About: Different Helmet Brands

   There are many different brands of helmet out there of all different designs, fit, price points and features. Sometimes you are buying brand recognition, but many times the higher priced helmets have more to offer in terms of safety and comfort. Below the 9 most recognizable helmet brands are examined.

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Troxel

$25.00-$60.00

Troxel helmets are probably the best known introductory helmet. They come in many different colors and styles giving new riders a chance to express themselves with their riding gear. Most of these helmets have a spin dial at the base of the skull to help adjust the size and fit to grow with the rider. Sometimes these helmets can be a bit large and bulky and typically seen in everyday riding and not usually used for showing.

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Ovation

$50.00-$100.00

Ovation gives you another low priced introductory helmet with a sleeker look. Young students still look polished going from practice to showing in this helmet. Many of these helmets also allow for adjustment with a similar rotating dial at the base of the skull. 

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Tipperary

$50.00-$130.00

The Tipperary helmets offer similar introductory prices, but this brand is more common in the eventing or endurance field. The shape of the helmet doesn't have that sleek round look desired for the hunter/jumper or dressage rings. The many vents in this helmet offers a lot of ventilation to keep you from over heating which lends itself well to the endurance and eventing disciplines. 

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IRH

$25.00-$250.00

IRH helmets start to climb higher in price tag. This brand frequently has looks based off other higher priced brands. So if you want the look of one of the helmets below, chances are you can find an IRH with a similar look.

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One K

$180.00-$360.00

The One K is gaining popularity as a great first show helmet because it has a classic sleek look similar to the Samshield without the high price tag. These helmets come in many different colors and finishes. Some even have crystals embedded in the plastic offering some pizzaz to the show ring. These are sized based on a S, M, or L shell with liners inserted to get the correct fit.

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Charles Owen

$80.00-$440.00

A classic, the Charles Owen is popular among professionals and the first helmet on this list that is well accepted as fashionable. However, even with it's popularity the Charles Owen helmets are still very reasonably priced. There are many different colors and finishes to these helmets. Some offer more vents than the one pictured to allow for more air flow. These helmets are also known for being a great fit for those with an oval head shape, though they just recently came out with a rounder style. These are sized based in inches.

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Kask

$500.00-$700.00

The Kask helmet is a relatively new helmet to the market and is more popular with European jumper riders. The wide brim option is slowly gaining ground here in the US but has yet to gain the fame as the Charles Owen, Samshield and GPA brands. The large vents in this helmet offer great ventilation and there are a ton of ways to customize this helmet allowing the price tag to get very high. These are sized in centimeters based of the circumference measurement of your head.

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Samshield

$440.00-$800.00

The Samshield. Currently this is THE helmet people want and it is easily seen at every show around the US. Many top hunter, jumper and equitation riders sport this helmet. It is almost the uniform in the equitation ring these days. Many different colors and styles are available and you can customize this helmet beyond your wildest dreams, allowing it to get to be the most expensive helmet with those options. These are sized based on a base shell size of S, M, L and liners are added to get to your desired fit.

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GPA

$380.00-$700.00

When comparing the most popular styles of all helmets the GPA is the most expensive. However, if you are going to customize a helmet it falls in the middle of the pack. Most GPA helmets come in a few standard colors and customization is not offered. The speed-air as pictured was the helmet of choice just a few years ago. The large vents allow tons of air in and are great for warm weather riding. These are sized based on circumference of your head in inches. 

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What is your favorite helmet brand? Let us know in the comments below or share you picture on Instagram using the hashtag #TheBarnRat!