Riding helmet facts for kids
A riding helmet, sometimes called a horse riding helmet, is a type of hat (cover for the head) made for people who ride horses. It is important to wear a riding helmet when riding. It is easy for a person to fall off a horse and hit his or her head. Riding helmets keep the rider of a horse from being hurt. Horses can accidentally step on a person who has fallen to the ground.
Helmets should be worn by all riders, but are most often worn by English style riders.
Images for kids
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Jockey Calvin Borel wears a riding helmet
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A modern ASTM/SEI show-legal helmet covered in velveteen to resemble the old style hunt cap, but has visibly more protective material and an attached harness
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The inside of an ASTM/SEI-approved helmet, showing padding, ventilation system, adjustment mechanisms, and part of the harness.
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The older style hunt cap or “hard hat” is a thin shell. This cap is not ASTM/SEI certified, and is prohibited to wear in classes over fences at a USEF sanctioned competition; it offers inadequate crash protection to the rider’s head.
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A rider with a modern style ASTM/SEI approved safety helmet with a decorative ventilation strip down the center. This popular style is sometimes informally known as a “skunk helmet”.
