Does a more expensive riding helmet protect better?

This is a question we see a lot, and it is a fair one. A premium helmet and a value helmet can sit side by side on the same shelf, both with a certification tag inside, and it is natural to wonder what the difference is.

A note on how this page works. We are not going to tell you in our own voice that any helmet is safer than another. What we can do is show you what the standards body, an independent university lab, the makers and the sport's governing body each say, and let you see where they agree. The short version of where they agree: the certification tag is the baseline, ratings compare helmets that already carry it, and fit is something every source brings up.

If you want the full picture of the tags themselves, see our helmet ratings page.

ASTM, the standards body, describes F1163 as covering minimum performance criteria, with test methods that measure how well the headgear reduces head acceleration when it strikes objects of various shapes. In the lab, helmets are conditioned in ambient, cold, hot and water-immersion environments, then impacted on a flat anvil and an equestrian hazard anvil, with dynamic loading and stability tests as well.

SEI, the Safety Equipment Institute, runs the certification program for that standard. Troxel, a maker of certified helmets, describes SEI as requiring independent lab testing to F1163-15. As our helmet ratings page explains, riding helmets are not federally regulated the way bike helmets are, which is why the tag matters: it is your proof that independent testing happened.

For competition, US Equestrian requires protective headgear that meets a recognized standard and carries its testing tag or label. We cover the show-ring side in our Barn Talk on helmet legality.

The takeaway for price: the tag is the same job on every certified helmet. A tag that is present is the first thing to look for, whatever the helmet costs.

Virginia Tech's Helmet Lab published its first equestrian ratings in December 2022. Of the 40 models in that set, two earned the top score of five stars, and those two sat at very different price points, one premium and one budget. The release itself says, "Price isn't necessarily a predictor of quality."

That is one set of results from one lab, so here is the context. The lab runs 16 impact tests on each helmet, measuring both straight-line and rotational acceleration, and turns the results into a one-to-five-star scale that reflects concussion risk. Its 2025 update covered 49 helmets and, for the first time, used both a pendulum impactor and an oblique drop tower. Virginia Tech says every helmet in the ratings has already passed certification, so the stars compare certified helmets with each other. They do not replace the tag.

The lab also says plainly that any athlete can sustain a head injury even with the very best head protection, and that the estimates are based on data trends and probabilities, so a specific person's risk may vary.

There is another side. When the ratings came out, Mips, the company behind a rotational-protection layer, questioned the methodology, saying the test could leave room for improvement and might weight frontal, low-velocity impacts too heavily, as the Chronicle of the Horse reported in December 2022. Virginia Tech's position was that its rig measured linear and rotational acceleration, which are correlated to concussion risk. The ratings are a useful comparison; they are not the last word.

You can look up any model on the lab's site, where the cost at the time of testing is shown alongside each score. Look up the specific helmet you are considering instead of assuming the price tells you its rating.

Troxel's education guide says that spending more may get you different padding, fancier styling or materials. Mips says its own system adds cost: on average, helmets with the Mips layer cost more than their non-Mips counterparts, and the helmet company sets the price.

Mips's equestrian guide also points to things that have nothing to do with the lab: choose a helmet that matches your type of riding, and make sure it is comfortable, because that is what keeps you wearing it. Mips says that some helmets may offer more protection than others, depending on design and features. That is the maker's statement about its own technology, and the independent evidence on it is mixed, which we walk through in our Barn Talk on Mips.

In plain terms, the places where riders and makers say a higher price may show up are the finish, the lining, the look, the shell shape and the feature list. Whether a given feature does something for you is a separate question from whether the helmet cost more.

Practical Horseman's report on the Virginia Tech ratings notes that a helmet that rocks during riding is possibly dangerous. Mips's equestrian guide says that if a helmet feels tight or presses on your forehead, it is too small, and suggests you should be able to fit two fingers between the chin strap and your chin.

Riders say the same thing in their own words:

Our own sizing pages cover the practical steps. Start with measuring your head, then read round or oval head: which helmet shape fits, because a helmet that is the right size but the wrong shape can still pinch. For children, see how a child's helmet should fit. And bring a helmet you already own to a shop that fits helmets if you are not sure about it.

As our helmet ratings page puts it, your helmet has to carry a standard your show organization accepts, with its testing tag or label in place. That is the question to ask your show office or check in the rule book for your discipline, rather than going by how a helmet looks or what it costs.

Check the details on the label too. The same page lists what to look for: the standard's name, the version year, a quality mark such as an SEI seal, and the date of manufacture. An old version of a standard can be a problem even if the helmet looks new, and the page says the FEI no longer accepts the oldest versions.

On how long to keep a helmet, Troxel says its helmet is only designed for one impact event and recommends replacing it at least every five years from the date of purchase, sooner for frequent riders. Our Barn Talk on replacing a helmet covers what makers say about falls and age. That is also a reason riders talk about a helmet as something they will replace, not something they will keep for decades.

That order follows what the sources above say, and it works whatever you plan to spend. Here is how to use it.

• The tag. Look inside for the standard's name, the version and the quality mark. Skip any helmet with no label. See our helmet ratings page.
• The fit. Measure your head, try several shapes, and wear your hair the way you ride. A helmet that rocks or pinches is the wrong helmet.
• The independent rating. Look up the specific model on Virginia Tech's site, and remember the stars compare certified helmets.
• The extras. Decide whether ventilation, weight, a feature such as Mips, or a finish matters to you, and know that these are choices, not certification levels.
• Your budget and your replacement plan. Makers say to replace a helmet after an impact and on a schedule, so choose one you will be comfortable replacing.