Feature
Lifting the Lid on the Subject of Hats
Who can sell polo helmets? In the UK, Equestrian helmets fall under Category 2 of the Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) directive of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), meaning that all equestrian helmets in the UK must be sold with a CE Mark. This is enforced by Trading Standards. In reality, some hat retailers are selling imported helmets that do not carry this basic standard in the UK. A worrying fact.
Photograph by Flacon Polo
his 12-year-old child in last week to alter the fitting on a three-point harness hat. I told him it had no standard on it, which he didn’t even realize about. I have heard that there is a new EU standard coming into force soon, however the problem is they do not batch test the hats. Robin Spicer has come up with a great polo hat that is safe and looks great. It’s exactly what we need as retailers and as a sport, it just needs someone to take it forward.” Photograph by Charles Owen
Richard Buckett from RJ Polo, one of the largest polo equipment suppliers, spoke to Lucy Wilson about selling and stocking helmets: “We fit the helmets ourselves and are all qualified hat fitters. We only stock Charles Owen hats and the reason for that is because, to my knowledge, it is the only polo helmet that has a Kitemark which means it is batch tested. As a retailer, that means I know every hat we sell is at the safety standard it should be. Until last year, we sold helmets with no standard, but we stopped. In real terms we are losing around £15,000-£20,000 on those helmet sales. We didn’t have a choice, as we didn’t know what we were selling. “Customers are becoming more aware of the tests on hats, but I think they don’t realise that it’s not just about a three-point harness, it’s what inside and how it’s made that counts. It is also confusing with three standards from the UK, EU and USA on all the different helmets. ‘”The HPA have a tough job on their hands. 90% of professional players don’t want to wear the BSI standard hat, so they wear a hat with a three-point harness with no or little safety. I had a pro player bring
Hats on the market In the last few years Falcon, Casablanca and La Martina have all produced a number of new designs for the polo market. Charles Owen has been producing polo helmets for longer, but Patey’s caps have been around for decades. As we went to press we heard that Edition Hats had secured BSI PAS015 certification. Polo Times contacted Casablanca, Charles Owen, Edition Hats, Falcon Polo, La Martina and
The Palermo Polo in navy
Patey and asked them the same questions. Below are the details sent to us by Charles Owen, Edition Hats and Falcon Polo about their current and imminent designs on the market. As we went to press, we were awaiting responses from the other suppliers and will update this information when the answers are submitted. Moving Forward The hat debate is a thorny issue which evokes passionate responses from all involved. Traditionalists cling to their moth-eaten Argentine hats, claiming that the HPA should not intervene and it is down to personal choice. Families of those who have suffered head injuries make a convincing fight from the other side of the argument towards far-reaching reform. Polo is becoming increasingly professional and is unique amongst equine sports that there is no specific hat safety requirement. Something needs to change for sure. Whatever happens, the HPA need to consider the future of the sport as a whole and also every individual on the pitch. Any decision will be watched with interest by the polo community both here and overseas.
The new Falcon Polo helmets are currently undergoing BSI’s Kitemark (PAS015:2011)
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Polo Times, August 2015
www.polotimes.co.uk