While beginning your equestrian adventure, you will hear at the very first ride that you need a riding helmet or a pillbox. It is an absolute must have for your safety and each serious instructor and horse riding coach will not allow anybody to even mount a horse without a helmet on (it is also regulated by the International Federation for Equestrian Sports rules). And it should be. It is well-known that horse riding is a sport, where it's easy to become injured. Of course, injuries don't have to occur, but it's best to be on the safe side and head trauma are always dangerous and they are just as common as back injuries in equestrian sports. That's why it's good to use proper protectors, namely riding helmets and protective vests. There are plenty of models available on the market in various prices. How are they different from each other? Beside the appearance, which is not the most important thing about protectors, they vary in used materials. Cheap helmets are usually made of Styrofoam or plastic, they don't meet any standards and have no safety certificates. Helmets from prestigious producers have international safety certificates, e.g. SAMSHIELD's helmets have the VG1 standard, which means that it's a helmet you can start in competitions all around the world. What is more, such helmets are made of durable materials such as kevlar, fiberglass, and titanium. It's certified by their norms and certificates. In order for a helmet to get them, it has to meet the International Federation for Equestrian Sports requirements.
It's good to overthink the purchase of a helmet and invest in a decent equestrian helmet produced by a prestigious brand that has safety certificates. Such a helmet will not prevent you from falling, but it will protect your hade in case of a fall. It will also be a long-term investment, instead of a few months that a cheap helmet from a sports shop will serve you for.
How to choose the proper model for horse riding?
The French producer SAMSHIELD offers 4 models of equestrian helmets. The most popular and versatile one is the SHADOWMATT model. It is suitable both for a rider training show jumping and dressage. In January 2017 Samshield presented a new model with a wide brim with a graceful name MISS SHIELD. This is a helmet designed for jumpers, as its wider brim provides more shadow and makes it easier to ride on shiny days. The XC model is designed for people riding in cross and racing. It is a very light and a very durable helmet due to application of carbon in its production. The last model is the XC-J one. Most interested in this one should be jumpers, especially those taking part in eventing.
1. Samshield Shadowmatt 2. Samshield Premium Miss Shield 3. Samshield XC 4. Samshield XC-J Carbon
After analyzing these criteria you can proceed to the most pleasant part - choosing the helmet's color. In case of the SHADOWMATT and MISS SHIELD models come in black, navy blue, and brown. The helmet might be matte or covered with leather, then there are accessories such as Swarovski crystals, leather details, crystalline dust... There are infinite options and possibilities and the final result is usually only limited by your budget, because the more the helmet is decorated the more expensive it is. You can create a helmet in our HELMET CONFIGURATOR. You will see the helmet's estimated price in the configurator ☺
So, you've chosen the model, color and decorations. It's time to get the right size. SAMSHIELD's helmets consist of a "shell" and an interchangeable liner. The shell comes in S, M, or L size. You should pick the side accordingly to your head's girth, which you should measure through the middle of your forehead, over your ears and through the occiput. The result you got should be found within a size range and there it is - your helmet's size. Then, to your head's girth you should add 1 and you have the size for your liner. For example: if your head's girth is 58cm your shell size should be M and consequently the liner's size should be 59. It's that simple. That's also the perfect solution for kids and teenagers, whose heads are still growing. All you need to do is change the liner's size, there's no need to change the whole helmet. There are helmets that you can adjust in size with a knob at the back, others have sponges attached with velcro. But these are not very comfortable ways of helmets' size adjustment. Many cheap helmets don't have any form of size regulation.
Another advantage of SAMSHIELD's helmets is that they are easy to keep clean. Their inserts can be detached, exchanged, washed in a washing machine, then easily and quickly attached back with special snaps. This is a huge convenience when it comes to maintaining hygiene and cleanliness of the inside of your helmet. The helmet's shell, when it comes to the matte version, can be cleaned with a damp cloth, and the alcantara version should be maintained with nubuck care products. When it comes to hygiene and cleanliness, SAMSHIELD's helmets have perfect ventilation systems due to which your head will sweat less. Air outlets are on the front of the helmet, go through its top part, even to the occiput. Another big plus of SAMSHIELD's helmets are winter liners. You can additionally order such liner. It has a warm extension to cover your eats, and ears are the body part which freeze the most in winter.
Samshield Shadowmatt helmet with the Samshield Winter Liner
To sum up, when choosing a riding helmet, you should pay attention to:
- Its safety norms and certificates
- Size adjustment option
- How practical and easy the helmet is to keep clean
Remember that the helmet should most of all provide you with safety, which is why it's better to have a simple and completely ornament-less version, but one that will have a safety certificate, instead of having the most beautiful helmet that will fail to protect your head.
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