Riding hat standards

By Your Horse

Tack and equipment advice

02 February 2012 15:40

Before buying a hat, check which standards are approved by the governing bodies of the disciplines you want to do.

 

BS EN 1384

This standard may be found prefixed by other initials belonging to the country testing the helmet, eg DIN EN 1384:1997. Certain bodies demand BS EN 1384 because the helmet has been tested in Britain. Acceptable by all organisations.

 

PAS 015

This standard provides improved protection to the crown and the intermediate areas which account for 75% of most general riding impacts. It also provides crush resistance and prevention of brain injury when landing. Recommended by most organisations.

 

ASTM F 1163

This American standard allows larger ventilation slots and the test includes using a hazard anvil (now incorporated in PAS 015:1998).

 

The Kitemark and SEI

The kitemark is the registered trademark of the British Standards Institute (BSI) – the SEI is the American equivalent. It is affixed to products certified as meeting the required standard. 

 

CE Mark

Introduced to ensure products entering Europe meet the basic safety requirements.