Need advice - buying helmet for my 5year old son

[Number1 Nag]

Evening everyone 😊 so my son can finally start lessons now he's reached the age of 5.

I know the riding school has hats we can borrow but I would prefer to buy his own since this will be a regular activity. My personal preferences from browsing the Internet are Uvex supersonic and Casco nori.

Anyone have experience of either of these (good bad and the ugly) say it as it is please as safety is the most important thing here. Feel free to suggest others though.

Also at what stage would you invest in a body protector?

Thanks

 

[Peregrine Falcon]

If you can I would take him to a saddler that does hat fitting. I personally wouldn't buy a hat for my children off the internet without not knowing what style fits their head properly. I have two boys, one a velvet cap suits fine, the other needs a skull cap as their heads are different shapes.

When they are jumping and doing faster work then I would invest in BP but that's just my opinion.

 

[Number1 Nag]

Thanks for the reply.

Will definitely be taking him somewhere to get measured but don't know of any stores that sell either of these. We live in South Wales.

I know both uvex and Casco make safety helmets for other sports (cycling, ski/snowboarding and motorcycling) too so I don't know if the general fitting would be similar or completely different but I was impressed with the ski ones in particular when looking at them in the winter for our ski holidays.

Makes sense that the hats aren't suitable for every child though, so we will need to try several to make sure we get a good fit 😊

 

[gnubee]

Please check that the hat you eventually choose is PAS015 standard and has kite mark. See so many kids with hard from decathlon etc that do not meet the latest standards. I recommend a visit to a proper tack shop with an experienced fitter who knows what to look for in the fit. I'm happy to fit my own these days but still wouldn't want to fit one for someone else as there's a very fine balance between snug enough to stay on and too tight.

 

[Number1 Nag]

Thanks for the reply😊 it's a good point.

I've just had a quick look and I have to admit I don't know what these mean and whether they meet the current requirements? I assume they do but i don't know.

the casco helmets are certified ISO9001:2000/ EN1384/ TUV GS/ CE

the uvex is EN1384/ EN1078/ TUV GS/ CE

 

[Shay]

Neither of those standards are UK current I'm afraid - which will be why you can't find a local shop stocking them. I know both hats are attractive for kids because they are lightweight - and for a smaller child you need a lighter weight helmet so as not to stress their neck in a fall. But not at the expense of their brain obviously! You'll need to check with the riding school if they would allow hats below UK standard - they may not be able to because of their insurance. Any hat at all is better than nothing - but as a parent I would prefer the highest standard hat for my daughter's head - even though she is 16 now, she started at 3!

The minimum standard now is PAS015. You can get lightweight kids helmets which meet this standard. There are higher standards offering greater protection but they are all in skull type hats which might be too heavy for his neck whilst he is so young.

 

[Exploding Chestnuts]

http://www.bhs.org.uk/~/media/BHS/Files/PDF Documents/Safety leaflets/BETA Guide to Riding Hats.ashx
H&H will run relevant articles occasionally and there will be magazines for younger riders, and they will sometimes carry reviews.
I tend to agree with body protectors too, not sure if you can get one with some degree of neck support
It might be a good idea to join the BHS at some stage, and Pony Club!
ISO is just about manufacturing standards, not specific to Riding hats. CE is related to European manufacturing, again not specific to riding standards.

 

[Exploding Chestnuts]

http://www.beta-uk.org/pages/safety-equipment.php
http://www.beta-uk.org/media/safety/Consumer FAQ-s Key facts on hats on letterhead Jan 22 15.pdf