Patey vs Safety Hat

LKWilliams

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Having just gone to Honri hats to be measured I'm ever so excited for it to arrive. However I understand that it is becoming a bit of a taboo topic. Would you wear a patey? or do you stick to the skull cap and silk?
 

milliepops

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I opt to wear a top hat sometimes for dressage on my advanced horse but nothing would persuade me to not wear a proper safety hat to go hunting. I always wore a velvet hat which looked just as nice.
 

sbloom

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I have a beautiful Thomas Townsend hat from 1985 when the PC rules demanded safety helmets. It fits all the Patey rules, it won't come off, but I haven't worn it in twenty year, even then only for lower level dressage, and it's now a memento. Madness not to protect your most valuable asset.
 

Rowreach

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@LKWilliams you will get lambasted for your post and your choice of hat on here. There are very few people who will put their heads above the parapet on this forum and admit they wear a Patey (*other hats are available ☺)

The OP asked for opinions, and I suspect the majority of posters on here are more concerned about the state of their head rather than its appearance.

I was practically ostracised when I started wearing a crash helmet back in the early 90s - until our lady master had a terrible fall and had her head (and her lovely Patey) squashed. Suddenly all the elegant ladies of the hunt were sporting crash helmets ...

On a more trivial note, I went to primary school with Paul Honri ... :D
 

Meredith

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The OP asked for opinions, and I suspect the majority of posters on here are more concerned about the state of their head rather than its appearance.

I was practically ostracised when I started wearing a crash helmet back in the early 90s - until our lady master had a terrible fall and had her head (and her lovely Patey) squashed. Suddenly all the elegant ladies of the hunt were sporting crash helmets ...

I started wearing a crash helmet when my children joined The Pony Club. ( late ‘80’s?) There couldn’t be one rule for me and another for them. Some older riders were heard to say they would not be seen dead in one. Answers on a postcard supplying the comments they received.
 

spacefaer

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The OP asked for opinions, and I suspect the majority of posters on here are more concerned about the state of their head rather than its appearance.

That was my point .......

I think the Patey vs crash hat conversation has been somewhat done to death on here, with one side weighing in with its somewhat forceful and sometimes sanctimonious opinions :p
 

Rowreach

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I started wearing a crash helmet when my children joined The Pony Club. ( late ‘80’s?) There couldn’t be one rule for me and another for them. Some older riders were heard to say they would not be seen dead in one. Answers on a postcard supplying the comments they received.

A friend and I were qualifying two rather wayward point to pointers at the time, and were told we looked "stupid" and weren't properly turned out :rolleyes:
 

spacefaer

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As a side note, one of our lady masters has three very keen hunting children who have always worn crash hats, while she wears a Patey. The oldest daughter turned 18 this summer. I saw her out the other day sporting a brand new Patey.
 

Rowreach

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That was my point .......

I think the Patey vs crash hat conversation has been somewhat done to death on here, with one side weighing in with its somewhat forceful and sometimes sanctimonious opinions :p

Clearly the OP wants to start another thread on the topic?

I suspect if someone posted about the merits of seatbelt wearing, the responses would be equally "forceful and sanctimonious" .
 

The Fuzzy Furry

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I dug out my Patey this summer, 1st time in years it had come out. Purely because I COULD....
.....To do an in hand class.

I'd not wear one to ride in now, the last time I wore it mounted was, I think, in 92 at Olympia, then only for in hand classes after that. It's been in the hat box since the start of this century.
 

Ditchjumper2

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OK I will be brave 🙄 I hunt in a Patey as does my OH. However, due to various circumstances ,not least our hunts change of direction ,we have not hunted this season. I have a new horse and will be wearing a crash hat this season when we eventually get going. It is personal choice I would not criticise OP how can I? I hate chin straps and permanently keep sticking chin out. I will see how it goes.
 

Mule

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I don't have a patey or an equivalent. If I did I'd have no problem doing dressage in it. I have, on occasion jumped small fences without a helmet but I hadn't planned to in advance. I wouldn't hunt without a helmet because my seat isn't that sticky but each to their own.
 

Kat

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I wear a skull cap with a velvet cover to hunt.

On an average day with our pack you might see 3 pateys, about 50% skull caps and 50% velvet safety hats with a chin strap. Various types, the smartest are the show hats with flesh coloured leather harnesses.

One of the pateys is our master huntsman. Our lady master, wears a velvet safety hat and an air jacket in custom colours to match her hunt coat, she always looks immaculate as do many others who wear safety hats. In fact we even have a lady who hunts side-saddle and she wears her bowler at the meet and swaps to a safety hat before we move off.
 

Charles.Young

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Having just gone to Honri hats to be measured I'm ever so excited for it to arrive. However I understand that it is becoming a bit of a taboo topic. Would you wear a patey? or do you stick to the skull cap and silk?
As a whipper in I think that all hunt servants should wear them as they are traditional and smart. Please do not but second hand get it made to measure or it will extremely unsafe if you do not even if it is you head size all heads are different shapes.
 

ycbm

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If whippers in are employees, then I think the HSE would have quite a bit to say about failing to provide workers with proper safety headgear. I'd go so far as to say that if they are employees it would almost certainly be a criminal offence not to require them to wear a hat with a proper harness.

.
 

Pinkvboots

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I used to do ridden showing in mine but no one wears them that much in the show ring anymore, I just tend to use it for in hand showing now or if I groom for someone.
 

LKWilliams

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If whippers in are employees, then I think the HSE would have quite a bit to say about failing to provide workers with proper safety headgear. I'd go so far as to say that if they are employees it would almost certainly be a criminal offence not to require them to wear a hat with a proper harness.

.

I was told by someone who whipped in that actually the hunts insurance covers people to ride in a patey! I was pretty shocked at this myself
 

LKWilliams

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I absolutely love my Honri hunt cap! At first it’s “tight” but this is because they do give a bit! Now I wear it all the time for riding because my skull cap seems so uncomfortable
 
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