Money off new helmets for concussed riders
A £100 hat voucher will be given to riders who sustain a head injury while competing at a British Eventing (BE) competition.
The British Equestrian Trade Association (BETA) has teamed up with BE to develop the new BETA “helmet bounty scheme”.
Any rider who is concussed during the cross-country phase at a BE-affiliated event will receive a voucher to be put towards the cost of a replacement jockey skull.
“Improving rider safety is an integral part of our work and we are tremendously pleased that the scheme — effectively a hat amnesty — will help to drive home the message that hats should always be replaced when they have been involved in an incident,” said Claire Williams from BETA.
To receive the voucher, riders must be diagnosed with concussion by an event’s medical officer.
They must then agree to give the hat they were wearing at the time of the fall to BETA and to BE, passing on details of their injury.
The voucher will be valid with BETA-participating retailers.
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
“We are delighted to be working with BETA on this extremely important initiative,” added BE’s Chris Farr.
“[It] will not only help riders to replace their hats, but those collected will be used by the trade association to conduct further research into improving riding hat standards.”
The scheme will be introduced ready for the beginning of the 2016 eventing season, which kicks off at Isleham on 5 March.
The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) already runs a similar scheme, whereby jockeys who suffer a concussion while racing under Rules are given an £80 voucher for a new helmet.
Jockeys are also required to surrender their old helmet before they are given a voucher for a new one.
Plans are also in the pipeline for BETA to work with the BHA on updating its existing scheme.
Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now
Lucy is an experienced news journalist, reporter and presenter. Since joining the Horse & Hound team in 2015, Lucy has reported from major global sporting events including the Tokyo Paralympic Games and multiple European Championships, as well as Badminton, Burghley and London, to name a few. She has covered current affairs and sports news across the full spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, as well as human and equine welfare, industry news and court cases.