Raise your hand if you remember when junior riders were required to wear helmets with harnesses. And then ASTM/SEI approved helmets, and suddenly all the kids had Troxels. You know, back when 90 percent of people wore the hunt caps now referred to as “items of apparel,” or who were topped with their beloved Pateys.

I can still remember the great hue and cry when the GPA first arrived on the scene. “Never!” the Hunter Princesses insisted. “Ugly, and never!” Followed, 10 minutes later, by all and sundry racing for them. Including adults.

And then striping them.

And then blinging them (Jenny Oz, we’ll never forget those ultra-blinged masterpieces!).

And then everyone was required to wear an approved helmet when jumping. Oh goodness, no more toppers in the classics! And, almost worse, no more Pateys!

But quickly, almost everyone got over it and most left their GPAs in the dirt because, my gosh, no one wears GPAs, everyone wears Charles Owens. Unless, of course, you are a jumper person, because you’re still in a GPA. Unless, of course, you’re in California, because then three out of four are dropping $900 for a custom approved helmet.

I tip my hat to the helmet manufacturers. Pure marketing genius. Because you just know that along with the lovely ad campaigns, the spokesmodels and the social networking, there certainly are some hush-hush dealings with Big Name Trainers to make the switch. The mass exodus in hunters from GPA to Charles Owen—and on the West Coast another step to Antares (three out of four riders in Thermal were wearing the new Antares approved helmet) was almost faster than the when the great Hunter Princess Masses flocked to puke green breeches.

Judges do not mark people down for wearing a traditional helmet. They do not mark people down for wearing one type of Charles Owen when everyone else is wearing another, or for wearing a GPA when the rest of the class sports a CO. There are, however, judges who will mark down competitors a point or two for overly-blinged helmets. Not many, but why take a chance?

Now that the hunter/jumper world has made the transition to approved helmets without the world coming to an end, watch for the same to happen in the dressage court. Not today, and not tomorrow, but it’s coming. And before the dressage riders go off about how it’s wrong/ugly/etc., get over it. If the Hunter Princesses of American can make it through the Hunter Classics without a topper, so can the Dressage Queens. A helmet with a shad? Absolutely. And thanks to GPA, Antares, Charles Owen, IRH, Troxel, etc., you’ve got a world of choice when it comes to style and fit. If you need to check it out, go to http://www.seinet.org/search/search.php.

The helmet thing is really very simple:

• Wear one that fits your head. That means that when you bend over, without the strap done up, the helmet does not fall off.
• Adjust the strap so that it will keep your helmet secure. Your photos do not look better when your strap is loose; it looks sloppy and unfinished.
• Replace it after no more than five years; the polystyrene inside that is supposed to protect your head begins deteriorating from sweat and use. Of course, for the show ring you’ll have to replace it if the current ASTM/SEI standards change (the current standard is ASTM F1163-04a).
• After a fall, ditch the helmet. They will protect your head for one fall.

PS: Dear Patey Hats, will you please look into making an approved helmet? Your helmets are the best ever, and many, many, many of us are still having withdrawal symptoms. If you can manage to have a helicopter landing space in Rodmarton, then surely you can crack this ASTM thing? Think of the money, man, think of the money!

Hungry for more on helmets? Check out Kathie Mautner’s personal column on head protection across many industries or Kim Ablon Whitney’s article on helmet fit.

Cornelia van Schaik feels entitled to comment on equestrian fashion because in her long horsey life she has competed in hunters, jumpers, Big Eq and dressage through FEI, plus an amusing spin in trail classes. Her foray into the eventing world is limited to spectating, but she loves the bright colors. Cornelia finds fox hunters have it easiest when it comes to fashion, for they are not concerned about such things as whether a particular coat color will match their black, bay or chestnut.