Can you use helmet cameras for competitions?

Michen

Michen

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I know BE have banned them but are they allowed for most unaffiliated ODE, SJ, XC hunter trials etc?
 
At unaffiliated normally yes. Not affiliated unless with permission, not PC, and not BE at all on safety grounds. Some venues have restrictions on what you can do with the footage - normally that it is for personal use not commercial gain.
 
I have looked at a couple of websites with the following results:

British Show Jumping have banned the use of head cams pending the results of further research.

British Eventing say "Due to the increase in popularity for riders to capture their cross country rounds from the ‘eye of the rider’ using head cameras, BE would like to remind competitors of the rule that permission for wearing them must be sought.
To obtain permission to use a head camera, please download and complete the head cam agreement form and email it to Debbie.marfell@britisheventing.com before filming rounds at a BE Affilated event.

I have no idea why anyone would want to head cam dressage so haven't looked there. :)

As to unaffiliated venues, I expect they will have their own rules.
 
Toby_Zaphod said:
I have looked at a couple of websites with the following results:

British Show Jumping have banned the use of head cams pending the results of further research.

British Eventing say "Due to the increase in popularity for riders to capture their cross country rounds from the ‘eye of the rider’ using head cameras, BE would like to remind competitors of the rule that permission for wearing them must be sought.
To obtain permission to use a head camera, please download and complete the head cam agreement form and email it to Debbie.marfell@britisheventing.com before filming rounds at a BE Affilated event.

I have no idea why anyone would want to head cam dressage so haven't looked there. :)

As to unaffiliated venues, I expect they will have their own rules.
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They are banned at BEand have been for nearly 18 months, your statement is an old one this is the most recent

Helmet Camera statement - updated
As a precautionary measure, pending the completion of an independent expert report on the safety of helmet cameras, the wearing of helmet cameras at all BE affiliated events has been prohibited with immediate effect.

Therefore, permissions previously given by or on behalf of the Chief Executive to wear a head camera are withdrawn.

Safety of Horses and Rider is a top priority for British Eventing and the Safety Committee have engaged the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) to conduct further research.
 
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Attaching anything to the outside of your helmet is just stupid. A helmet is there to spread impact from a fall. If you have something stuck to the outside of it it can interfere with the impact spread. I have no idea why people think its ok to wear something on the outside of a helmet that is there to protect your head.

Quite interestingly I contacted a few manufacturers of helmets and cams and the reply was they have not been tested for safety.

My friend was riding in the indoor school recently and was thrown off and smashed her head into one of the boards which was in front of a brick wall. Luckily she was ok as she was wearing a hat which spread the impact. If she had been wearing a cam on the top I have no idea what would have happened.
 
Interesting. The one I'm looking at weighs 39g... Not sure that would have much if any effect if I fell but worth bearing in mind.

Kaylum said:
Attaching anything to the outside of your helmet is just stupid. A helmet is there to spread impact from a fall. If you have something stuck to the outside of it it can interfere with the impact spread. I have no idea why people think its ok to wear something on the outside of a helmet that is there to protect your head.

Quite interestingly I contacted a few manufacturers of helmets and cams and the reply was they have not been tested for safety.

My friend was riding in the indoor school recently and was thrown off and smashed her head into one of the boards which was in front of a brick wall. Luckily she was ok as she was wearing a hat which spread the impact. If she had been wearing a cam on the top I have no idea what would have happened.
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Kaylum said:
Attaching anything to the outside of your helmet is just stupid. A helmet is there to spread impact from a fall. If you have something stuck to the outside of it it can interfere with the impact spread. I have no idea why people think its ok to wear something on the outside of a helmet that is there to protect your head.

Quite interestingly I contacted a few manufacturers of helmets and cams and the reply was they have not been tested for safety.
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There is no supported evidence that having a helmet cam on your hat decreases its protective capability. Yes you would think it is likely to but they have been used by mountain bikers, road cyclist, skiers, horse riders etc for years but no where is there anything proven that says their dangerous or contribute to injuries. I would have thought if they were such a risk there would be supporting evidence. The ban by BE, BS etc is all due to one high profile incident (Schumacher), a bit of a knee jerk reaction.

It is about whether you are happy to take that risk to wear a headcam, personally I am okay with the risk and shall continue to use mine.
 
Paint Me Proud said:
There is no supported evidence that having a helmet cam on your hat decreases its protective capability. Yes you would think it is likely to but they have been used by mountain bikers, road cyclist, skiers, horse riders etc for years but no where is there anything proven that says their dangerous or contribute to injuries. I would have thought if they were such a risk there would be supporting evidence. The ban by BE, BS etc is all due to one high profile incident (Schumacher), a bit of a knee jerk reaction.

It is about whether you are happy to take that risk to wear a headcam, personally I am okay with the risk and shall continue to use mine.
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What about the rest of the skiers that are not high profile names like Schumacher. His neurologist very clearly said the most likely cause of his brain injuries was the camera attached to the helmet. Of course in riding there are other things to chuck in the mix. It is not the camera decreasing the helmets ability to protect it is the camera actually doing the damage !
Of course its your choice whether you wear one but not affiliated you wont ,they get enough flack because the sport is dangerous and then when they do something positive they get slapped down by those who dont know the full facts.
BE in their 'KNEE JERK' reaction have actually commissioned research on the dangers by TRL who also helped develop the safety pinning of fences. The ban is an interim measure until that research is concluded. Is your life really worth risking for a tiny piece of video footage that is basically meaningless in the scheme of things
 
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popsdosh said:
What about the rest of the skiers that are not high profile names like Schumacher. His neurologist very clearly said the most likely cause of his brain injuries was the camera attached to the helmet. Of course in riding there are other things to chuck in the mix. It is not the camera decreasing the helmets ability to protect it is the camera actually doing the damage !
Of course its your choice whether you wear one but not affiliated you wont ,they get enough flack because the sport is dangerous and then when they do something positive they get slapped down by those who dont know the full facts.
BE in their 'KNEE JERK' reaction have actually commissioned research on the dangers by TRL who also helped develop the safety pinning of fences. The ban is an interim measure until that research is concluded. Is your life really worth risking for a tiny piece of video footage that is basically meaningless in the scheme of things
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You misunderstand, I'm not having a go at the fact they arent permitted in competitions, I'm absolutely fine with that. I am not 'slapping them down' at all.

I was just trying to offer a balanced opinion on their use and that there is so far no evidence their use causes injury, that is fact.

The reaction from BE was knee jerk, but dont misinterpret that as me saying it was a bad thing, I never said that.

Is my life worth the risk? Yes, as it is my decision to make and one I am comfortable with. I will continue to use my headcam when I ride and if injury occurs due to its use the responsibility will be mine and mine alone, I am happy with that.
 
I don't think you can wear them in many places to be honest, up my way all XC competitions are run by RC's or PC's (or BE) - none of which allow camera's. No idea if I could wear one for unaffiliated venue-run showjumping, probably I guess but to be honest I only see the point in using it for XC only.

I do find this rule utterly ridiculous especially from BE who allow you (in fact encourage generally!) to wear a silly looking top hat in dressage at a certain level, which obviously offers no safety whatsoever... (and yes I chose to wear a proper riding hat the few times I have had the choice and I should also point out the only time I've fallen off at a BE event was in the dressage!), oh AND they dont mind you wearing tails which again is a great idea around fit, sensitive horses - flappy material! Well done BE, well thought out rules ;)
 
popsdosh said:
What about the rest of the skiers that are not high profile names like Schumacher. His neurologist very clearly said the most likely cause of his brain injuries was the camera attached to the helmet. Of course in riding there are other things to chuck in the mix. It is not the camera decreasing the helmets ability to protect it is the camera actually doing the damage !
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And yet the world of skiing (and probably ALL other sports!) still gives their competitors the choice to wear camera's... I dont get why the equestrian world is so paranoid and stupidly strict about what you wear - a tiny camera which can be mounted very discreetly on your hat silk peak for example really is no different from a fixed hat peak full stop (allowed for the dressage and SJ phases) - it could easily be argued a fixed peak could detach and cause damage to someone, in fact I've heard of several incidents of smashed noses etc. yet nobody has a problem with those.

We were considering buying the Lily drone which is capable of following the user - I thought that'd be pretty cool, rider wears a simple band round their wrist (not against rules) and then they're followed by a drone. Ha ha ha, would love to see what BE could say about that!
 
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