With BETA’s Summer of Safety Campaign in full swing we thought we would share with you our Top 5 riding safety tips!

This is BETA’s third year of a highly successful campaign. It is designed to help inspire, educate and encourage people to embrace safety in all areas of their equestrian life, to help keep themselves and their horses safer.

It might sound obvious, but it is still amazing how many people are unaware of the dangers of not wearing a hat or wearing a hat which is not fit for purpose! Here are a few handy tips to make sure your riding hat is good to go.

When to say goodbye to your hat…

• If your hat is more than 5 years old
• If your hat has suffered any sort of impact

ALL riding hats and skulls should comform to one of the wide range of standards available and bear the CE or UKCA administration mark.

• (BS) EN 1384:2023
• VGI – with/out Kitemark or IC Mark
• PAS 015: 1998/2011/2023 – with/out Kitemark or IC Mark
• ASTM F1163:2004A/2015/2023 – with SEI Mark
• SNELL E2001/E2016/E2021
• AS/NZS 3838:2006 – with SAI global mark

Comfort is key and you almost want to forget your wearing one, which is why hats and helmets come in a wide range of sizes, to fit all head shapes.

A well-fitting hat should sit firmly on the head – just above the eyebrows and ears. There should be no pressure at the temples.

Wadswick is a registered BETA retailer, and our members of staff have been trained to fit riding hats correctly.

Please see a member of staff, and they will be happy to double check your riding hat fit or just offer free advice on any aspect of safety.

Body protectors are designed to offer the best possible protection to a rider.

They absorb high levels of energy created when falling off or being kicked or stood on by a horse.

Safety stirrups have been designed to release the foot as quickly as possible in the event of an accident.

There are a variety of designs and mechanisms:

Technology can help to track your geographical location in the event of a fall. In particular, most apps on the market can now detect a fall and will call emergency contacts if there is no response.

• Guardian Tracker
• Ride with me app (iphone & android) – by SmartPak
• Road ID (iphone and android)
• Apple watch Series 4 and newer
• Saferide (to be used with Seaver air jackets)