Helmet fitting

From: Carmella

Dear Jessica, I love the helmet stories section on your site, I send all my friends to read those stories. Two of them are wearing helmets now, as a result of reading those stories. But now I am wondering about my own helmet and hope you can help me figure this out.

I didn't use to wear a helmet but started to wear one because I read two of your books and also subscribed to HORSE-SENSE and I have a lot of respect for you. I bought a new helmet last month because my old one was almost five years old and also I had done some of the things you say not to do. I kept it in my car for two years, and I know I dropped it quite a few times off the top of the car, so it probably was not in the best shape. I stopped doing those things by the way!

My new helmet is a Troxel and very lightweight and comfortable and not any bother to wear, and I have heard that this is a good brand name, but my problem is that it does not stay on when I fall off. I didn't know this until yesterday when I was riding in our sand ring and my horse stumbled and I wasn't really paying attention and I just kind of fell off sideways. When I hit the ground I waited a minute to see how I felt, then I got up. My friend was watching when I fell off, and she said "Go pick up your helmet", and I did, it was nowhere near me. She said she saw me come off the horse and my helmet was going one way when I was going the other way so I didn't even have it on my head when I hit the ground. It's a good thing I landed on my butt, and the sand is pretty deep. But now I am nervous, what good is this helmet if it doesn't stay on my head when I fall off?

I know you always say "wear a properly fitted helmet" but I thought this one was properly fitted, it was the right size for me and I had the harness fastened. It didn't come open, it was still fastened when I picked up my helmet from the sand after the fall. How could this happen, and is there something I should be doing so that it won't happen? My old helmet never came off my head no matter what. I don't trust my new helmet. Would another brand be better? One of my friends has a Lexington Lid-Locker helmet that adjusts from the outside of the helmet with Velcro, and it's very comfortable, I tried it and I liked it too, but she says that company no longer exists and she is worried because her helmet is almost five years old (time to change it according to you). So she needs helmet advice too. Help! Carmella

Let's begin with helmet size and shape. Both vary, from model to model and from manufacturer to manufacturer, so try several makes and models before making up your mind. Some sizes are precise - like hat and shoe sizes - and others are more general (small-medium-large); some helmets are advertised as being of a particular shape (e.g., round, oval, long oval). There's no "right" or "wrong" helmet shape or head shape, but for the sake of safety and comfort, it's important to achieve as close a match as possible between the shape of your helmet and the shape of your head. It's a good idea to try several helmets in different sizes and shapes from each manufacturer, because even tiny design differences can make a huge difference to helmet fit.

Plan to do your shopping in person. Online shopping and catalogue shopping are very convenient, but helmets are like shoes, you MUST try them on if you want to be sure that they'll fit. The same size from two different companies may fit entirely differently, and the new version of the model that USED to fit you may no longer have exactly the same contours, so plan to spend some time visiting tack shops and trying on helmets.

First, check the label! If a helmet isn't ASTM approved or lacks an SEI label, don't even bother trying it on.

When you've found a few helmets that seem likely to fit, you can begin.

1. Start by putting the helmet on your head straight and level, so that the visor (if any) points forward and the brim of the helmet is an inch above your eyebrows. Don't fasten the harness yet - you're checking for basic helmet fit. In this position, the helmet should feel snug - from front to back and from side to side - but not painfully TIGHT.

2. With the harness still unfastened, put one hand on the top of the helmet and wiggle it around, moving it backwards and forwards, up and down, and from side to side.

   If it stays snugly on your head, moving your eyebrows and scalp when you move it up and down, then so far, so good. If it doesn't move at all, and you're beginning to feel that your head is caught in a vise, it's too small - try the next larger size. If it moves easily and doesn't move your eyebrows and scalp with it, it's too large - try the next smaller size. Don't compromise on fit. A too-tight helmet will give you headaches, and a too-loose one will slip.

3. Evaluate the fit. Does the helmet seem to fit all around your head, or does it fit better in some places than in others? If the latter, that could be due to the helmet shape NOT matching the shape of your head.

   Minor fit adjustments can be made with optional padding, and some helmets, like the latest models from Troxel, come with built-in adjustable padding that allow you to customize the padding in front, in back, and on the sides. If the helmet is just a little bit too round for your head, a pad on each side may do the trick. If it's just a little bit too oval for you, a pad in the back or one in the front may be the answer. If the helmet is more than just a little bit too round (or too oval) to fit well with a small adjustment to the padding, you may need an entirely different helmet with a different basic shape.

   - If a helmet feels snug across your forehead but shifts easily from side to side, it's probably too round for your (oval) head.

   - If a helmet seems to fit sngly and comfortably at the sides, but can be rocked forwards and backwards easily, then it may be too oval for your (round) head - but since an improperly adjusted harness can allow a helmet to rock like this, DO be sure to adjust the harness correctly and try the helmet again before you cross it off your list of "possibles".

4. Now FASTEN the harness, bend over from the waist, and shake your head vigourously. What does the helmet do? It ought to stay on without shifting. If it moves around, something is wrong with the fit, or the padding, or - very likely - the adjustment of the harness. THIS IS KEY. Did you actually take the time to read the manufacturer's instructions and adjust the harness correctly before fastening it, or did you just adjust the length of the chin strap and click the fastener shut? If that's all you did, you didn't actually adjust the harness properly. DO THIS NOW - and then bend over and shake your head again. The feel may be very different.

   Harness adjustment is an essential but often-overlooked part of helmet-fitting, helmet safety, and helmet-shopping. Harnesses, like the helmets themselves, vary from manufacturer to manufacturer and from model to model - and, like the helmets themselves, are subject to design changes over time. It's important to remember this, because buying ANY new helmet may mean learning a different way to adjust the harness. Here again, you may not get much help from the staff at the tack shop, but helmet manufacturers go to great lengths to provide you with the information you need in the form of a detailed booklet or instruction sheet. When you try on a helmet, you'll find that information in the helmet box, or attached to the helmet's harness. READ IT, and learn exactly how to adjust the harness on that helmet. Then DO IT.

   Although you will still need to consult the directions and follow them exactly for each helmet you try on, here is some basic, generic information about harness adjustment.

   The harness - sometimes referred to as the "retention system" - involves much more than a mere chinstrap. Whatever its design, it should fit snugly against the back of your head. If you inspect one of today's ASTM/SEI helmets, you'll see that the harness is adjustable in several different areas: the back of the harness, the sides of the harness, and the strap that fastens under the chin.

   Quick checklist for helmet harness adjustment:

   When the helmet is on your head correctly (straight, and 1/2" to 1" above your eyebrows):

   • the back of the harness should be snug enough to keep the helmet from moving forward
   • the side straps should meet just below and in front of your earlobes
   • the throat strap should go under your chin, and should be snug, even firm, but not tight

   If you're aware of all the adjustment points and take the time to make use of them, you should end up with a harness that feels snug but not uncomfortably tight, and that fits well in the back, over/around the ears, and under the jaw.

   If the harness isn't adjusted correctly, it won't be snug and comfortable, and you need it to be BOTH. If it isn't comfortable, you're unlikely to wear the helmet, and if it isn't snug, it won't do its job of keeping the helmet in place. Leaving the rear adjustment loose, for example, will allow the helmet to tip forward over your eyes.

   And speaking of adjustment... ... always wear your helmet correctly. Keep it straight - don't push it back on your head so that your forehead is exposed. Keep the harness adjusted snugly, and keep it fastened! Riders who loosen the chin strap so that there is no longer contact between the strap and the skin are putting themselves at risk. Like a badly-adjusted seatbelt, a badly-adjusted helmet can't do the job it was designed to do. And don't take unnecessary risks - always fasten your helmet harness BEFORE you mount, and unfasten it AFTER you dismount.

Here are a couple of helmet-shopping tips:

1. Give yourself plenty of time. The day before the show, or the day before you leave for riding camp, is NOT the moment to begin looking for a helmet. If you tell yourself that you have ONE HOUR to find a new helmet, you may not be able to try on all the helmets you should try on (you might need to visit more than one shop) and you won't necessarily buy the one that fits best. When you're shopping for a helmet, you need to be able to say "Yes, THIS is the one, it fits well, it's snug but comfortable." Riders in a hurry are more likely to say "Oh, this one will do, I guess" - and that's just not the way to shop for something that's designed to protect your brain.

2. HAIR can affect helmet fit. Before you begin shopping, arrange your hair in the way that you'll be wearing it when you ride. If you try on a helmet in the store with your hair down and loose, then try to ride with your hair in a high ponytail or French braid, the helmet may no longer fit! If you always school with your hair braided and tucked into your helmet, but like to wear it in a bun at the nape of your neck for competitions, or if you school with a braid down your back but like to have your hair up under your helmet for competitions, you may need two different helmets, or a single helmet with an adjustable fit system. And if you're planning to have your long hair cut short, have this done BEFORE you go shopping for your new helmet.

3. And finally, when it comes to brand names, there are quite a few manufacturers making ASTM/SEI approved equestrian helmets, so you should have plenty of choices. Tell your friend that she doesn't need to worry about replacing her Lid-Locker - the company that makes it was acquired by another helmet manufacturer, International Riding Helmets, and those helmets WILL continue to be produced, so she will be able to find a new one.

If you determine that your helmet simply doesn't fit your head and can't be made to fit securely even when the harness is adjusted, then you probably need a helmet of a different shape. I suggest that you pay another visit to the tack shop and try on as many different helmets as possible. Troxel IS a good brand name, and the company makes many different models and styles, designed for different head shapes. Try them all, and try helmets from some other manufacturers as well. This is important, so keep looking until you find the helmet that's right for you.

Jessica

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