is there any reason to not wear a riding hat?

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So I'm driving through our small very built up town, its pelting it down with rain & very dark, when I see a horse, maybe 16hh up ahead having a paddy into the road. As I get a bit closer I'm tutting away at the girl who is onboard, dressed in black with no high viz on (the rain has suddenly come down, but its been dark all morning). When I get up to them I see that the stupid girl is not even wearing a riding hat! For what reason would you feel you do not need to protect your head??!! Do other people still ride hatless???
 
Well after turning my mare out this morning i have made the decision to wear my hat, gloves, a control halter and a 12ft line at turn out time, she reared up lots and more than one occassion almost come down on me :eek: she can be a bit jolly to turn out but was much worse today :(

Wouldn't dream of riding without my hat though or lunging and i always wear a hat with my youngster too even when am not riding her.
 
personally no never. Always a hat, sorry but im too important to smash my skull in :)
I fit hats (properly trained) and i hate it when parents bring kids in for hats then tell them they look stupid and shouldnt have to wear them, one said ** you look stupid in that hat i think you shouldnt need to wear one you look ugly, i replied well i think she would look alot more ugly if she fell off onto her head and cracked her skull open dont you think? (this was a kid with her own pony wanting to do pony club.
I hate that parents are saying things like that to their kids. My boss wont let us ride/ lunge without a hat and for good reason. Like Emile's rule 'no hat no ride' good for him!
also chin straps boil my blood, why does everyone wear them so loose?? you need one finger between your chin and your strap. NOT hanging as long as it will go. if you fall it increased the chance of the hat comming off!! why risk it. doesnt look cooler, looks sloppy. some of the vids ive seen at hat courses urgh makes me cringe.
also the old line of how horses are dangerous etc etc dont bike companies always recomend you wear a hat but dont have anyone to enforce it?? When you ride a bike you usually dont have any protection and your on concrete, horses you have a hat and poss a bp and usually on sand

sorry.
Rant over :) X
 
Yes of course there is a reason not to wear a hat....involves being a stupid, idiotic, niave it'll never happen to me kind of a person.

Another one.....someone trying to commit suicide.

Oh and having your hair done....don't want hat hair around the good looking bloke in the village who is out washing his car.
 
My friends daughter up until several years ago never wore hi vis.
One day,in the early days of getting in the habit of putting on the high vis she got half way around the ride and then realised she had not remembered to put on her hat!!She had to call her mum to bring out her hat!
Now the habit has sunk in !! :D
 
Not any particularly good reasons, but here's a few...

You've just had your hair done
You've left your hat at home
You forgot to put it on
You've lost your hat
You want to look good for some photos
Its really hot and you haven't got a ventilated hat
They give you headaches
You haven't got one

I wear hats, btw, but I disliked them for years until i found a very comfortable model.
 
a couple of times in the past i've ridden with no hat. once when i wanted to hack out with my friend and couldnt find it(i was about 12 and should have known better, quite frankly).
and a couple of times i've ridden in the school without one-purely because i tacked up and got everything i needed except my hat and clean forgot!

luckily i know all my ponys quirks so that wasnt too big an issue. both times i got about 15 mins in and went oh b*llocks i'm not wearing my hat!

definitely wouldnt do it on a horse i didnt know...sometimes i jump on her back when shes in the field and stroll around, me no hat and her no tack. :o
 
The last time I didn't wear a hat was working with a photographer on a shoot (I'm a part-time model). Admittedly, I was uncomfortable doing it, and had it been any other horse I would not have ridden - I was on for ten minutes, with someone (later PSed out) holding his head in a calm quiet environment.
Do I regret it? yes.
 
tbh I dont mind spending a bit of money on a hat if it means I dont mind photo getting taken in it and it is comfy and I feel happy in it. I used to have a champion but smashed it when my old boy threw me on the road went to buy a new one as I loved them but the new design was 'high cut' as the store person said the designers though it more stylish... still passed the regs etc... but when i put it on i didnt feel protected at all... forked out for an hs1 in the end... so comfy i forget to take it off and if i fall confident it will do the job money well spent
 
Tbh I think even of u know your horse inside out, it still isn't an excuse not to wear one!! I could only think this girl didn't have one on was so it didn't mess her hair up- she was piss wet through anyway so it would of at least kept her hair dry!!!
 
Yeah, some great reasons, like you want to be a vegetable and have your poor parents/family wipe up your sick and ***** for the rest of your life or you're just a total idiot and you think it's cool and you've never worn a hat, why should you start.

I would swear lots, but I quite like being on this forum.:D
 
I don't care how much someone may dislike wearing a hat - if its too hot/too uncomfy/too unfashionable/will mess your hair - trust me, after being dragged by a horse I wasn't even riding at the time, you will dislike having a seriously damaged head even more.
 
i always wear mine, things like that just reinforce why!

i dont buy the "oh ive had him for years so wont come off" crap! my girl still as sharp/spooky as she was at 3!
 
I hate wearing a hat, they push on my glasses which gives me a headache, and my head is odd and nothing fits nicely.

But i still hat and glove up whenever im doing anything with the horse, apart from grooming. My hat is always within reach. Its not just cos she is a young horse either, id do it with any. You can never know a horse completely inside out and predict every last movement, thats is such an arrogant thing to say.
 
Just a reminder to anyone that doesn't know, International Helmet Awareness Day is June 11th, and is being supported by 300 US helmet suppliers and 8 UK suppliers/brands. For those of you in the UK, Charles Owen and Champion have signed up and will be offering special offers to coincide, or you can order online from the US and choose from the following brands - Samshield, Troxel, Charles Owen, GPA, Aegis (Devon-Aire), Pegasus, Tipperary, Ovation, IRH and KEP Italia.
Anyone wanting more details PM me or google Riders4helmets
 
I always get really sweaty hair at the front of my head when I wear a hat and school, and it always looks awful afterwards because I straighten my side fringe normally, but when my hair gets damp it goes back to being curly/wavy and looking awful.

However, I wear a hat every time I ride, cos I can sort my hair out without getting the NHS involved! I wouldn't even think of getting on without a hat, it was drilled into me by my riding school education, where no hat = no lesson!
 
Devonshire dumpling said:
Has anyone ever had a baseball cap on and jumped up on your horser thinking you have your hat on?? or is it just me?
Click to expand...

haha, yes occasionally. Usually on days I'm a million miles away thinking about work, or whatever, and I'll get on, think 'something doesn't seem right, what is it? OH S**T I've not got my hat on!'

As soon as I'm mounted if I dont have a hat on, I feel naked and weird, and I realise as soon as I'm on.
 
I've ridden twice without a hat, as has my OH, both times in the USA on "cowboy treks" in Red Rock Canyon, Las Vegas.

Both trips were purchased online before leaving home, and websites had great reviews and "riding hats provided" in the FAQs section. I did plenty of homework, but obviously not enough.

Got there and only hats provided were for kids (and very small kids at that). Managed to get daughter "hatted up" both times, but none would fit us. And to be honest, all were terrible quality (daughter's included, but took the view that better she had something than nothing) with visable damage.

Contemplated not riding, but would have really upset daughter, and we paid good money, and transport was provided so we would have faced a 6 hour wait to be taken back to our hotel. So we rode hatless.

I was very worried to start with, but overall enjoyed the ride. Shame it spoiled it a little.

Not something I would choose to do again (the hatless bit, not the riding in the canyons) - we're going away this year to Florida and I've found a proper riding school this time, with much better facilities and lots of hats!!!

I'm very safety conscious with my daughter, although admittingly less so with myself. I insist she has hat and gloves on even to groom Little Dolly. And Hi Vis when hacking out.

****runs for cover and waits to be shouted at**** :eek:
 
I have to put my hat on before I ride because pony likes to nip my bottom when I pick up his front feet! Quickly learnt to face forwards, with a hat on - he still tries to nip but just gets a mouthful of hat :)
 
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