2mths out of a childs riding hat??

marley123

Hi All,

My LO has been at pony camp all wk & her instructor has told me her hat is too small for her ( its pinching her & leaving red marks ) - now problem is I only bought her the hat 2mths ago from a reputable Horseware shop who fitted the hat - I spent €110 on the hat & just cant afford to spend another €100 on another one! - is it reasonable to expect that she should get longer than 2mths out of it?

FueledByAisling

Unless your daughters head has grown an insane amount in the past 2 months then I say the hat was originally too small for her or maybe is still being broken in perhaps?
I've been riding since I was 9 (16 now) and my head size hasn't changed so I've only had 2 hats within all those years of riding (my original one got stolen:mad:) You could try going back to the store explaining your concerns of it being too small or the shape being wrong for your daughter and try get an exchange in it?

If you were to get a new hat you could go around stores to try them and then look online at places like Equestrian Clearance, Equestrian Warehouse or Robinsons UK for them on sale for real good value (Saw a Champion helmet going for €80!) Also I'd recommend putting ads up in your stable you never know someone else might have the same problem and you could swap hats!

But if it ends up you having to buy a new hat I recommend going to Holmestead, went to their RDS stand and the woman spent a good 15 minutes on examining the fit and shape of my head and making sure the helmet was perfect for my head even though they were insanely busy she showed no signs of impatience or wanting to just rush me out of her way so many kudos for them!

marley123

Rang the shop & they said some kids get 2mths out of them , some 6mths --- really depends on the child. TBH no way I would have spend as much as I did on it if I though I would only get 2mths out of it!!!!

elusiveguy

Thats rubbish!! Sure no part of your body grows less over the course of you LIFE as your head!

Kamili

marley123 wrote: »

Rang the shop & they said some kids get 2mths out of them , some 6mths --- really depends on the child. TBH no way I would have spend as much as I did on it if I though I would only get 2mths out of it!!!!

To me, it sounds like they sold you an ill fitting hat in the first place. It also sounds like they are spinning yarns to cover up for it!

Cherry Blossom

My niece is 6, she's been through 3 hats in a year and I fitted them myself so yes although your head doesn't grow at the same rate as the rest of you it does grow. All you have to do is compare a babies head to an adults to see that.

Theponylady

As someone who has been teaching for well over 30 years, I can say yes, some kids WILL grow out of their helmets, sometimes in weeks! However I can also say that sometimes it's because of the way they are wearing their hair, sometimes it's because the hat was the right size, but not the right shape for the head. It may have seemed to fit right, in that it isn't wobbling around on the head and it's the right size, but the shape of it is wrong, so it puts pressure where there shouldn't be any. It can be particularly pronounced once the padding has started to break in and wear. Helmets come in different shapes, rounder and more oval. Not everyone has the same shape of head. I personally can only wear the more oval ones. The rounder ones do the same thing, leave a mark on my forehead and make the front and back of my head sore.

Heads don't grow a huge amount, so a child shouldn't be going through helmets regularly like they do jodphurs and boots. That being said, if your child takes a fall where they hit their head, or the helmet is dropped on hard ground, the helmet really should be replaced. It can be damaged inside where you can't see it, with interior cracks that will weaken the helmet and could cause it to not protect the head as well as it should.

Ask your child's instructor if any of the other kids have outgrown their helmets, or if someone else has a helmet that isn't fitting them comfortably. I've often had kids who exchanged helmets, and they fitted them better than their own. At one place I worked, we would occasionally trade helmets with students.

twomeys

A little bit of info about childrens heads and hats:

1) A childs head is fully grown to adult size between 10 -11, once over this age the head should not change shape. So a hat bought for a teen does tend to last longer than a hat bought for a 7 year old.

2) Hats can be fitted with sizing tape so as to allow odd shapes fit and to allow for a bit of growth

3) If hats are dropped onto concrete from a height of 1m or more they need to be destoyed and replaced.

4) hats should be brought back to a shop if you are unsure of a fit months later, better to be safe and sure. Most shops will do this for free

5) there are 3 safety certs in hats that concern most (there are many more but they do not apply to pony club etc). Make sure your hat conforms to the disipline you are riding before you purchase a hat. Otherwise you may be stopped from entering a yard or an event.

6) as another poster correctly said hair is a big issue. Hats should only be fitted when hair is down. It is vital to only tie up the hair below the hat line or in a platt below the hat as otherwise thae hat will not fit right and it can cause bad headaches and also be dangerous. It is very important when getting measured yourself or for your child that the fitter asks you to take down hair.

7) there are safety courses that tack shops can attend by BETA UK. Has your shop been on the course? These courses train a fitter in all the info required to fit correctly and safely.

8) Price doesnt always effect safety. For example some hats that are priced at €400 have the same safety certs as hats at €26. Dont always be fooled by price or lingo or sales talk. Do your own research and be comfortable in your decision.

Best of Luck

Eoghan