When shopping for a new riding helmet, it is easy to assume that every certified option on the wall offers identical protection. However, the reality of equestrian safety is far more nuanced.
In recent years, helmet research has evolved dramatically. Today, finding the safest headgear involves much more than simply checking for an ASTM/SEI sticker. At Olson’s Tack Shop, we believe that educated riders are safer riders. To help you make an informed choice for your next ride, here is a breakdown of what you need to know about modern concussion research, rotational impact technology, and why a perfect fit matters just as much as the helmet itself.
All Certified Helmets Pass Minimum Standards—But They Don’t Perform Identically
Most riding helmets sold in the United States meet the standard ASTM International certification. Historically, this testing has focused heavily on linear impact protection, which measures how effectively a helmet absorbs straight-line force during a direct, blunt impact.
While crucial, newer data suggests that real-world riding falls are rarely perfectly straight. Instead, they often involve complex dynamics:
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Angled impacts and twisting motions during a fall.
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Rotational acceleration, where the brain moves at a different rate than the skull.
Because concussion injuries are heavily linked to these rotational movements inside the brain rather than just direct blunt force, standard linear testing only tells part of the safety story.
What is Rotational Impact, and How Do Different Brands Address It?
Imagine your helmet hitting the ground at an oblique angle. While your helmet and skull might stop suddenly upon impact, your brain can continue to rotate inside the skull for milliseconds afterward. This sudden twisting force is a leading cause of concussions.
To combat this, manufacturers look at rotational safety in two distinct ways: by integrating specialized slip-plane technologies like MIPS, or by engineering the entire structure of the helmet to absorb, deflect, and test for those forces using rigorous, proprietary protocols.
The MIPS Approach: An Internal Slip-Plane
MIPS (Multi-directional Impact Protection System) is a highly visible, yellow low-friction layer built inside the helmet, sitting between the comfort padding and the protective EPS foam liner.
When you hit the ground at an angle, the MIPS layer is designed to slide slightly—just 10 to 15 millimeters—independently of your skull. This brief, controlled movement mimics the brain’s own natural defense system (the cerebrospinal fluid), helping to redirect and reduce the dangerous rotational forces that would otherwise be transferred directly to the brain. Independent testing suggests that MIPS systems can reduce rotational acceleration by roughly 10% to 15% in specific impact scenarios.
🛒 Shop our curated collection of MIPS Helmets at Olson's Tack Shop today and ride with confidence.
Alternative Engineering: KASK, KEP, and Samshield
While MIPS is a highly effective way to handle rotational force, it is not the only way. Several premium helmet manufacturers choose to address angled impacts and structural safety through their own advanced engineering, specialized materials, and stringent independent testing laboratories:
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KASK (The WG11 Rotational Test): KASK addresses rotational safety by subjecting every single helmet they make to their proprietary KASK Rotational Impact WG11 Test. Grounded in the strict ECE 22.06 motorcycle helmet safety standards, this test drops the helmet onto a 45-degree steel anvil coated with abrasive sandpaper to measure rotational force. Rather than adding an extra internal layer, KASK meticulously engineers their inner liners and outer shell materials to achieve exceptionally low Brain Injury Criteria (BrIC) scores, ensuring premium integrated protection.
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KEP Italia (Five-Way Certification & Breakaway Visors): KEP handles rotational and crushing forces by meeting five different international safety certifications simultaneously (including the stringent CE EN1384:2023). To pass, KEP helmets undergo a battery of specialized tests, including a Roll-Off Test (ensuring the helmet cannot be thrown off before impact) and a Crush Resistance Test to withstand severe lateral compression. Furthermore, KEP builds their helmets with integrated, flexible breakaway visors engineered to detach or flex upon landing, preventing a rigid brim from catching the ground and twisting the rider's neck.
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Samshield (CRITT Laboratory Partnerships): Samshield partners with CRITT, a highly demanding, independent French testing laboratory. Together, they test helmets to outperform standard requirements. Samshield subjects its helmets to extreme side deformation testing (applying 630 Newtons of pressure to simulate a horse stepping on or crushing the helmet) and penetration testing (dropping a 3kg metal rod directly onto the ventilation grids). Instead of MIPS, they rely on a high-performance polycarbonate outer shell combined with a variable-density polystyrene inner core designed to deform dynamically, absorbing blunt forces before they can reach the skull.
Navigating the Virginia Tech STAR Ratings: Progress and Pitfalls
The introduction of equestrian helmet testing by the Virginia Tech Helmet Lab has been an incredible leap forward for our sport. For years, riders lacked independent data comparing helmet performance, and Virginia Tech's use of oblique drop testing has successfully forced the entire industry to prioritize concussion mitigation.
However, while the STAR (Summation of Tests for the Analysis of Risk) rating system is a fantastic tool, it is not a perfect science. Basing your buying decision solely on a 1-to-5 star number overlooks some critical methodology flaws and nuances that every rider should understand:
1. The Headform Flaw: One Size Does Not Fit All
Virginia Tech conducts all of its tests using a singular, standard headform that mimics a 50th-percentile adult male head. In the real world, human heads come in vastly different shapes—round, oval, narrow—and so do helmets. If a 5-star helmet doesn't match your specific head shape, it will create gaps or pressure points, completely compromising its safety features. A 3-star helmet that fits you perfectly will always protect you better than a 5-star helmet that rocks or pinches.
2. The Statistical "Concussion Formula"
The STAR score is a theoretical mathematical model. It calculates how many concussions an average rider would sustain if exposed to 30 very specific laboratory impacts. Because this formula was originally adapted from college football data—a sport involving frequent, lower-velocity, head-to-head collisions—critics point out that the exposure metrics don't perfectly translate to the physics of a 5-foot fall off a moving animal onto dirt or arena footing.
3. Concussions vs. Catastrophic Injuries
The STAR rating heavily weights lower-force, common concussion scenarios. It does not heavily weigh a helmet’s ability to prevent catastrophic crush injuries—such as a horse landing directly on top of a rider. Some firmer, highly rigid helmets (like those designed to pass the extreme Snell standard) might score lower on Virginia Tech's concussion scale because they are stiffer, yet they offer superior protection against severe skull fractures in worst-case scenarios.
4. The Multi-Impact Reuse Flaw
To run its 16 data-gathering impact tests, the lab does not use 16 brand-new helmets. Instead, they buy a limited batch (typically only 4 helmets per model) and strike the exact same helmet multiple times at different testing stations.
Inside a helmet is an Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) foam liner. When a helmet hits the ground, that foam crushes permanently to absorb the force. While the lab tries to rotate impact locations (front, side, back), the structural integrity of the entire outer shell and surrounding foam flexes and degrades after the very first hit.
Stiffer, high-end helmets designed to distribute energy across a wide outer shell (like KASK, KEP, or Samshield) can be unfairly penalized by this. A strike to the front weakens the broad structure, causing the helmet to perform artificially worse on subsequent side or rear tests. Since riders replace their helmet after a single real-world impact, testing a structurally fatigued helmet in a lab doesn't perfectly mirror actual safety scenarios.
The Takeaway: The Virginia Tech study is an excellent reference point and a great victory for transparency, but it shouldn't be your only guide. It is a piece of the puzzle—not the whole picture.
The "Soft vs. Rigid" Helmet Debate
Helmet design is a delicate balancing act between lower-force concussion protection and higher-force catastrophic protection:
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Softer, more impact-absorbing liners often excel at dampening lower-energy forces, which helps mitigate concussions.
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More rigid outer shells excel at resisting severe crushing forces, a benchmark historically prioritized by standard certifications.
Because there is no universally perfect helmet for every scenario, choosing headgear is always a balance of shell rigidity, liner technology, your riding discipline, and your environment.
The Most Vital Safety Factor: Proper Fit
Even the most premium, high-tech helmet will compromise your protection if it doesn't fit correctly. A properly fitted helmet should:
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Feel snug and evenly balanced without painful pressure points.
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Stay perfectly stable when you shake your head.
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Sit level on your forehead, maintaining full contact all the way around the liner.
One of the most common fitting mistakes we see involves hair placement.
💡 Pro Tip: Managing Your Hair
Long hair should always be worn low and smooth at the nape of the neck rather than bunched up inside the helmet. Excess hair volume underneath the liner alters helmet stability, disrupts pressure distribution, and can negatively affect how the helmet handles rotational movement during a fall.
To achieve a sleek, secure, and consistent fit without altering your helmet size, we highly recommend using a low-profile hairnet. You can find excellent, rider-approved options like Ellsworth Hairnets to keep your hair perfectly contained.
Don't forget to keep your helmet fresh with Noggin Helmet Refreshing Spray!
If you are ready to upgrade your safety gear or want expert eyes on your current setup, stop by the shop or check out our full collection of Riding Helmets online. We are always here to help you find the perfect blend of fit, comfort, and advanced protection.