Horseback riding can be a fun and challenging sport, but it is also dangerous. Wearing horseback riding helmets is one of the most basic safety precautions we can take when horseback riding or showing. Your safety and comfort depend on how well your riding helmet fits. Follow these steps, from Blain’s Farm & Fleet, for the proper fitting riding helmet.
Just because a helmet fits your best friend, does not mean it’s the right size helmet for you. Take a height and weight tape measure or a string you can measure with a ruler and wrap it around your head about an inch above your eyebrows. This number in inches will determine what size you need.
Extra Small: 20-3/8″ to 20-3/4″
Small: 21-1/4″ to 22″
Medium: 22-3/8″ to 22-3/4″
Large: 23-1/8″ to 23-1/2″
Extra Large: 24″ to 24-3/8″
Get a feel for what feels best on your head. The right riding helmet should fit firmly and comfortably, and should sit level on your head, not tilting up near your hairline or down to cover your eyes. Try moving the helmet around on your head. It should move the skin around your eyebrows. If not, the helmet is most likely still too large.
Most helmets come with pads on the inside of the helmet to ensure the helmet fits as snug as possible without causing discomfort. Folding the pads under will create a more snug fit if the helmet is just a bit too loose, but the next size up would be too large. Adjust the horseback riding helmets you try on to suit your fit needs and to decide which one you like the feel of most.
Position the Chinstrap and Buckles. Start by fastening the chinstrap buckle. Adjust the slide-glides on the buckle so they sit just below the ears. Now, tighten the chinstrap by pulling the ends straight out with the other hand. No more than one or two fingers should fit under the tightened chin strap.
Test the Fit. Open your mouth in a big yawn. The helmet should pull down on the head. If not, tighten the chin strap until it does. If your helmet rocks back on your forehead more than two fingers above your eye brows, unbuckle and shorten the front strap and then re-tighten the chin strap to test again. Conversely, if the helmet rocks forward into your eyes unbuckle and tighten the back strap and then re-tighten the chin strap. Keep tightening and testing the helmet until you feel the helmet is firmly seated on the crown of your head with evenly-distributed snugness all over.
If you’re interested in learning more about horse tack and care, check out Blain’s Farm & Fleet’s Hobby Farming blog
