09.pdf
 
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