Riding Hat Safety Standards - RB Equestrian Blog

Do you find riding hat safety standards confusing? You’re not alone, but the good news is that we are here to help.

There are several different standards available to buy now, and also a range of standards that have been retired… but you might still be using them or have them in the back of your tack room!

We all know that it’s important to replace riding hats at least every five years (and every time there is a significant impact), but do you know what you should be buying and what’s right for you? Read on…

Check the rules

First up, if you’re looking to buy a new riding hat and you compete with a specific organisation, check their current rules. They will list the hat standards that they accept for competition, so this is a great place to start.

What are the different standards?

Now, you might be wondering what the different standards actually mean? Essentially, the codes relate to the type of testing that the hat has been subjected to. We’ve detailed this below:

PAS015 2011 – this standard has been tested for flat impact, edge impact, spike impact and crush resistance.
EN1384 2023 – this standard has been tested for flat impact, edge impact, spike impact and crush resistance.
VG1 01.040 – this standard has been tested for flat impact, spike impact and crush resistance.
ASTM F1163 2015 and 2023 – this standard has been tested for flat impact and edge impact. The 2023 version is also tested for crush resistance.
SNELL E2021 – this standard has been tested for flat impact, edge impact, spike impact, round/hemisphere impact/anvil, horseshoe impact/anvil and crush resistance.

The ASTM F1163-15 and SNELL E2021 standards are most common in the US.

Do keep in mind that the height that hats are dropped from, the height the spike is dropped from, and the level of crush resistance varies between the standards. You might want to review this helpful chart from the British Equestrian Trade Association.

There are plenty of retired hat standards out there in the world, and there are many stories about equestrians riding in incredibly old riding hats. These simply will not offer the same level of protection as the more modern standards detailed above.

Although no one ever wants to fall off – and don’t plan to – protecting yourself as well as you can in the event of a fall can help to reduce the severity of any injury. No riding hat or piece of safety equipment can prevent an accident occurring but wearing a riding hat of the correct standard (that hasn’t been subjected to previous impacts) can make a huge difference. It can literally make the difference between life and death.