Helmet and protector lifespan: what bodies and makers say.

Helmets: the bodies' statements

The FEI list was read through a copy hosted by another body, because the FEI's own page refused our requests.

The interval without an impact differs. The FEI, Equestrian Australia, British Eventing and The Pony Club give three to five years depending on use. US Equestrian's 2017 guidance gives five years of regular use. Every source agrees on replacement after an impact to the head, though they describe the impact differently.

Several bodies also speak against second-hand hats: The Pony Club strongly discourages buying them, and the BHS advises against them and in favour of replacing a hat after a fall. US Equestrian's 2017 guidance lists heat, including hot cars, and dry cleaners, washing machines and dishwashers as things that damage helmets.

Helmets: what a maker claims

Charles Owen, a helmet maker, makes these claims in its user guide:

• Under normal use a helmet lasts three to five years.
• Modern helmets do not deteriorate while in storage.
• Any helmet that suffers an impact should be replaced, because the damage may not be visible.
• Helmets should not be exposed to temperatures above 50 degrees C or below minus 20 degrees C, dried at a fire or radiator, dry cleaned, or exposed to solvents, and accessories the maker has not approved may affect performance.
• Helmets are not designed to protect against being crushed by a horse, and no helmet protects against every foreseeable impact.

Storage versus use. Charles Owen's claim that modern helmets do not deteriorate in storage sits beside the FEI's and US Equestrian's reasoning, which ties routine replacement to wear and material fatigue from use. The two differ in emphasis, storage against use, more than they directly contradict each other. Other makers' instructions may say something different, and a maker's statement applies to its own products.

Body protectors

BETA, which publishes the BETA body protector standard, says body protectors should be replaced at least every three to five years depending on use and care, and that after five years the foam's ability to absorb impact may begin to decline. It advises against second-hand garments whose history is unknown. BETA also says the foam recovers its shape within about 30 minutes of an impact, and that a dent still visible after that suggests that part has lost impact absorption. Its care statements are to keep protectors away from hot cars and damp tack rooms, and to store them somewhere warm, but not artificially hot, so the foam stays flexible.

British Eventing's BE Prepared campaign gives the same three to five years depending on use and care, says a protector should be inspected after a serious fall, and says it should not be machine washed, tumble dried or submerged.

Age also matters for competition. When BETA explained why British Eventing, British Riding Clubs and The Pony Club stopped accepting BETA 2009 labels from January 2024, one reason it gave was that some 2009 garments still in use could be up to 13 years old. The rules are on the body protectors page.

Air vests

US Equestrian (May 2020) summarised makers' servicing guidance for air vests as a return to the maker once a year, after six inflations, or after a significant fall even when no damage is visible, and said gas canisters can be replaced. This varies by maker, and each maker's instructions apply to its own vests. The rules on wearing them are on the air vests page.

What none of this replaces

These are general statements. None of them says that a particular helmet or protector is still sound, and none replaces the maker's instructions for that product. A suspected head or body injury after a fall needs medical care, whatever happened to the equipment. Products that were recalled, whatever their age, are on the recalls page.