I was a wee bit shocked....

My most recent hats were less than £40, PAS015 , EN certified, but with navy velvet, leather look straps, and look identical to the adult 'showing' version except that they were sold as Junoir SJ' , so no VAT, and a pretty bag with cartoon ponies on it! And in sizes > 7!
 
Pushy woman should have been told to s*d off! Its one thing pointing out the health and safety guidelines and quite another to bully and manipulate somebody into parting with their money. I would have left the shop, researched the hat issue in my own time and then bought one from somewhere else if I decided it was neccessary. I hate pushy shop assistants too. As for where I stand on hats, the last new one I bought was about five years ago when a horse chewed my old everyday one. I've also got two competition hats that have to be at least as old, live in the boxes and look as good as new. I'll probably replace them next time they get broken or someone changes the safety standards required at shows. Suppose this makes me a wreckless fool in many people's opinions but I'm not really bothered!
 
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OMG...due to the fact that, one day, I will write a novel about it, I have kept a tally of every time I have fallen off...at present it comes to 97
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so, if every time I fell off, I SHOULD have replaced my hat, I would now be at least £9700 in debt! Argh!!!!

(I think you can guess from that that my answer is no, I do not replace my hat every time I fall off!
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I've been doing the ironing and thinking about this post, and I really would recommend, given the tally above, that you get a new hat - and I am not trying to be funny, or pushy, or anything else - I just wouldn't want you to find out the hard way why so many people on here think wearing a decent hat is important
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When my daughter was thrown into fencing head first I replaced her hat immediately and through the old one away. However, if you ride once a week surely a hat would last longer than if you rode once a day?
 
I got a new hat for Christmas, my old one was about 5 years old. I know my new hat cost about £40 it is PAS and EN certified and is a well known brand but like LCobby says it is a 'junior' hat, it is a size 7 so not tiny, but it means no VAT and cute cartoon characters inside and and a zany bag! When I rode once a week at the riding school I only replaced my hat if I fell on my head, but now I ride most days I will try and replace it every 3-4 years i think.
 
My take on reading the valid comments is; firstly I would say the manufacturers have to give guide lines and cover themselves, so something in print to advise us on the lifespan of the hat and safety is essential.

But secondly I would say that the care and use of the hat is then down to the common sense of the user. A hat that is carefully used twice a week is going to have less wear and tear than one of say a riding professional, using it for several hours a day. The manufactures have to calculate between the extremes of their users to give an exceptal time scale for all purchasers.

This would lead me to want to replace my hat, as a regular hack rider every two years, if I were a professional I would go for once a year and maybe as soon as I felt the hat beginning to wear which could be sooner.

I am grateful for this advice and will head it carefully, after being guilty as a young adult/child (many years ago) of wearing a hat until it fell to bits.
 
I have 2 hats - a 2 yr old £120 Champion one, and a 2yr old £28 one from Robinsons. I have worth them both equally - although the Robinsons one more in summer as it was cooler. Both same standard, but to be honest the £28 one is, I feel, better than the £120.

I am hoping to buy a new had soon as they are now both lacking in padding and well, quite frankly rather smelly!! But when you consider it works out at just £7 a month, thats not too bad. Next hat however will NOT be expensive - but will be BE (eu) kitemark standard, or whatever is needed for competing.
 
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