Big Girl Helmet
I’ve been wanting a new helmet for a long time. Of course, this want happened during my “don’t spend any money and pay off your credit card” budget time this summer, so I missed all the Helmet Awareness day sales. I decided that my current helmet was two years old with no falls, so I didn’t really need a new one.
At the show on Saturday, I complained about my helmet all day. See, I can only perfect hunter hair one per horse show. It’s impossible for me to take my helmet off, re-do my sweaty hair and get it right again… so once I set it on for the day I leave it until I’m showing again. This isn’t a big deal when your helmet fits, but when you’re an oval shape with a square helmet you complain.. a lot.
To make a long (not very important) story short, one of the first thoughts I had when I got up from my fall was, ‘YAY I GET TO BUY A NEW HELMET NOW!’
I’ve had IRH’s since college, and while they are not bad helmets at all (really nice helmets for the price really) I knew I did not want an IRH. Call it high school insecurities, but I wanted a helmet that was an “in” brand for hunter/jumpers so I headed to the tack store with a budget in mind and tried on all the things.
True to my AA circuit helmet stereotype, the one that fit like a glove and looked snazzy was the Charles Owen Ayr8.
Later that day to celebrate my new helmet, I decided my first ride testing it out should be bareback after Simon had two days off. Obviously. In typical Simon fashion, he jogged around like a western pleasure pony.
I’m quickly realizing there is really not much point to this post besides this – your head is really important. Buying a Charles Owen made me really happy in a “Maybe I’m finally in the hunter princess club!” kind of way, but it doesn’t matter what kind of helmet you wear.
I hear the excuse a lot that “I don’t fall often” or “My horse is really well behaved so I don’t need to wear a helmet”, but that’s a bunch of bull. It had been two years since I fell off, and I fell because I asked my horse to turn left. That’s the only reason. He wasn’t being naughty or fresh, I was just being a pudgy adult amateur who was tired 🙂
This helmet wasn’t cheap, but it’s a whole lot cheaper than a ride to the ER for a bad concussion… and that’s very low on the list of things that can happen when you fall and hit your head.
So do yourself a favor. Be a big girl (or guy) and pick out a big girl helmet if you don’t already own it. Find something that fits, something that makes you feel a little extra special, and wear it with every ride.
19 thoughts on “Big Girl Helmet”
I didn’t wear a helmet for 5 years until my first ride on B. If hadn’t? I’d probably be dead or brain dead at least… Which is basically the same thing in my mind. Now I wear it 98.5% of the time… Sometimes you’ll catch me on an old plug walking around bareback, but I prefer to wear one now. I couldn’t believe how long it had been without one and on the horses I was riding who had MAYBE 15 rides under saddle? Umm… Stupid. Good for you, you deserve it.
The helmet looks fantastic on you! And your nerd horse is the best. Love that video!
Love the pearls! Very fitting!
Looking good!!!
yay new helmets!!! the CO looks great on you! totes jealous bc they don’t suit me AT ALL despite my repeated begging lol.
there’s nothing wrong with wanting the helmet you want. so there. when my IRH bit the dust a few months ago, i wanted something snazzy and new too lol
Your CO looks great! Love the hunter hair; it’s something I just cannot do. Something about hair over my ears feels terrible to me!
I have a Samshield myself and tend to seem to fit the rounder headed helmets best, but I’m okay in an oval (I had a CO AYR8 for a long time!) But the Speed Air and Samshield seem to work best, bonus that the Samshield is soooooo comfy! Living up to my jumper stereotype here…
I totally know what you mean, the AYR8 was my “upgrade” helmet when I finally got a salaried job! It is an insecurity but I want to stick out for my awesome riding not because my helmet is distracting I guess? lol
I’ve been lusting after a slim, lightweight, vented helmet for a while now. Christmas is coming – it’s time to start dropping hints!
My dogs ate the silky cover bit on the inside of my helmet, making it stick to my hair whenever I ride! I’ve been wanting to replace it but can’t bear to say goodbye as I can’t find the same one anywhere. Amyway, it’s a CO GR8 and now you’ve introduced me to the AYR8 I may have found the perfect replacement… Thank you!
I had this same issue with my CO. It just didn’t fit me right and at one show I was just done and went helmet shopping
That’s one of the coolest things about endurance riders; they’ve (we’ve) been wearing helmets (REAL helmets) for a very long time. I’ve been wearing a helmet (every ride, every time) since the mid-1990s. Wow! That’s 20 years! It’s hard to believe they’ve been making them that long.
Back then of course, there were hardly any choices. It was either a black, velvet English helmet or a white Troxel. :0)
Love my CO! It’s getting older and on the list to replace eventually, but still going strong for now.
I love my AYR8. Oval heads unite! You look great 😀
It looks great on you!
Question… I never heard of ‘in’ helmets before following some hunter-jumper blogs (although it was obvious to me that a CO trumps a white Tipperary helmet).. How did this come about? I know there are slight differences in styles, but considering that the helmets have different head shapes, why would anyone plug one helmet as being more ‘in’ than the other? Do you need to have a snazzy shaped head to apply to the cool crowd?
Forgive my ignorance, just curious!
PS- in this vein, your posts from FL about helmets were enlightening!
LOVE the new helmet! There’s a trainer on the property at my barn that rides around with an unbuckled helmet- sorta like she wants to play by the rules but is too cool for it. Seems to defeat the purpose in my opinion. I wear a helmet every time I ride!
Love my CO! I had the same qualms about listing after the expensive, “in” helmets, but then I thought the same thing about the price of and ER visit and putting my head at risk vs. the cost of the helmet. For a peice of safety equipment as important as a helmet I think it’s important to feel good in it and like the way it looks as well!
Perhaps I can request a Teach Me Tuesday topic, is there a true difference in the $300 Charles Owen helmet versus the $75 Tipperary or $50 Troxel helmet other than a little comfort and a little “in style”? I have never understood, since you just bought one maybe you can enlighten me??? Is it all just for the look?
Looking good! I switched to the AYR8 last year, something I should have done awhile before that. I had GPAs and loved them, but they’re just a little too round for a good fit for me. GR8 was too long oval, but the AYR8 was just right. Buy the fit folks, that’s more important than the brand!