Thank you to Ken Braddick of Dressage-News for allowing us to republish the following article.
American riders at all national shows will have to wear safety helmets and no more top hats as of April 1 this year. © 2013 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com
Helmets only will be the rule for ALL United States Equestrian Federation events, including for senior riders in Grand Prix and small tour events, effective April 1 this year, though senior riders in International Equestrian Federation (FEI) CDIs will still be allowed to wear top hats.
The decision by the U.S. may be the nearest any major horse sport nation has come to requiring safety helmets at all levels of dressage. For national competitions, the rule will end the contradictory and confusing application for seniors that requires a helmet whenever mounted while on show grounds except when warming up and in the competition arena.
Some nations experimented with helmet rules before the availability of fashionable but safe headgear, but modified them to exclude Grand Prix riders because of complaints from riders.
The new USEF rule requiring helmets applies also to riders who wear military or police uniforms.
The United States led the drive for adoption of safety helmets in dressage–they were already required for jumping–after American Olympians Courtney King-Dye and Günter Seidel were seriously injured in 2010.
The FEI on Jan. 1 this year implemented the rule that had been adopted by the U.S. requiring safety helmets for all dressage events, except for seniors in CDIs.
However, a growing number of international riders have switched to safety helmets.
The essence of the new USEF rule: “From the time horses are officially admitted to the competition grounds by competition management, anyone mounted on a horse at any time on the competition grounds including non-competing riders, riders on non-competing horses, and those competing in all classes and tests, including Para-Equestrian tests, must wear protective headgear as defined by this rule and otherwise in compliance with GR801. Any rider violating this rule at any time must immediately be prohibited from further riding until such headgear is properly in place. Protective headgear is defined as a riding helmet which meets or exceeds ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials)/SEI (Safety Equipment Institute) standards for equestrian use and carries the SEI tag. The harness must be secured and properly fitted.”
Fantastic rule change! Thank you, USEF
Safty first!!! Yes, I am so happy about this. Some people do not heed Farm rules and when spoken to it blow you off. and what do you say, when they say Top Hats arnt helmets. cant fne them cause they the border move their horse. Now this ruling supports some barns.
I dont know who it is that does it but there are helmets out there that are hats/but helmets also
I guess Canada is not considered a major horse sport nation?? Helmets have been required at all levels of Dressage competition that are sanctioned by the national federation for a year.
Could some clever soul redesign the top hat as a close fitting helmet? Couldn’t be that difficult.