How do I fit a riding helmet over braids, locs or a protective style?

Troxel tells shoppers to wear their hair the way they'll wear it when they ride, and says a ponytail, clips, a headband or another style can change the way a helmet fits. IRH says that trying one on with your hair styled the way you'll wear the helmet is the best way to make sure it fits properly. The CDC's equestrian helmet sheet says the same, and adds that helmet fit can change if the hairstyle changes.

This page is for anyone whose hair takes up room under a helmet: braids, twists, locs, extensions, a bun or simply a lot of hair. We're passing along what makers and standards bodies say, not giving a safety verdict of our own, and where they are silent we say so.

A 2020 memo from the Middle California Region Pony Club's diversity and inclusion working group, addressed to the national Pony Club's Horse Management and Safety Committees, is worth knowing about. It is a regional working group's note, not Pony Club policy. It says different hairstyles can affect helmet fit and that this is a safety issue to address, and it frames the question as how to deal safely with a large quantity of hair, one that concerns riders of every background. It also says trainers, instructors and parents may not know how to get a good fit with different hairstyles, or how to raise the subject in a positive way. The memo is explicit that it was not asking Pony Club to rule on which hairstyles are appropriate. We take the same approach: no style gets a verdict here. The question is fit.

Do them with the style finished and the helmet fully buckled, ideally with a helper or a mirror. The CDC also says to bring the rider along when buying so the fit can be checked, and that sizes vary from brand to brand, so use the maker's own chart. Our Barn Talk on how to measure your head for a riding helmet covers the tape.

Troxel puts it simply: a ponytail, clips, a headband or another style can change the way a helmet fits. Ovation's guide, which is written for riders who wear their hair up inside the helmet, says to check how much space there is at the base of the back of the helmet and to make sure the hair isn't creating pressure on the back of the head. It also says to fit the helmet with the hair down first, because the helmet still has to fit the shape of your head without your hair up, and to use a good-quality hair net when hair is up.

The Pony Club memo adds that long hair worn up under a hair net also affects fit, which is a reminder that this isn't a question for one kind of hair. The memo points out that the Pony Club's own materials were inconsistent on the subject at the time, and that the CDC sheet is the document that makes the point plainly that a change in hairstyle may require changes to the helmet.

Beads, clips and other hair decorations are where we want to be honest. We did not find a statement from a maker or a standards body about them under a riding helmet. The Pony Club memo lists them as an open question. The CDC separately says not to decorate the helmet itself without checking with the maker. For hair decorations, ask the maker.

What each one says is below, and it varies by helmet, so read your own helmet's instructions.

The Pony Club memo summarizes the Pony Club Safety Handbook as saying helmet makers say it doesn't matter if hair is worn up or down so long as the helmet fits, and that a rider who wears several styles may need more than one helmet, or one that is easier to adjust. The memo also quotes the Pony Club's 2019 safety FAQs as saying that once you have a well-fitted helmet, with hair up or down, you should wear your hair the same way to keep the fit. We read those lines through the memo and not from the handbook itself.

The CDC's example is a long-haired rider who gets a very short haircut and may need to adjust the helmet, and Troxel's advice to try the helmet with your riding style applies just as much to a take-down or a new install. The routine is short:

• Finish the style first, exactly as you'll ride in it.
• Put the helmet on with the harness outside it, rocking it on gently so it glides over the hair, as Ovation describes.
• Run the checks from the table above, including the yawn and the shake.
• If it fails, use the adjustments your helmet has, or ask the maker before riding in it.
• Keep the same style for the rides that follow if that's the fit you tested, the way the Pony Club FAQ the memo quotes puts it.

The fit guides from Troxel, IRH and Ovation that we read talk about ponytails, hair worn up and trying the helmet on in your riding style. They don't address braids or locs specifically. The Pony Club memo asks helmet makers to publish fitting information for a wider range of riders, and notes that there is very little advice on how to get a good fit with very curly hair, braids or another style that takes up more space.

Head shape matters too, since Troxel says certain helmets fit some head shapes better. Our Barn Talk on round or oval heads covers that, and our Helmet Buyer's Guide and Riding Helmet Center are the places to compare models. For children, whose styles and heads both change, our Barn Talk on how a child's helmet should fit applies the same checks.

• Which of your models do you suggest for my head measurement and my riding hairstyle?
• Do the liners or pads come in more than one size, or is there a fit ring?
• Should I measure my head with the style in or out?
• What should I do when my style changes?

Hair appears in those chapters only in side saddle attire: the hunter side saddle rule says hair with a hair net, preferably in a bun, neat and unobtrusive, and the Western side saddle equitation rule says long hair must be neat and securely fastened so it doesn't cover the rider's number. None of the rule text we read addresses a rider's hairstyle beyond those side saddle lines.

What the rules do say is about the helmet. The 2026 dressage booklet says it is the rider's responsibility, or the parent's or guardian's for a junior, to see that headgear meets the safety standard, is properly fitted and is in good condition, and that a judge or technical delegate may stop a rider from entering the ring if the helmet isn't properly secured. For a show, plan the style and the helmet together and check the fit in the style you'll show in. If you have a question about hair in your class, ask the show secretary before the day. Our Barn Talk on the show-day packing list covers the rest of the bag, and the one on whether your helmet is legal for the show ring covers the rule text.