Riding Helmet standards

Free Speech

Hi,
I got my daughter a new riding helmet for use at Pony Club.
It says compliant to EN1384 and has a CE mark.
However at pony club they insist it has to have the BSI Kite mark.
What is the difference between these standards?
Is it just the Irish pony club's discretion to choose one standard over the other or is there a real difference in how the helmets are tested.
I find it hard to believe that a European standard is not deemed sufficient.
Any advice would be most appreciated.

granturismo

Free Speech wrote: »

..
It says compliant to EN1384 and has a CE mark.
However at pony club they insist it has to have the BSI Kite mark.
...I find it hard to believe that a European standard is not deemed sufficient.
Any advice would be most appreciated.

Has someone in the pony club told you that EN1384 is not acceptable?

The Kitemark is obsolete except to some organisations stuck in the 1970s or those that dont trust the EU. It makes no sense that an EN standard isnt accepted. Accordingn to the kitemark site: The British Horse Society recommends:BS PAS 015 1998 BS EN 1384
http://www.kitemark.com/products-and-services/protective-clothing/riding-helmets.php

The BHS accept EN 1384
http://www.bhs.org.uk/~/media/BHS/Files/PDF%20Documents/Safety%20leaflets/BETA%20Guide%20to%20Riding%20Hats.ashx

Just found the The Pony Club site insists on EN1384 being supplemented with the kitemark, Snell E2001 or SEI - maybe your helmet has one of these?
http://www.irishponyclub.ie/tack-hats.html

http://www.irishponyclub.ie/files/Approved-Hat-Standards.pdf


If Wikipedia is to be trusted:
The Kitemark is not a legal requirement, but is often used as a point of differentiation in competitive markets.
The CE mark is however a legal requirement. The British Standards Institute seem to award the Kitemark to manufacturers complying with EN 1384 after auditing their manufacturing plants.

Can you change your hat if it doesnt have the Snell or SEI marks?

ailbheg

As far as I know, EN1384 is the minimum standard and kitemarked helmets are a higher standard, which is probably why the PC wants them to have the kitemark.

Free Speech

Thanks for your replies.
IPC require EN 1384 plus BSI or SEI.
I wasn't aware before I bought the hat.
I will be able to exchange it so no big deal for me.
I should have checked better before I bought.
Thanks again for your help

Energysaver

Hi Free Speech. My reply is probably too late to affect your purchase but I thought I'd throw in my understanding of the IPC riding hat requirements anyway.

EN 1384 is the European standard which defines the minimum standard for any riding helmet sold in the EU. Manufacturers put a CE mark on their product to indicate that their product conforms to the regulations and relevant standards to allow them for sale in the EU.

granturismo asserts that the BSI kitemark is obsolete. This is not strictly correct in this case.

The BSI kitemark in this case indicates that the riding hat has been subject to additional ongoing batch testing to EN 1384 by BSI that may not be required by the basic standard and therefore implies a higher quality standard. The Kitemark also indicates independent auditing of the manufacturer. That's why the IPC insist on a BSI Kitemark or SEI mark. You can find the IPC hat requirements at http://www.irishponyclub.ie/files/Approved-Hat-Standards.pdf

The PAS 015 is a higher standard than the EN 1384 standard and personally I would always go for a hat that complies with PAS 015 (along with EN 1384 and BSI Kitemark) for cross country riding.

Also check out the tack sheets on the IPC website as different disciplines have different hat requirements.