Showing and Top Hats (Safety Top Hat)?

I doubt the wearing of a nice navy velvet hat will cause you to be marked down in showing. Evening performances tend to be fairly electric and a lot of people opt for them unless they are 99% certain their horse will not bat an eyelid.

I can just see that new design of top hat being very bulky and sticky outy if you know what I mean?
 
If you want to wear a safety hat, just wear a navy velvet hat with flesh coloured straps. That top hat would look ridiculous.
 
Turnout is not marked in a showing class. Only the BSHA and CHAPS(maybe?) would allow you to wear a top hat anyway the rest all stipulate a strapped hat to be worn.
 
Nothing to do with your question but my first evening performance final, someone lent me a top hat just as I was going in - went we went into trot I realised it was a little loose.....
 
It is perfectly normal for someone to wear a navy velvet hat in an evening performance, Top hats are at the riders discretion.

The way things are going you wont be able to wear them soon anyway.
 
At equifest it was only over 18's who were allowed to wear a top hat and they had to go to the office beforehand and sign a disclaimer and carry the signed card in their pocket in the ring. I think they were checking cards on the way in and if you didn't have the signed card then you had to have a strapped hat with a 3point harness. They were doing announcements on the tannoy during the day reminding that no one would be allowed in the evening performance with beaglers or top hats without the disclaimer.
 
I agree, its a really old advert and I havent seen any riders wearing them. In dressage certainly with the top riders starting to wear helmets I think the days of the top hat are numbered ..
 
humblepie said:
Nothing to do with your question but my first evening performance final, someone lent me a top hat just as I was going in - went we went into trot I realised it was a little loose.....
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My top hat fits me at the sides but not infront or behind so I have a chopped in half yellow jumbo sponge (you know the ones you buy for washing your car!) stuffed in the front of it! So far I have worn it twice in the 8 years I have owned it and both on the same pony! I would love to wear one on my TB as he is just sooooo elegant and I would for a Concours class but I most certainly wouldn't for an evening performance! I might be mad but no that mad!


*prepares to be shot down in flames for my sponge filled hat*
 
The L'Hiver Safety Top hat, is very well made, nothing like a helmet with a top hat stuck over the top. It passes the bare minimum standard for FEI, EN1384 (but so does Carl's Casco).
The dark harness is skin coloured & actually custom matched to your skin tone.

Its absolutly wonderful & from a distance looks just like a standard topper (obviously as you get closer you notice the strap & buckle)

The problem was its dreadfully expensive (around £200 more expensive that a custom 'standard' L'Hiver) and the FEI enforce normal top hat rules with it (I.E. they dont class it as a safety hat) so ultimatly its an utter waste of money for dressage!
 
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