Are you up to date with the latest Equestrian Australia Personal Protective Equipment rules?
It can sometimes be confusing working out if your helmet and body protectors are up to the current safety standards...here's our guide to help!
Riders and drivers competing in Equestrian Australia (EA) competition, must wear an approved helmet with the chin strap fastened at all times. Protective gear must conform with one of the current approved safety standard:
- The current Australian standard (AS/NZS 3838 - helmets from 2006 onward, providing they are SAI Global marked).
- New Australian standard (ARB HS 2012 provided they are SAI Global marked).
- Current American standard (ASTM F1163 2004a or 04a onwards provided they are SEI marked).
- Current American standard (SNELL E2001).
- Current Britsh standard PAS 015 (1998 or 2011 provided they are BSI Kitemarked).
Interum European Standard (VG1 01.040: 2014-12 with or without BSI Kitemark).
You can easily find out the safety standard of your helmet by checking inside (sometimes in can be hiding behind the liner!) If you're unsure of your helmet's safety standards, you can bring it into your local Horseland store and they can advise you on if it is time for an upgrade.
EA recommends updating your helmet every 5 years to ensure it is still safe and in perfect working order. It is also recommended that you get a new helmet after any fall where your helmet has been impacted or if your helmet has been dropped. Even though your helmet may appear in perfect condition from the outside, the protective inner layers may have been compromised (as they are designed to) and won't be as effective in protecting you in future falls or impacts.
Horseland stores stock a HUGE range of helmets, from great brands like Dublin, Kask, Samshield, Charles Owen and KEP - so there are plenty of options to find your perfect style! ALL helmets sold at Horseland stores are within the current EA approved standards.
You can find your nearest Horseland store here.
Recently, changes to the rules around personal protective equipment for Eventing competition have also come in to help make Eventing safer.
Effective 1 July 2019, EA has introduced a helmet tagging system whereby riders will have their helmet inspected for compliance with minimum standards and, if compliant, tagged with an EA tag. This system has been successfully implemented by Equestrian Sports New Zealand & British Eventing and is a proactive measure taken by EA to ensure that helmets worn by riders comply with the relevant approved safety standards.
In the event that a rider is unable to obtain their EA tag prior to competing in an event, EA is giving riders a grace period from 1 July 2019 to 1 January 2020. During this period, riders wearing a helmet that complies with the minimum standards without an EA tag will still be allowed to compete. Riders without an EA tag will be issued with an official advice to have the helmet tagged before riding at the next competition.
The EA tag will be visually obvious and so it will be clear to event officials if a rider does not have a verified helmet.
After 1 January 2020, only riders with EA tagged helmets will be able to compete in events.
Also effective from July 1st 2019, Eventing rules have been changed to read "Body protectors are compulsory for Cross-Country. A body protector manufactured after 2009 to the EN13158:2009 standard is mandatory”.
If you're planning on competing and are unsure of whether your body protector complies with the new rules, bring it into your nearest Horseland store and our knowledgeable staff will be able to advise you of if you need a new one. We have body protectors compliant with the new standards from Dublin, Racesafe and Vipa - head in-store to try one out!
Horseland is proud to be an official partner of Equestrian Australia and working towards safer sport. Read the full article about updated personal protective equipment rules on the EA website here.
