Why are horse helmets for guys so dorky?
Posted by Bill on Jun 25 2008 at 08:35 am | Tagged as: Riding, Horse Lifestyle
Here’s a plea to Troxel and other horse helmet manufacturers. Please, for the sake of all that is manly, please make a horse helmet for guys that doesn’t look so dorky. I spent weeks and maybe months looking for a good helmet. I ended up with very nice Troxel helmet that I like very much except for one thing. It’s GIANT…I mean watermelon huge. Hey, my head isn’t THAT big. All the girl helmets look cool but the guy helmets look stupid. And I’m guessing that’s one of the biggest reasons I never…that’s right NEVER see guys wearing helmets. Girls don’t wear them much around here either but you see more girls than guys wearing them. I’m still a newbie and I’m still riding horses I don’t have a long history with so for me it seems a helmet is a must. But I hate looking like a dork wearing one.
So Troxel, are you listening? Surely you can make something that’s safe and still looks good on guys. Help us guys keep our manliness and save a few brain injuries while you’re at it.
There’s hope! Look what’s coming to a tack shop near you soon: http://www.troxelhelmets.com/products/features.php?ProductID=36
WOW, cool! I will definitely check that out. It still seems a little big on that model in their photo but I’ll reserve judgment until I see how big it looks on my head. Thanks for the link!
Bill: Your helmet looks fine and it just proves you have brains you want to protect. Looking at your picture you need to straighten up and pull your shoulders back and keep your heels down!
Thanks Kathy. I hesitated to post that particular photo because I saw the way I was slouching. I don’t remember doing that and there are some other pictures from that ride where I’m not doing it. I’m not used to riding gaited horses or using split reigns so I’m guessing I was trying to pull Cash’s head in without making him stop and at the same time I think I was trying to lean forward in the saddle. But still, it’s not very good form now is it?
I welcome the advice though. Next time (which is hopefully tonight) I’ll pay more attention to my riding posture and heel position. I’ll be in my own saddle, using my own familiar reigns.
Bill, Love your site/stories. I too had difficulty chosing fashion or safety. But, I have a daughter that I need to set a good example for, and it just makes good sense. BTW I selected the same helmet as you…
Hey Bill,
I jumped over from Our Horse Curly’s site and to my surprise you are talking about helmets. I am assuming the link above is for Troxels cowboy hat helmet that is now available from mail order.
I feel compelled to share a story. My daughter has been riding for 4 years and has never complained about wearing a helmet. That is until she started showing in AQHA shows this year. She was the ONLY girl wearing a helmet for showmanship and western classes. Yep that is right. She was in the 10 and under classes and ALL of them were wearing their $300 cowboy hats.
She has since complained on a weekly basis about the helmet. I have shown her the cowboy hat/helmet from Troxel and told her she can either wear the helmet she has or buy herself the new one. Either way she has to have a helmet.
I would like to say kudos to you for wearing it even though it doesn’t seem stylish.
Thanks for the comments guys and again, thanks for that link to the new cowboy helmet Troxel is making, Laura. I think there’s a lot of interest in something like this and I’d like to see one in person and try it on.
We went riding this weekend for about 4 hours and Mikki and I both were the only ones wearing a helmet. I hate wearing it but it just didn’t seem wise for us to not wear them since we’re so new to horses. Mikki will soon share a story from this ride about how she was nearly seriously injured and how her helmet could have made a huge difference in the severity the injury she barely escaped.
My kid and I have been riding for just one year and in that time have replaced 2 helmets. I suggested you look at the helmet she busted before, and you can still see it on my blog if anyone has not seen it. My helmet was cracked in May when my horse found a snake and I never even felt my head hit anything. Not even a headache (though maybe the helmet should also cover other parts of the body such as the back and lower. Ouch!). Since then, we have instituted a policy at our house that anyone under 18 that rides MUST wear a helmet. I even wear mine in parades and such. I figure that I would look much more stupid in a coffin or hospital bed than a helmet. Oh, and I will have the cowboy hat helmet by next summer.
Thanks for the information and support. I had my first horse given to me. We are currently bonding and learning, learning, learning. I, too, was resistant to the idea of a helmet (loose the ambiance of riding).
My doctor who has been a horseperson all her life has insisted I use a helment and breast plate when riding. I have listened to a few stories and am convinced now. She told me about a young girl who was riding without a helmet, fell off her horse, hit her head and died. Is it worth this risk?
I have developed a cardinal rule that I don’t go into my horse’s pasture without boots. An experienced riding friend did not (had flip flops on) and she was stepped on accidentally by her horse and crushed her foot. She was in a cast for months.
Safety if a major concern. As friendly and loving as they may be, horses stil weigh 1200 pounds or more and you can easily get hurt. I know of another woman who had a wonderful, loving horse, and he was so loving, he pushed her up against the stall wall as a hug of sorts, crushed her and she died.
Horses are a treasure and if we want to be there with them, it is prudent to consider these safety factors. Generally, I don’t think a rider’s horse would intentionally harm them. But, as we all know horses can spook easily and we have to pay attention at all times.
Thanks for listenting; I hope readers find this information helpful. P.S. I have also learned there is a helmet availble now with a cowboy hat attached in such a manner it is not even noticeable if that is a concern. oh, yes… In my earlier adventures my riding partner saddled the horse. I still didn’t know how to do it. It was very hot that day and the saddle began slipping, taking it with me to the ground. My ribs were broken. I walked around for three weeks with some major discomfort and finally went to the doctor who assured me they were broken, not just bruised as I thought.
Hi Bill,
I can sympathise. It’s time to replace my Champion helmet since I bought it over six years ago after a fall off newly acquired Arab mare. She jumped sideways unexpectedly and I hit the tarmac lane when I landed. I had some memory loss and the helmet was cracked at the nape in three places!
Most people in the UK wear a helmet. I came across this post looking for something less boring than black that also doesn’t let the rain in for winter. Troxel used to make a vented American flag helmet. I have the only Tennessee Walking Horse in Wales UK and will be doing a 260 mile ride next Spring for charity on her and thought this would be eye catching. Horse Saddery Shop has one but its too large! I did have a Troxel but sold it because it looked enormous on me too and I’m not a male!!