Equestrian Helmet Standards: Do They Represent Real-World Accident Conditions?

Abstract

The use of helmets in equestrian sports has reduced the occurrence of traumatic brain injuries although, despite improvements to helmets, concussion remains a common injury. Currently, equestrian helmets are designed to pass certification standards involving a linear drop test to a rigid surface, while most concussions in equestrian sports result from oblique impacts to a compliant surface. The purpose of this study was to: (1) Compare the head kinematics and brain tissue response of the current equestrian helmet standard (EN1) and proposed standard EN13087-11 (EN2) to those associated with reconstructions of real-world equestrian concussion accidents. (2) Design a test protocol that would reflect the real-world conditions associated with concussion in equestrian sports. (3) To assess the protective capacity of an equestrian helmet using the flat turf and 45° turf proposed test protocols. Results for reconstructions of real-world concussions were obtained from a previous study (Clark et al. in J. Sci. Med. Sport 23:222-236, 2020). Using one jockey helmet model, impact tests were conducted according to the EN1 and EN2 protocols. Additionally, helmeted and unhelmeted tests were conducted at 5.9 and 6.0m/s on to flat turf and 45° turf anvils for front, front-boss and rear-boss impact locations. The results demonstrated EN1 and EN2 both had higher magnitude accelerations and shorter duration impacts than reconstructed real-world concussive impacts. Impacts to turf anvils, on the other hand, produced similar head kinematics compared to the reconstructed real-world concussive impacts. Additionally, this study demonstrated that helmeted impacts significantly decreased rotational kinematics and brain tissue response below what is associated with unhelmeted impacts for oblique falls. However, the head kinematics and brain tissue response associated with these helmeted falls were consistent with concussion, suggesting that scope exists to improve the capacity of equestrian helmets to protect against concussion.