If you have ever worn a riding helmet, have you ever thought about how long that helmet will last? If your helmet is involved in a fall, meaning you fall off your horse and hit your head (and helmet) then you need to replace your riding helmet, no exceptions.
However, if you are fortunate enough to never experience a fall from your horse, how long will your helmet last?
It would be great if riding helmets lasted as long as you had them. Especially when you spend $400 – $700.00 on them. But all riding helmets have an expiration date. And the main consensus from helmet manufactures is your helmet will last about 5 years from the time you first put it on your head. And there are several reasons why.
Sweat
Have you noticed when you get off your horse after a lesson or long ride that your head is sweaty, and sometimes even wet? Well that sweat not only effects your head, it effects your helmet too. Over time, the sweat and moisture from your head can effect the materials in your helmet. This isn’t a bad thing really, and it’s just a matter of fact that eventually the plastic, or materials of your riding helmet will potentially lose their strength over time.
To keep on top of the moisture inside your riding helmet, you can remove the liner and wipe down the interior of the helmet. And once the liner is dry, you can reattach it to the helmet.
UV Rays
Just like sweat, over time, when your helmet is out in the sun, it is getting exposed to different rays of sunlight. Rays like UV can cause the materials in your helmet to weaken too, just like the can weaken from continual exposure to the components of sweat and moisture.
Temperature Fluctuation
And one more thing to think about is the temperature of where your helmet lives. If you keep your helmet in your tack room, barn or even your car, it will be susceptible to temperature fluctuations throughout the day and time of year.
If it’s cold, then hot…cold, then hot….and vice versa, this can also be detrimental to your riding helmet. One way to prevent this is to keep your helmet in a climate-controlled environment as much as you can. This will lessen the amount of time your helmet is experiencing temperature fluctuations.
Make The Most Of Your Riding Helmet
While you can’t make your helmet last forever, there are things you can do to make it last longer by taking care of it. And every helmet manufacture will share how long their helmets last. You can find this information by visiting the manufacture of your helmet.
And once your helmet starts to get close to the 5 year date, be sure to replace it with an updated helmet.
This is one reason why I don’t feel it is advisable to buy used helmets. Number one, you don’t really know how old the helmet is. And number two, you don’t know if the helmet was involved in any falls.
So just play it safe, and buy the new helmet. After all, you are worth it!