Safety Standards; Hats and Body Protectors

Recommended by Only Equestrian
Level 3: Purple Label Body Protection

This is the highest level of safety standard in the world and the recommended level of body protector for riders. This level provides the most effective impact absorption and is suitable for all levels of riding, including competitions and leisure riding.

What level of protection should I be wearing?

It is advised that riders choose a body protector that is BETA Level 3 (purple label) as this offers the maximum level of safety as well as adhering to European standards. For eventing in the UK, it is a requirement that the rider’s body protector is of this standard to ensure that risk and severity of accidents is minimised. Additionally, body protectors should adhere to the European standard of safety (EN13158) which provides manufacturers with the technical specification, levels of shock impact and also the mandatory areas of the body that must be covered. The BETA standards are based upon this safety testing. This level of safety combined with the level of comfort or functionality should inform the decision of what body protector is right for you.

British Eventing Guidelines

In September 2016, British Eventing announced that as of January 2018 the BETA 2000 standard would no longer be permitted at competitions. This was in line with BETA’s standpoint that body protector’s adhering to the 2000 standard would be at least 7 years old and thus not suitable to provide maximum safety in a high risk discipline. Air-jackets have also been highlighted, with British Eventing stating that these must be worn over a BETA 2009 Level 3 body protector.

When is it time to change?

BETA and The British Horse Society advise that body protectors should be replaced every 3-5 years or after around six falls. It is important to remember that after every fall, no matter the severity, riders should examine their body protector to check whether any damage has been done to the foam or any other part of the protector. As well as this, general wear and tear affects body protectors just like everything else and so every time a body protector is worn, it should be checked over before mounting to make sure that there is no damage.

Riding Hats – new regulations

Regulations on riding hats have also seen some change in recent years. The EN1384 and BSEN1384 standard of hats are no longer accepted. However, if the hat bears either of these standards alongside another accepted standard, such as: Kitemark or Inspec IC then this is recognised as an accepted standard of safety.

Other permitted riding hat safety standards are:

• PAS 015 with a kitemark (1998 or 2011)
• VG1 with a kitemark
• ASTM F1163 (2004 onwards) with SEI mark
• SNELL E2001 or E2006 with SNELL label and number
• AS/NZS 3838 from 2006 onwards

If riding in a competition, then the officials should be checking hats to ensure that they meet the correct standard of safety.

Sources:

BETA: http://www.beta-uk.org/

British Horse Society: http://www.bhs.org.uk/

British Eventing: https://www.britisheventing.com/

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