Travels and a Helmet Cover

This has been a busy month!  I was out of town for a family reunion for a week, and I've been trying to cram as many rides in on the horses as I can to make up for being gone so long.
 

I also got my hair redone a month or two ago, and haven't had a chance to post pictures of myself without a helmet.  My sister-in-law took some photos for us in exchange for me doing family photos for them, and here are a few of my favorites.

We did a lot of hiking on the trip, and a little shopping.  My best find was a helmet cover for ski and snowboard helmets, but I'll wear it on my riding helmet for the pair pace we are going to in September.  Costumes are encouraged at this activity, and while I'll mostly be wearing my eventing gear, I'll add to my black and yellow ensemble with this awesome and fun adornment.  Mine looks just like this.  Raven has already approved by trying to taste the soft fabric spikes and having a fabulous dressage ride with me wearing it. Billy was deeply disturbed by my fashion choice so I elected not to wear it while riding him this week.  Highboy hasn't seen it yet, but I'm sure he'll think it's super fun and awesome, because he thinks just about everything is.

My clients who drove in Tuesday for lessons to see me riding around in this helmet cover were politely stunned and tentatively asked what my purpose was with it.  I said mostly to make sure people don't think we're overly dignified here at Bit of Honey.

It will look cool on my new helmet, purchased on sale for Helmet Awareness Day.  I replace my helmet after every fall if the helmet touches the ground.  They are only good for one impact and damage is not always visible.  This is why I never buy used helmets, because you may not see that it was in a fall and then if that helmet were to be in another fall its integrity and protection is compromised.  I also replace my helmet every 3-5 years even if they are not in an accident.  This is because there are always new improvements to helmet safety technology and I want the best protection I can get.  Also, the materials will eventually start to degrade, and again I want the best protection I can get. 

The best helmet you can get is not necessarily the most expensive, but the one that fits your head the best.  A new $60 helmet may offer you better protection than a new $600 helmet, depending on how they fit.  It's best to have someone help you if it's your first time fitting yourself to a helmet, to make sure it's done correctly and you have the safest option available.  Make sure you tell the fitter whether you intend to wear your hair up in the helmet or in a ponytail out of it, as that will affect the fit.

When my hair was long I'd wear a size 7 1/8 long-oval shape helmet because I needed it to accommodate all my hair and still not move.  Now that my hair is so short, I go with a 7 long-oval because there's just less going into it.   I need the long-oval shape because my head is very narrow side-to-side, and longer forehead to back.  Most helmets have too much space on the sides of my head and pinch me front to back, but ordering long-oval shape is a better way for me to go, as even adjusting padding doesn't do enough for me. 

The helmet I replaced was for cross-country jumping.  My old one had not been in any falls, but it was old enough that it needed to be replaced.  I was sad to replace it, as it was gold and that company doesn't make a gold helmet anymore.  I ended up going with basic black, but of course I have my fun new helmet cover to dress it up if we need comedic relief.