kitemark hats?

[alibobs]

I'm looking at buying a new riding hat for my daughter, I've noticed there are quite a few nice ones out there that look very smart but don't have a BS kitemark. I've heard that buying with a kitemark is much better as they are regularly batch tested and the companies are regularly audited by BSI as well. So this seems to make sense. It would need to be approved for some minor competition use as well, so what would anyone recommend - does it make a difference and is it something that needs considering further? Looking for advice....

 

[MissChaos]

You're right that you shouldn't be buying one without a kitemark - and to be honest, I think you'd be hard pushed to find one with a harness that isn't kitemarked (would be interested to see which ones you've been looking at).

There are two main standards used in the UK (plus a third one I'm seriously hazy on as it's rarer, but bear with me because the main important info's coming up!): BS EN 1384 and PAS 015. You'll see the BS one on its own on some hats but you won't see PAS 015 with the BS one. PAS 015 is a bit higher than BS and you can get hats with this mark for not much more at all. I personally don't bother with non-PAS 015's as I think I might as well have that extra bit of reassurance!

All riding schools should require your daughter is wearing a fastened hat with at least BS EN 1384 before mounting - if not, they need reporting. Similarly, unless your daughter is competing at the upper levels of affiliated dressage , she'll need a hat of the same standard (skull cap for XC so if she's going to be doing this and you don't want to shell out for two hats, just get a skull and a black or navy cover, which will still be fine for the other disciplines). Hope that helps and welcome to the forum.

ETA that it should of course also be fitted by a trained person - your local tack shops should have staff trained to do this.

 

[gatehousekate]

Hi There Alibobs,

I would undoubtidly recomend that you purchase a kitemarked helmet for your daughter! The kitemark is the trademark of BSI (British standards institute) who ensure consistent quality and high standards on all items sold in the Britain. As you mentioned with reference to helmets, they are batch tested on a regular basis.
If you are looking for a versatile helmet so that your daughter may participate in all disciplines (no matter what level) I would reccomend a skull cap.
You may already be aware that the Gatehouse HS1 Skull cap is the ONLY helmet that holds The british Kitemark, PAS 015 and the SNELL E2001!
You cant beat this helmet in terms of safety and quality.
Always check the interior label when trying on helmets. The kitemark will be clearly displayed along with additional standards.
Let me know how you get on.