Riding hats for odd shaped big heads lol

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Louby

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I need a new hat so went to the local horse shop and got measured by 2 different assistants, one said 60cm, which I thought I was, the other said 59cm which IMO felt tight! After trying practically everything they had and being nicely told I had an odd shaped head :D I came away with a Champion Junior X Air plus in a 59cm, bought through desperation and my head looks bigger than ever as its just so bulky!! Im not convinced it isnt too small either! The Charles Owen I liked felt tight at the front, yet roomy at the sides. Im presuming I have a round head as Ive read the Champions fit round heads and Charles Owen oval heads. Are there any other makes that fit like Champion but arent as bulky? Quite like the look of Gatehouse but what do they fit like? Im happy to travel to a shop to try, its just finding shops that will stock something other than Charles Owen and Champion that might fit! My current hat is ancient and a Just Togs.
Thanks for any advice.
 
Ignore the bulk. My hat is very large but I wore it all the time in USA. Gatehouse HS1 - An RI told me he would never suggest I buy something lighter. As it would be weaker too. There was a discussion here some time back when a couple of us decided to get the same heavy duty hat for our children/grandchildren.
A couple of years ago I hit my head hard eough in a fall onto tarmac from canter to need A&E the next day. I put my suvival down to my hat.
 
CO also make a 'round' now. My current hat is a specially padded CO round even though I cannot get a champion on my head.
Gatehouse's vary imo, they have changed the fit of the HS1 as I've had 2 and can't get the new one on my head (new being at burghley 2018). I think the RXC1 is probably on the champion side of things as never got one of those on either (worse than the HS1)

(fwiw HS1s were definitely much lighter than other options when they first came out, so I wouldn't call them a heavy hat?!)
 
Thank you both. Just how tight is tight? Ive always been a 60cm, the 2nd lady said I was definately a 59cm and insisted it should be tight and she said the 60cm was too big. Both stayed on my head when upside down, the 59cm I bought seems too tight but she said it will mould to my head. I drove home feeling a bit light headed lol after trying so many tight hats on!
 
I do think it's really tricky when trying on, as beyond hanging round the shop for a bit it is hard to tell. It also does need to be wearable as it moulds. I have real issues with hats being or becoming too tight at the front which gives me a headache, even more so in summer.

I am a big believer in buying at the big shows tbh as you can get second opinions and try lots of makes on in the same day but I know that's not always possible when you need one!
 
Thanks Ester, the local shops dont really have anything but Champion and Charles Owen, could do with fast forwarding a few months for the County shows :). Maybe a round Charles Owen would fit. My current hat could do with replacing sooner than later, I did break my jaw in a riding accident 3 yrs ago with it on oooops. It just hadnt crossed my mind until now :oops:
 
lol ooops!
I don't know if they do it in all, mine is a proII.
I do also think the reps are better at precision fitting their own products and they are often on the stands. Having done hat fitting training it's pretty sparse.
 
Does the round fitting mean the circumference or the depth? My hubby reckons my heard is oval around the circumference :D
 
Louby said:
! The Charles Owen I liked felt tight at the front, yet roomy at the sides. Im presuming I have a round head as Ive read the Champions fit round heads and Charles Owen oval heads.
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If the CO was roomy at the sides then that would mean it was too round so your head is oval. Imagine squeezing the sides in to make it fit and you would have an oval not a circle.

I've got an oval head and only Champions do, I occasionally try other brands at shows or shops and always end up back with Champions. Charles Owens are no good at all. Might a different model not look as big. I've had traditional velvet ones, a skull cap and a Ventair and they all fit but they look different on.

I do find they loosen up after a bit of use but I've never felt light headed. I have seen hat fitters put a special padded tape on the inside if someone is genuinely between sizes.
 
My previous two hats were both Champion (I’ve got an oval head), but I swapped to a Uvex last summer as I wanted something more ventilated, and it fits me better than the Champions did, so that might be another to consider.
 
If you plonk the hat on your head and walk round the shop, when you take it off and have a rub, you should not be left with a visible mark on your head by the time you find a mirror to look.

If you still have a red mark, or worse a groove that you can feel, then it is too tight.

I have been fitted with them like this, assured that the hat will bed in, nope.
 
Red-Nose said:
If you plonk the hat on your head and walk round the shop, when you take it off and have a rub, you should not be left with a visible mark on your head by the time you find a mirror to look.

If you still have a red mark, or worse a groove that you can feel, then it is too tight.

I have been fitted with them like this, assured that the hat will bed in, nope.
Click to expand...
Thank you, I was talking to a friend today who had a hat fitted at the same store and it lives in the cupboard as its too tight. They have said I can take it back as I really wasnt sure so I will try it tomorrow in the house and see how it feels after 30 mins or so x
 
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