Safety Standards

Next generation equestrian safety

Equestrian Safety Standards

We all wear helmets – but how much do we really know about the standards behind them? Whether you’re a rider, handler or retailer, it’s important to understand what’s protecting your most vital organ.

At evoke, all of our helmets are designed and tested in the UK, giving you confidence in their safety and quality. We hold the prestigious BSI Kitemark and we are certified to the three main international safety standards, including:

PAS015:2011

EN1384:2023

ASTM F1163-23

Why wear a helmet?

Horse riding is unpredictable, and falls can happen at any time. A helmet helps reduce the risk of serious and life-changing head injuries.

Impacts can cause:

• Concussion
• Skull fractures
• Traumatic brain injuries

Helmets do absorb and disperse impact – but they are single-use and must always be replaced after a fall.

Equestrian Safety Standards Explained

All helmets must meet strict testing requirements before going to market.

Every current riding hat safety standard is built around the following core tests, which simulate a number of riding accident scenarios:

1. Flat Impact Testing

The helmet is dropped from a fixed height onto a hard, flat anvil. This simulates your head hitting the ground in a fall. Sensors inside the headform measure how much force is transmitted through the hat to the head, and the standards sets a maximum acceptable level, known as g-Force. The height and g-force requirements vary between standards, with PAS015:2011 the most rigorous.

2. Hazard Edge Impact Testing

The helmet is dropped onto a sharp edge which simulates the edge of a kerb, fence or other sharp hazard. Basically, anything you might hit from a fall that isn't a flat surface.

3. Penetration (spike) Testing

A weighted spike is dropped onto the helmet from height which is designed to simulate a horse's hoof striking the helmet, or a sharp object that might penetrate the helmet from a fall. The standard measures whether the spike penetrates the helmet to ascertain if it would reach the skull.

4. Crush Resistance Testing

The helmet is pressed under force that simulates a horse falling or rolling on the rider. The standard sets the minimum force the hat must withstand without permanent deformation, measured in newtons (N).

5. Hemi Anvil Testing

This is a test specifically for SNELL E2021. Similar to Hazard Edge Anvil testing, the helmet is dropped onto an anvil which simulates a fall that isn't on a flat surface.

On top of these core tests, modern standards also test:

Retention strength (does the harness hold the helmet in place?)

Stability (does the hat stay in position?)

How the helmet performs after exposure to heat, cold, and when wet.

The four main international standards are:

PAS 015:2011 (UK) – the most demanding standard, testing impact, penetration, deformation, retention strength and stability. PAS015:2011 remains the most robust standard when compared to the other main international standards. It requires a greater number of samples for testing, and a greater requirement for impact testing and penetration testing.

EN 1384:2023 (EU) – The updated European standard with improved safety requirements, introduced primarily to replace the VG1 standard. Whilst an improvement on its predecessor, its testing criteria and pass requirements are still not as robust as the PAS015:2011 standard.

ASTM F1163-23 (USA) – tests impact absorption, crush resistance, retention strength.

SNELL E2021 – one of the toughest standards for extreme crush testing, including horseshoe anvil impacts.

Despite EN1384:2023 and ASTM F1163-23 having recently been updated, they still fall below the certification requirements of PAS015:2011 which has between 11% to over 20% higher certification testing requirements across the various testing parameters.

In laboratory testing results a helmet can pass the certification for EN1384:2023 and ASTM F1163-23 but not meet the test standards to pass PAS015:2011.

Quality marks

Beyond basic certification, some helmets undergo frequent testing to ensure consistent quality.

Quality marks include:

BSI Kitemark, SEI mark, IC Mark, SEI mark

These marks show that helmets are regularly batch-tested – not just approved once.

Isn’t Mips® a standard?

Mips is not a standard, but technology designed to provide added safety for helmets in many accidents. For certain impacts, the Mips system can reduce harmful forces that might otherwise be transferred to the user’s head.Rotational motion is a common cause of concussions and more severe brain injury in oblique hits to the head.

The Mips safety system consists of a low friction later mounted inside the helmet. In an impact, the low friction layer is designed to move slightly inside the helmet to help redirect forces away from the head, and help reducethe risk of brain injury.

What about evoke?

Not all helmets are created equal. Our team is made up of industry experts, including a Technical Director on the European Standards Committee – ensuring safety is at the core of everything we do.

All of our evoke helmets are certified to three international standards, and we hold the prestigeous BSI Kitemark.

• PAS 015:2011
• EN 1384:2023
• ASTM F1163-23

Our Polaris will go one further, adding SNELL E2021 to the other three standards. This means broader protection across a wider range of impact scenarios. We also have selected styles available with Mips.

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