Head shapes and helmets, is this a stupid question?

[Keith_Beef]

So, I've been meaning to get myself a better helmet than the one I bought from Decathlon back in about 2012.

I've read on here that there are basically two head shapes, when it comes to helmets: round and oval. But what does "oval" mean?

 

[rabatsa]

What it says on the tin, a head that is longer front to back than side to side.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

I have an oval shape head. I prefer Champion hats and the added bonus is my head is that small I can buy kids size hats 😂😂😂

 

[The Trooper]

The suggestion I would give is go to a local horsey/country store and get a fitted hat, I got one for my melon head at Carrs Billington and it fits miles better than the one i bought online after using a tape measure. I have a shape that suits Champion helmets but not GPA.

 

[Keith_Beef]

Thanks.

I went to a local tack and clothing shop last summer, when I first started thinking I'd get a new helmet, and the girls in there didn't seem to have much of an idea, other than offering to let me try on the helmets that looked like they were vaguely my size, and saying that if I had a particular make or model in mind, the shop owner could get a couple of different sizes of that helmet for me to try.

I'll try to get over there this Saturday to see if the offer still stands.

 

[pippixox]

Yes I think I’m ‘oval’! I wear champion junior hats, no other ones feel as comfortable even if the right size. Helpful that they are cheap. I prefer the look of some but they simply don’t fit well

 

[blitznbobs]

I just bought a Uvex - cost me a small fortune but I’m in love - a hat that adjusts to my head and doesn’t move nor does it give me a headache - never thought it was possible

 

[HEM]

Don't mean to thread steal KB but I have been thinking the same recently! I am never left with a headache and my hat isn't moving on my head so kinda assume it's the right size (was fitted by a "professional") but I always find my hat leaves a very embarrassing red line across my forehead!!! no one on my yard seems to have this issue! Do any of you?

 

[HeyMich]

I went to a local tack and clothing shop last summer, when I first started thinking I'd get a new helmet, and the girls in there didn't seem to have much of an idea, other than offering to let me try on the helmets that looked like they were vaguely my size, and saying that if I had a particular make or model in mind, the shop owner could get a couple of different sizes of that helmet for me to try.

I'll try to get over there this Saturday to see if the offer still stands.

I'd maybe go to a different one, if you can! One that offers helmet fittings, and knows what they are doing. It will be worth it for comfort and most of all, safety!

 

[Horsekaren]

I went to a good saddlery that helped fit a helmet, i have a tiny head 54cm, everything i tried on that was oval just sat on the top of my head a bit like a shallow pudding bowl. The only one i could find was a jockey skull (children) that was small but deep enough to not have the pudding dish effect. Its round and comfy. I had to wear it for 15 mins in the store to let it bed to my head then turn my head upside down to see if it fell off which it didn't thankfully.

Or going back 20 years i remember my local riding school selling me a hat and giving me a newspaper to stuff in the side of the lining to make it fit that could be worth a try if you don't value your head or its content.

 

[milliepops]

Don't mean to thread steal KB but I have been thinking the same recently! I am never left with a headache and my hat isn't moving on my head so kinda assume it's the right size (was fitted by a "professional") but I always find my hat leaves a very embarrassing red line across my forehead!!! no one on my yard seems to have this issue! Do any of you?

yeah I have a gatehouse which I love for the washable liner and how ventilated it is, but it doesn't really suit my headshape and I get a dent on my forehead for hours! normally wear champion hats though I also have a CO one,I think they do 2 shapes now.

 

[albeg]

yeah I have a gatehouse which I love for the washable liner and how ventilated it is, but it doesn't really suit my headshape and I get a dent on my forehead for hours! normally wear champion hats though I also have a CO one,I think they do 2 shapes now.

They do, but they're a different shape to Champion, I tried a few on at a show last year, we had to go up two sizes from what I wear in a Champion and it just wasn't right.

KB, see if you can find somewhere with a decent selection that will do fittings.

 

[milliepops]

So personal isn't it. I have a CO velvet which fits me well but no others ever have, but I can wear most champion hats.

 

[Keith_Beef]

KB, see if you can find somewhere with a decent selection that will do fittings.

I've tried. I haven't found anywhere that I can get to by a mix of public transport and foot that offers helmet fitting, not even anywhere that has a good selection. Finding both is like finding rocking horse poo with diamonds in it.

This Saturday, I'll go in the the local shop and hope that the owner is around; maybe he'll know how to measure me up, and get in some Charles Owen 4* and Pro II helmets in a couple of sizes for me to try.

 

[Pippity]

I just bought a Uvex - cost me a small fortune but I’m in love - a hat that adjusts to my head and doesn’t move nor does it give me a headache - never thought it was possible

I adored my Uvex but, when I came to replace it after a fall, I couldn't find any information on what safety standards they were. So I went for a Gatehouse RXC1 instead. Now we're getting into summer, I'm considering getting an Uvex again because they're so comfortable, especially in hot weather.

 

[meleeka]

I have an oval shape head. I prefer Champion hats and the added bonus is my head is that small I can buy kids size hats 😂😂😂

Same here. I didn’t know what shape my head was, only that my old had dug in either side of my forehead.

 

[blitznbobs]

I adored my Uvex but, when I came to replace it after a fall, I couldn't find any information on what safety standards they were. So I went for a Gatehouse RXC1 instead. Now we're getting into summer, I'm considering getting an Uvex again because they're so comfortable, especially in hot weather.

The conform to VG1 which is fine for dressage and show jumping but not x country cos of the fixed peak . HTH

Bx

 

[Reacher]

I had my hat fitted in the shop by a trained fitter, damn thing gives me a headache. I think read a hat fitting guide online and then if you’ve got a selection of the oval shaped ones to try you will be the best judge of what fits.

 

[Bernster]

Round head here - some makes do a round fitting eg Charles Owen. Harry hall fit me well but can’t find those so easily.

 

[DabDab]

I have a very oval head and I have a gatehouse. Also love the UVEX I tried on recently, but can't really justify buying another hat atm.

 

[Shay]

VG1 is only competition legal here if they are also UK Kitemarked. Daft - but true. I think hat fitting does depend on individual opinion and some fitters are basically better than others. Thats just life. We have to take a degree of responsibility for it ourselves with what suits and what does not. You can still get wadding to pad the inside of the hat band if you need to - bit better than newspaper but the same point. And Champion shaped heads here!

 

[Keith_Beef]

Hmm... Maybe a Uvex Exxential would do for me. I really want one with good air flow (I'm hot all year round) and without a peak (so I can still look ahead while ducking under low branches in the forest).

Curiously, Kramer lists this helmet as being available in sizes XS/S, S/M, M/L, L/XL in Europe, yet only XS/S, S/M, L/XL in the UK.

But an adjustable helmet with a removable peak for €100 might be worth a go, rather than a fixed size Owen for closer to €180.

 

[blitznbobs]

VG1 is only competition legal here if they are also UK Kitemarked. Daft - but true. I think hat fitting does depend on individual opinion and some fitters are basically better than others. Thats just life. We have to take a degree of responsibility for it ourselves with what suits and what does not. You can still get wadding to pad the inside of the hat band if you need to - bit better than newspaper but the same point. And Champion shaped heads here!

I’ve checked it’s kite marked too

 

[albeg]

I've tried. I haven't found anywhere that I can get to by a mix of public transport and foot that offers helmet fitting, not even anywhere that has a good selection. Finding both is like finding rocking horse poo with diamonds in it.

This Saturday, I'll go in the the local shop and hope that the owner is around; maybe he'll know how to measure me up, and get in some Charles Owen 4* and Pro II helmets in a couple of sizes for me to try.

Oh no, what a pain. Fingers crossed you can get talking to the shop owner.

 

[Bojingles]

I have an enormous round noggin and can only wear Champion skulls. Anything else, however comfortable it feels in the shop, will always give me a cracking headache.

 

[Tarragon]

When I last went to buy a new hat I had a smart one in mind, one of those that are lightweight and vented, and was prepared to pay for it but ended coming out with the cheapest skull cap because it was the only one that fitted.
I never look nice in a riding hat as I have a very small face and also wear glasses so whatever the hat it always looks huge.
Hey ho!

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

Not a "silly question" at all!!

I have an "oval" head, and it is a NIGHTMARE finding anything to fit!

The only thing that I did find, was a children's Champion hat.

High time that manufacturers realised that not all of us have got the same shaped heads!

 

[Keith_Beef]

OK, just back from taking my boots to get the sole stuck back on again, and from the tack shop: the owner was there, so I got to talk to him about helmets. I tried on a Uvex that felt comfortable (but at €200 for an Exxential, I think that's taking the piss), but the Charles Owen Pro II he has in is far too small. He's agreed to get in a Pro II and try to get a 4Star, and he'll give me a call whe nI can come in to try them.

I also needed a new crop, to replace mine that I dropped somewhere when walking up to the yard last Sunday. I asked him for the plainest, simplest he had: it's brown with "goldish" ring and pommel. Oh, well, it's just a stopgap until I finish making my own (black, with black trim and black highlights and a steel or nickel-silver pommel).

 

[GTRJazz]

I have a Gatehouse HS1 Jockey Skull at the time I got mine the grey color was for round heads and black for oval .

 

[TTK]

If you don’t compete, a Troxel Sierra is really good for air flow. It’s American and for trail riding so no good for competition but I love mine for the summer. You should be able to get one by mail order (viovet do them in the UK). The Troxel website gives a size guide.